Fiscal and Administrative Functions of Khal’at in the Safavid Period

Khoshab, Farzad; Toulabi, Touran; Shahrokhi, Seyed Alaeddin

doi:10.22103/jic.2024.22702.1278

Fiscal and Administrative Functions of Khal’at in the Safavid Period

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

¹ Doctoral student of Iranian history after Islam, Lorestan University

² Associate Professor of History, Lorestan University, Khorramabad, Iran

³ Associate Professor of History of Iran after Islam, Lorestan University

10.22103/jic.2024.22702.1278

Abstract

Khalat as a common tradition in Iran history has also had significant political functions. What’s more, not only political functions but also fiscal ones are other dimensions of this old tradition. Analyzing the contrıbution of Khalat in the Safavid official mechanism, this essay tries to provide a comprehensive understanding of the complex administrative structure of the Safavid government. So, historiographical sources and travelogues are used to form a desired narrative. The result of the essay represents a two-faceted problem. On one hand, Shâh and the magnates have tried maintain their political position through Khalat. On the other hand, the policy of some governors and recipients of Khalat was focused on maintaining and continuing their relationship with the central government. Looking at this issue from the perspective of mutual benefits, this essay argues that both of them have sought to consolidate and maintain their power through the implementation of an ancient tradition such as Khalat. As a result, statesmen such as governors put pressure on the people to provide financial resources for Khalat. Therefore, this approach has had consequences, one of which was increasing in social difficulties, although the classical historiographical texts have usually silent. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

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