ASTRAKHAN GUEST COURTS AT THE END OF XVIII – FIRST HALF OF XIX AS A FORM OF ENTREPRENEURSHIP OF PERSIAN MERCHANTS

Foreign trade of the Russian Empire with Asian countries was of a seasonal nature throughout its history. Starting from the end of November and up to the beginning of March, the navigation ceased due to winter conditions. Merchants who originated from Central Asia, Transcaucasia and Iran were the main agents of this trade. Frequently, they did not manage to complete their operations by the end of the navigation and had to spend the winter in Astrakhan.

On the other hand, Asian merchants did not have a guarantee that the merchandise they brought to Astrakhan would find its customer within a limited time frame even during the navigation period. There were necessary customs formalities and a quarantine to keep. While staying in the city for an indefinite period, the eastern merchants had to look for accommodation and facilities for storage of their goods and retail trade. The construction of Guest courts was funded by the state treasury and started as early as 16th century in order to meet these needs.

Starting from the early 18th century, the guest courts (a type of shopping arcades) appeared on the ethnoconfessional basis. Groups of tradespeople joined based on their national origin, which was also reflected in the names of the courts: Indian, Russian, Arminian, Gilaki, Bokharan and others.

By the end of the 18th century, the guest courts served mainly for storage of goods and small-scale retail trading of Persian and Uzbek merchants. Unlike Uzbek merchants, Persian tradespeople had substantial capital that allowed them to turn the guest courts into one of the most profitable parts of their interests in Astrakhan.

The article offers the description of the process of establishment and development of this entrepreneurial activity sphere of Persian entrepreneurship in Astrakhan in the first half of the 19th century based on the analysis of a wide range of archive sources.