Hajj Routes in Safavid Iran and Hajj Pilgrims of Transoxiana

Most researches rely on official documents and the correspondence between the neighbors to the east and west (the Ottomans and Shabanians), to blame the Safavids for the blockade of Hajj routes on the pilgrims from the Transoxiana and the inner areas of Iran. The current article had undertaken to study the Hajj pilgrimage roads running through the Safavid territory under Shah Abas the Great. According to the research findings the Safavid did not benefit from blocking Hajj routes and strived diplomatically and politically to re-open the roads for Hajj pilgrimage. Furthermore, the neighboring states to the east and west flanked the Safavid on both sides and undermined the security and stability of the traditional trade and transport roads thereby contributing to the closing of Hajj routes. However, they contrived to put the blame on the Safavid rulers and make them suffer the consequences. More particularly, the commonalities of culture and history and the Ottoman role as the Custodians of the Two Holy Mosques and the rulers of the Islamic World, helped both states accomplish their goals.