Trabzon, A Bridge Between East and West (Accompanying rulers with merchants in the late Middle Ages)

The port of Trabzon, located in northern Anatolia and on the southern shore of the Black Sea, is an interesting example of the freedom of action of traders in economic activities and their relations with international merchants in the Middle Ages under the auspices of a government. Because in the history of this city, which became a famous government in the late Middle Ages, the least involvement of politics and religion or any other noneconomic matter in economic activities can be seen. This is to the extent that its administrative and governmental system has finally gone extinct in history. Trabzon played a continuous mediating role in trade between East and West, as well as the Christian and Muslim worlds, and before its decline in the mid-sixteenth century was one of the main routes of regional and trans-regional exchanges. This research uses Persian, Byzantine and Arabic sources and expert researches and descriptive-analytical method to the role of rulers and traders in the economic prosperity of Trabzon during the Middle Ages. Findings show that in the political and religious climate of Muslim and Christian communities, the rulers of Trabzon provided a unique example of association with merchants of different lands and trade with sometimes hostile governments.