The Role of Cassius Brothers and Theophylaktos in the Iran-Russia Wood Trade During the Qajar Era; A Research Based on Archival Records (1883-1908)

In the past, wood was one of the most important trade items between Iran and Russia. Different kinds of trees growing in the north of Iran had an important effect on wood trade during the Qajar dynasty, especially the trade done via the Caspian Sea. In the middle of the Nasseri era, the volume of wood trade significantly increased due to the opening of new sea and land trade routes in the north of Iran. Cassius Brothers and Theophylaktos owned the largest logging concession in the Iranian Caspian forests and had the monopoly of the wood trade of northern Iran for more than two decades. This paper aims to describe Iran’s wood trade by Cassius brothers and Theophylaktos via the Caspian Sea in the Qajar era from 1883 to 1908 according to archival records. Firstly the status of wood trade before the Cassius brothers and Theopylaktos is explained. The article then discusses the granting of the northern forests’ logging concession to them. Finally, the consequences of the concession agreement arc presented