Persian fruit trade in Russia in the 19th century and the role of the Astrakhan Persian merchants in it

The paper discussed the fresh and dried fruit trade development and the role of Persian merchants in it. The above-mentioned fruit was imported to Russia via Astrakhan from Persia and Transcaucasia during the 19th century. Based on archival and published data, the author showed how this trade gradually began to dominate in the structure of Russian-Iranian trade relations following the Volga-Caspian trade route. Due to the changed borders of the Russian state in Asia, the new trade routes for the import of raw materials for the Russian manufacturing industry in the 1820s, the importance of the Iranian market was rapidly reduced. Persian merchants had to seek new goods attractive for Russian buyer that would enable them to stand their ground in Astrakhan foreign trade. These were the fruit that had been rapidly imported via the Astrakhan port since the second quarter of the 19th century. Arguing about the volume and growth of such trade, the author concluded that it contributed to the new consumption standards development in Russia and economic cooperation between two countries. The latter is of great importance in the modern historical era.