The Impact of Political and Social Circumstances on the Markets in Baghdad During the Seljuk Era (447-590 A.H. / 1055-1193 A.D.)

Markets are considered one of the vital facilities in cities, through which sources of livelihood are secured for their residents, including foodstuffs as well as other needs related to daily life, such as clothes and household needs, in addition to being an important source of revenues for the state treasury through taxes imposed on commercial operations . Given that the prosperity of markets is linked to the extent of political stability in cities, it was necessary for the ruling authorities to create a state of security stability, to ensure the conduct of commercial transactions there.The Seljuk era is considered a clear example of the extent to which markets were affected by the political and social events that accompanied the period of their rule in Baghdad. Therefore, in this research, those events will be traced, the extent of their impact on the economic situation in the city of Baghdad, and the position of the ruling authorities regarding the exposure of the markets to the situation of instability, and they sometimes take some measures in an attempt to restore commercial activity to the city.The research includes two sections. In the first section, it was referred to the political events that took place in Baghdad during the period of Seljuk rule, and the extent of their impact on the markets in the city, despite their attempt to restore commercial activity to the city, the continuing political problems prevented this.In the second section, the impact of social circumstances on the conduct of commercial activity in the markets of Baghdad was examined, including the differences between Sunnis and Shia and the extent to which the markets were affected by these differences, which sometimes reached the point of clashes between them. The impact of the movements of the Ayariyyeen and Shattar (Thieves and bandits) on the markets was also discussed, and the exposure of the merchants and the commercial shops to loot by them, along with to referring to the social events that took place in Baghdad, which sometimes led to the shop owners being forced to close their shops, whether by orders issued by the ruling authorities, or by the desire of the owners of those shops for the purpose of commemorating those events and participating in it.