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Evdokimova E., Kopaneva D. Socio-Cultural Norms of Russia and Iran in the 17th Century and Their Influence on Diplomatic Protocol by the Example of the Case of the Arrival to Moscow of the Persian Merchant Aga-Mamet*

Ekaterina Evdokimova
Saint Petersburg State University
Saint Petersburg, Russian Federation
ORCID: 0009-0002-8522-2317
E-mail: Dostoevskij98@mail.ru

 

Dina Kopaneva
Saint Petersburg State University
Saint Petersburg, Russian Federation
ORCID: 0000-0001-6481-4466
E-mail: kvarn@rambler.ru

 

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ABSTRACT. The article uses the example of the text of report of the Persian merchant Aga-Mamet, preserved in the Russian State Archive of Ancient Acts, Fonds 77 “Relations between Russia and Persia” under number 1668.3, to examine the socio-cultural features of Russia and Iran that influenced bilateral relations in the 17th century. The Persian merchant Aga-Mamet was the son of the ambassador and merchant Aga-Asan and was probably well aware of the procedure for trade missions. The merchant’s tasks included obtaining an audience with Tsar Alexey Mikhailovich, presenting him with “pominki” (gifts from the Persian Padishah), selling Persian goods and purchasing local products needed for the “Shah’s treasury”. The description of his travel to Russia is a representative example of the interactions between the Russian government’s agents and Persian trade agents. The article reflects the problems that arose during such interactions, including those of socio-cultural nature. In addition, the visit described in the case is interesting due to it taking place during the famous “The Hike for Zipuns” of S. T. Razin, as well as the events that followed it, which complicated relations between the Russian and Safavid states. It is shown that the studied list contains a description of the ritual of changing the name of the Persian Padishah, the structure of the Persian bath,  a list of gifts containing the sacred number “nine”, and other features of a socio-cultural nature. The research potential of this type of sources for studying ethnographic issues is demonstrated.

 

KEYWORDS: 17th century, Russian-Iranian relations, Tsar Alexey Mikhailovich, merchants

 

FOR CITATION: Evdokimova E., Kopaneva D. Socio-Cultural Norms of Russia and Iran in the 17th Century and Their Influence on Diplomatic Protocol by the Example of the Case of the Arrival to Moscow of the Persian Merchant Aga-Mamet. Kunstkamera. 2025. 2 (28): 61–68. (In Russian). DOI: 10.31250/2618-8619-2025-2(28)-61-68

 

* The research was carried out at the expense of a grant from the Russian Science Foundation No. 23-78-10037 https://rscf.ru/en/project/23-78-10037.

 

DOI 10.31250/2618-8619-2025-2(28)-61-68
UDC 930.22(47+55)˝16˝

 

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