Question

describe the economy and trade in the Sultanate

Answer 1

However, it encouraged import of foreign goods form Persia, since the Sultan made advances to the foreign traders to import their goods and he always subsidised in such cases.

The failure of Mohammad Tughlaq that the country regained its economic prosperity and the revenue of Delhi alone reached the high figure of six crores while that of Doab was 80 lakhs. His encouragement to gardening and provisions of means of irrigation like the wells and canals increased the prosperity of the country.

During the days of this very ruler, we hear of Karkhanas in which he utilised his slaves. Besides these public commercial undertakings, there were private enterprises as well. We hear how many types of industries prospered during the reign of Feroze.

Dr. Ashirwadi Lai provides a very exhaustive list of these industries like the textile “including the manufacture of cotton, woolen and silk cloth. Dyeing industry, printing industry, calico printing industry sugar industry, metal work, paper industry, stone work, enameling, etc.”

Answer 2

Answer:

During the sultanate period Hindus occupied an important role in foreign and domestic trade, although foreign Muslim merchants, known as khurasani, also had a large share of it. Seeing the success of the Muslim horsemen, they started to substitute horses for elephants. The exports included large quantities of food-grains and cloth. Among the agricultural products were wheat, millet, rice, pulses, oilseeds, scents, medicinal herbs, and sugar. Some of the countries around the Persian Gulf depended on the subcontinent for their entire food supply.

During this period there was development of textiles, various items of metal work, sugar, indigo and paper. Bengal was the main center of the textile industry, but Gujarat lead as supplier of the export trade during the sultanate period.

Metal industries were the manufacture of swords, guns, and knives, as well as household needs such as trays and basins. Manufacture of sugar was also carried on on a fairly large scale. Delhi was the center of paper making market.

These industries were mainly privately owned, but the government equipped and managed large-scale karkhanas, or factories, for supplying its requirements. The royal factories at Delhi sometimes employed as many as four thousand weavers for silk alone. The example of the sultan of Delhi was followed by the rulers of the regional kingdoms.