Shiraz is the economic center of southern
Iran. The second half of the 19th century witnessed certain economic
developments that greatly changed the economy of Shiraz. The opening of the
Suez Canal in 1869 allowed the extensive import into southern Iran of
inexpensive European factory-made goods, either directly from Europe or via
India. Farmers in unprecedented
numbers began planting cash crops such as opium poppy, tobacco, and cotton.
Many of these export crops passed through Shiraz
