Persian Plague or Abu Chafchir Plague (1772-1773): Its Origin and Consequences

Epidemic diseases have historically posed significant threats to human societies, with the plague being one of one of the deadliest. Between 1772 and 1773, an outbreak of plague, known as Abu Chafchir or Abu Khanjar, occurred in Ottoman Iraq, inflicting severe damage on the local economy. This outbreak spread throughout the Persian Gulf and southern Iran; hence it was also referred to as the Persian plague in European accounts. This study aimed to investigate the effects of this plague on human societies and its scope from various dimensions. The study was conducted using library-based and historical methods with a descriptive-analytical approach. Persian, Arabic, and English resources were extracted from domestic databases as well as the archives of British newspapers and the digital archive of Qatar, as important foreign archives. The findings indicated that Mesopotamia was one of the important centers for the outbreak of the plague, and the Persian plague spread to neighboring countries from this region. The results also revealed that the initial attempts to implement quarantine measures in Iran were made during the Karimkhan Zand dynasty and some preventive measures were taken for the first time in response to this plague. Moreover, the transregional trades and movement of commercial and pilgrimage caravans in these areas increased the spread of this disease. This plague changed the political and economic relations of these regions with other countries and resulted in a dramatic population decline.