The Turco-Mongol Invasions and the Lords of Armenia in the 13 ...

At the same time that certain large landholders were
selling their estates, a few Mongol favorites such as
Sahmadin, Umck, Snorhawor and Sadun Arcruni were purchasing
them and became landholders after the example of the
Mongol aristocrats, owning huge properties in different
states . However, the wealth of these few lords, accum-
ulated from trading and land speculation, cannot serve
as an index of the country's prosperity.
The decline of Armenia's cities in this period
was caused by Turkmen ravages, excessive taxation, and
by the transferal of the international trade routes.
Ragbid al-Din speaking about the disastrous situation
at the beginning of the 14th century, wrote that five
of every ten houses were deserted, and that numerous
o
cities on both sides of the •Euphrates had been abandoned .
Hamd Allah Mustawfi Qazvini noted the decline of cities
and townsin Caucasia across the Armenian highlands in
his day (1340). Speaking of Georgia and Abxazia, he
stated that "revenues in time of their native kings
amounted to near 5,000,000 dinars of the present currency;
but in our times the government only obtains 1,202,000 dinars"5.
About Rum, which embraced western Armenia, he
said: "Its revenues at the present day amount to 3,300,000
1 HAP p. 657.
2 Rasfaid, III pp. 308-309} Yov. YiS. p. 992.
3 Q P. 94.
216