# Earthquake at Siraf and Merchant Migration to Oman (977)

URL: https://allhistories.com/oman/timeline/977-earthquake-at-siraf-and-merchant-migration-to-oman
Location: Siraf, Iran
Themes: main-event

An earthquake caused serious damage at Siraf, the great Gulf port on the Iranian shore, in 977, according to Wikipedia. The geographer al-Maqdisi described it as a fitting punishment from God. The disaster struck a port that, according to Istakhri, had rivalled Shiraz in size in the tenth century, and it came as Siraf was already in decline. Al-Maqdisi said the decline began when the Buyids gained power in Fars, and that many Sirafis moved to Oman. Ibn al-Balkhi instead linked the decline to the period after the Buyids fell in 1055, when pirates from Qays Island exploited the power vacuum and Gulf traffic shifted towards Basra. The accounts disagree about causes, but they agree that Oman gained from Siraf's difficulties. Sirafi merchants brought capital and trading networks to Omani ports, strengthening Sohar and Muscat as Siraf's role shrank. The migration is one of several examples of how disasters and politics on the Iranian shore reshaped Oman's economy. At this point in the timeline (977), no local ruler is named; Oman lay under Buyid suzerainty (967 – 1053), with Ibadi imams holding the interior at times; Rashid ibn al-Walid, Imam (undated, c. 960 – 1002), is also listed as an Ibadi Imam in the interior.

## Why it matters
Siraf's decline redirected merchants and trade to Omani ports, shaping the geography of Gulf commerce.

Ruler at the Time: [Buyid suzerainty over Oman](https://allhistories.com/oman/rulers/buyid-suzerainty-over-oman)

## Sources
- [Wikipedia — Siraf](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siraf)
- [Wikipedia — Buyid dynasty](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buyid_dynasty)