Darya Khan Multani

Darya Khan Multani was a merchant of Afghan origin who had evidently used his capital to bring Indian textile artisans to Samarqand, where they manufactured cloth using locally produced yarns and wool. By bringing men to Samarqand he reduced costs and the dangers of periodic caravan trips over the Hindu Kush.

It seems that Darya Khan had organized his firm around a system of cash advances or possibly a combination of advances and a putting-out arrangement in which he advanced funds or raw materials to his semi-autonomous craftsmen in exchange for cloth or wool that they had manufactured. By paying these men on a piece-work basis rather than hiring them as employees he probably kept his costs as low as possible.