From the 3rd/9th to the 5th/11th century, the city of Siraf, a prosperous port on the Iranian coast of the Persian Gulf, in the province of Fārs, was a major emporium of the Indian Ocean trade. Commodities from Eastern Asia and East Africa were stored in Siraf, then sent to Iran, Iraq, Arabia, the Red Sea and further. Archaeological studies showed a densely populated city, with a bazar, a fine mosque and richly built houses and palaces, as well as hydraulic infrastructures enabling irrigated agriculture in this hot and dry area (Whitehouse 2009). This article examines the contribution of Arabic and Persian mediaeval texts (geographical and historiographical, including biographical dictionaries) to the understanding of Siraf’s history, from its prosperous times to the city’s decline during the later part of the Middle Ages.