War and Peace in Qajar Persia: Implications Past and ... - Oguzlar.az

134 Lawrence G. Pottercustoms were put under the control of Belgian experts, who aimed to introducea uniform and efficient system of tax collection and to raise the rates.Within two years all tax farms had been abolished and management placedin a new department, the Imperial Persian Customs. In March 1900 the customsof Bushehr, Langeh, and Bandar Abbas were placed under the controlof the new department, which led to a remarkable rise in revenue forTehran. 57 The new higher tariffs were opposed by the merchants and led toa sharp decline in legitimate trade in the Gulf, notably at Bandar Langeh(and a concomitant rise in smuggling). 58RETAKING THE GULFThe fall of BushehrAlthough in the early nineteenth century the Qajar government was not ina position to take control of the Arab principalities along its Gulf littoral,by mid-century the situation had changed. Bushehr, on the northern coast,was the most important Gulf port, with substantial income from customsand tax receipts. 59 “Bushehr was a port city, but in contrast to many otherAsian port cities of the colonial era,” Floor notes, “it was a port that wasan integral part of a large independent state, Iran.” 60 At the time of Fath-Ali Shah, half of Persian imports in the Gulf came through Bushehr. 61Bushehr had been governed by the Al-Mazkur family since 1750. The Al-Mazkur were members of an Arab tribe, the Martarish, who are reportedto have come from Oman. 62 They ruled not only Bushehr, but also coastallocalities ranging from Bandar Rig, Ganaveh, and Deylam to the north, aswell as Asaluyeh to the south. They also controlled some inland towns anddistricts such as Ahram, Borazjan and Dalaki. 63 The Al-Mazkur had a closealliance with the Zand dynasty in Shiraz from 1770 to 1789, and acted astheir maritime arm, for example providing ships to besiege Basra. The Al-Mazkur held Bahrain between 1752 and 1783. 64During the early nineteenth century, changing economic and political conditionsin Iran jeopardized the autonomous position of the Al-Mazkur. Mostcritically, their relationship with their overlords deteriorated. The new Qajardynasty did not seek to carry out any military adventures in the Gulf, andtherefore, unlike the Zands, did not need the help of vassals in Bushehr. Fromabout 1820 to 1850, Shiraz demanded ever greater payments of tribute, whilethe sources of revenue for the Al-Mazkur were shrinking.One reason was the transformation of Bushehr, starting in the lateeighteenth and early nineteenth centuries, from a port-of-call to a port-oftransit.65 As a port-of-call, Bushehr acted as a marketing and distribution centrefor long-distance trade, and merchants would come to the city to trade inseason. Later as a port-of-transit, goods were shipped directly from Bushehrto markets inland, and visiting merchants were replaced by resident merchants