Rise and Fall of Bandar Lengeh in the Context of Social and Economic Changes in the Persian Gulf Region in the Qajar Period

One of the common phenomena on the coasts of the Persian Gulf has always been the movement of human communities during various historical periods.The rise and fall of Bandar Lengeh in the Persian Gulf region is an example of such frequent historical movements on these eventful coasts. This port, which was made during the late years of the Afsharid period, developed such a high status over a very short time and during the first half of the Qajar period that it was called half of the world, a unique port, and sometimes Pearl Port. However, it collapsed during the late Qajar period. The present study investigates the reasons for the rise and fall of this port following an analytic-historical method. The findings indicate that, in the Qajar era, Bandar Lengeh was one of the important centers for the gathering of the local tradesmen of coastal regions and some hinterlands such as Larestan and, through relying on hunting and exporting pearls as well as exporting other goods to other ports of the Persian Gulf, attained a supreme place among the ports of the two sides of this waterway. However, the flourishing period of Bandar Lengeh was short and, during the reign of Mozaffarad-Din Shah Qajar and after the legislation of some new customs laws, the process of its decline began. During the early years of the reign of Pahlavi Dynasty, with the expansion of smuggling and insecurity in the hinterlands of this port, there remained no trace of the progress and prosperity of Bandar Lengeh as one of the important ports of the Persian Gulf.