Bandar Abbas and Bushehr competition in Nader Shah Afshar era and reasons of rise Bushehr

Bushehr is one of Iran’s most important trading centers in the Persian Gulf prior to the developments in the new era, replacing Bandar Abbas following its decline. The main question is why could a port with no clear historical legacy be converted into Iran’s major trading center in the Persian Gulf? The answer to this question lies in two sets of reasons: internal reasons (relative security, promotion of trade by Bushehr’s governor, and being close to Shiraz) and external reasons (attempts made by Nader to create a trading port which can compete with Basra, decline of Bandar Abbas, competition between Shiraz and Larestan, and Iran’s market demands for textile). The present paper aims to examine this issue by investigating the reasons for the decline of Bandar Abbas and the rise of Bushehr.