Bandar Kung: a Persian Gulf port town and its formation as an urban and trading Centre during the seventeenth-century A.D

This article examines the growth and development of Bandar Kung, a seventeenth-century port town of the Persian Gulf in Iran, through the lens of an interdisciplinary approach. It argues that Kung’s transformation into an urban and trading centre was orchestrated by multiple interests of the Portuguese, Iranian authorities, various merchant groups and Companies. Drawing on travel accounts, English and Dutch factory records and historical texts, it explores various factors and linkages that transformed Kung into a contested urban and trading centre during the seventeenth century. The growth of this port town’s urban culture is approached via a multidisciplinary framework and by focussing on elements of geography, trade networks, administration and merchant groups. These elements played a significant part in Bandar Kung’s development as a centre of inter-regional and transhipment trade, and enhanced its urban growth. This article also argues that administration was urban in nature, and the local administration played a significant role in its development. Owing to its geographical location and contested nature of ports, Bandar Kung was integrated into the regional trade network of ports, merchants and markets. Therefore, it is argued in the article that in due course of time, this integration facilitated its growth in a substantial way.