The Maritime Trade of the British East India Company in the Persian Gulf: The Use of Indigenous Knowledge, Commercial Structure, Challenges, and Consequences
1
Associate Professor, Department of History, Faculty of Literature, Alzahra University, Tehran- Iran
2
Department of History, Faculty of Literature, Alzahra University, Tehran, Iran
10.22111/jhr.2026.55954.3929
Abstract
During the period of the British East India Company’s operations (1600–1874), Persian Gulf became one of the Company’s major destinations for maritime trade and, owing to its strategic position, played an important role in connecting commercial networks between regional, and extra-regional markets. This position enabled the Company, as one of the most important maritime trading institutions in the region between 17-19th, to organize its activities through a network of maritime routes, ports, and local commercial centers. Emphasizing the importance of navigational knowledge and maritime security requirements in the expansion of commercial and political activities of BEIC, by using the records and correspondence of the Company, as well as library sources, this study seeks to analyze the maritime trade of BEIC in Persian Gulf and its role in expanding the Company’s influence in the region. The data for the present study were collected from the records and correspondence of the BEIC, as well as library sources, and were analyzed using the historical method and a descriptive-analytical approach. The findings indicate that the success of the Company’s maritime trade in the Persian Gulf depended upon its understanding of the region’s climatic conditions and navigational techniques, as well as the provision of security along shipping routes. The Company also expanded commercial exchanges through the utilization of a network of ports and maritime routes. Furthermore, by participating in the maintenance of security along these routes, the Company increased not only its commercial influence but also its political-military intervention in the region.
Noroozi, J. and Hanifeh, M. (2026). The Maritime Trade of the British East India Company in the Persian Gulf: The Use of Indigenous Knowledge, Commercial Structure, Challenges, and Consequences. Journal of Historical Researches of Iran and Islam, 20(38), -. doi: 10.22111/jhr.2026.55954.3929
MLA
Noroozi, J. , and Hanifeh, M. . "The Maritime Trade of the British East India Company in the Persian Gulf: The Use of Indigenous Knowledge, Commercial Structure, Challenges, and Consequences", Journal of Historical Researches of Iran and Islam, 20, 38, 2026, -. doi: 10.22111/jhr.2026.55954.3929
HARVARD
Noroozi, J., Hanifeh, M. (2026). 'The Maritime Trade of the British East India Company in the Persian Gulf: The Use of Indigenous Knowledge, Commercial Structure, Challenges, and Consequences', Journal of Historical Researches of Iran and Islam, 20(38), pp. -. doi: 10.22111/jhr.2026.55954.3929
CHICAGO
J. Noroozi and M. Hanifeh, "The Maritime Trade of the British East India Company in the Persian Gulf: The Use of Indigenous Knowledge, Commercial Structure, Challenges, and Consequences," Journal of Historical Researches of Iran and Islam, 20 38 (2026): -, doi: 10.22111/jhr.2026.55954.3929
VANCOUVER
Noroozi, J., Hanifeh, M. The Maritime Trade of the British East India Company in the Persian Gulf: The Use of Indigenous Knowledge, Commercial Structure, Challenges, and Consequences. Journal of Historical Researches of Iran and Islam, 2026; 20(38): -. doi: 10.22111/jhr.2026.55954.3929
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