Sugar trade in the Eighteenth-Century Persian Gulf
Daito, N.
Citation
Daito, N. (2017, November 28). Sugar trade in the Eighteenth-Century Persian Gulf. Retrieved from https://hdl.handle.net/1887/57562
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The handle http://hdl.handle.net/1887/57562 holds various files of this Leiden University dissertation
Author: Daito, Norifumi
Title: Sugar trade in the Eighteenth-Century Persian Gulf Date: 2017-11-28
Sugar Trade in the Eighteenth-Century Persian Gulf
Sugar Trade in the Eighteenth-Century Persian Gulf
PROEFSCHRIFT
ter verkrijging van
de graad van Doctor aan de Universiteit Leiden, op gezag van Rector Magnificus prof. mr. C.J.J.M. Stolker,
volgens besluit van het College voor Promoties te verdedigen op dinsdag 28 november 2017
klokke 16:15 uur
door Norifumi Daito geboren tot Kakogawa, Japan
in 1981
Promotor: Prof. dr. J.J.L. Gommans (Universiteit Leiden)
Promotiecommissie:
Prof. dr. C.A.P. Antunes (Universiteit Leiden) Dr. G.R. van den Berg (Universiteit Leiden)
Prof. dr. C.A. Davids (Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam) Prof. dr. R. Matthee (University of Delaware)
Dr. A.F. Schrikker (Universiteit Leiden)
© Norifumi Daito 2017
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, translated, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means without written permission from the author.
Contents
Acknowledgements ix
Note on transliteration xi
Maps xiii
Introduction 1
Chapter 1: The Sugar Consumer Market 15
1. Safavid period 15
Localities of consumers 15
Different sugar varieties 19
Functions 24
Medicine 24
Nutrition 25
Festivity 25
Gift and treat 26
Resource 27
2. After the Safavid period 30
Relocation of market 30
Isfahan and Teheran 30
Kerman, Yazd and Khorasan 32
Gujarat and Sind 33
Shiraz 33
Caucasus, Gilan and Mazandaran 34
Iraq, Arabia, Kurdistan and Anatolia 36
Consumption in town 37
War time 37
Persistence of urban life 40
Conclusion 44
Chapter 2: Sugar Trade in the Persian Gulf: The VOC 47
1. Bandar Abbas 47
2. Bushire and Bandar Rig 52
3. Basra 54
4. Kharg Island, Masqat and Sind 59
Conclusion 62
Chapter 3: Sugar Trade in the Persian Gulf: The VOC’s Competitors 65
1. Safavid period 65
Non-VOC shipping of sugar 65
Flexibility of the Gulf market 73
2. After the Safavid period 76
Afghan interregnum (1722–30) 76
Relocation and new connections 76
Resilience of the English trade 78
The 1730s 80
Continuity of competition 80
Change in patterns of competition 81
Decline: The 1740s 85
Rise of Masqat: The 1750s 89
Conclusion 93
Chapter 4: Alternative Sugar Hubs: Basra, Bushire and Kharg 95
1. Basra (1724– c. 1753) 95
Replacement of Bandar Abbas 96
Increased demand for copper 97
Boom 99
Patterns of competition 101
Crisis and resilience of trading network 103
2. Bushire (1737– c. 1753) 106
Connections to Basra and Masqat 107
Pursuit of copper 108
Predominance of Iranian and Armenian merchants 109
3. Kharg (1753–66) 111
Development of local shipping 111
Conflicts and flexibility of traffic 114
4. After the VOC’s withdrawal 118
Conclusion 121
Chapter 5: Company Brokers 125
1. The VOC’s brokers 125
Bandar Abbas: The Rawal family 125
Isfahan: The family of Khemchand 130
2. Brokers as individual merchants 131
3. Company and family firm 134
4. Merchants and the state 138
5. Services 140
Trade at Bandar Abbas 141
Monetary transfer 144
Trade at Isfahan 145
Conclusion 146
Chapter 6: Persisting Commercial Middle Ground 149
1. Bandar Abbas 149
The bankruptcy of the Rawals:Afghan interregnum (1722–30) 149 Collapse of the brokers with the VOC: Nadir Shah’s rule (1730–47) 152
Partnership in crisis 152
The EIC’s flexibility 154
Erosion of the Rawal firm: 1747–59 158
2. Isfahan 160
3. Basra 161
Banian connections 161
The Sahid family 164
4. Bushire 166
5. Kharg 167
6. Masqat 168
Immigrations of merchants 168
Banian networks 170
Conclusion 173
Conclusion 177
Appendices 181
1. Sugar prices at the Isfahan market, 1737–41
2. Sales of sugar by the VOC at Bandar Abbas, 1701–56 3. Sales of sugar by the VOC at Bushire, 1737–48 4. Sales of sugar by the VOC at Basra, 1723–51 5. Sales of sugar by the VOC at Kharg, 1753–64
6. Non-VOC sugar suppliers to Bandar Abbas, 1694–1715 7. Registries of arrivals at Bandar Abbas, 1694–1715 8. Origins of English arrivals at Bandar Abbas, 1694–1715 9. Origins of Muslim arrivals at Bandar Abbas, 1694–1715 10. Family-tree of the Rawals
11. Family-tree of the Sahids
Bibliography 193
Samenvatting 205
Curriculum Vitae 207
List of Figures
1.1 Sugar prices at the Isfahan market, 1737–41 31
1.2 British sugar imports to Russia, 1764–99 35
1.3 French sugar imports to the Levant, 1750–54 and 1786–89 37
2.1 Dutch export of Bengali sugar to Iran 48
2.2 Dutch import of Javanese sugar into Bandar Abbas, 1701–56 49 2.3 Net profits from sugar at Bandar Abbas, 1701–56 50 2.4 Comparative sale value between the two phases 1701–20 and 1721–56 51 2.5 Dutch import of Javanese sugar into Bushire, 1737–48 53 2.6 Dutch import of Javanese sugar into Basra, 1723–51 54 2.7 Sales of castor sugar made by Bandar Abbas, Basra, Bushire and
Bandar Rig, 1723–52 55
2.8 Sales of candy sugar made by Bandar Abbas, Basra, Bushire and
Bandar Rig, 1723–52 56
2.9 Five-year average annual imports of castor sugar into Bandar Abbas
and Basra, 1723–51 56
2.10 Five-year average annual imports of candy sugar into Bandar Abbas
and Basra, 1723–51 57
2.11 Five-year average annual import of castor sugar into the Persian Gulf,
1701–64 58
2.12 Five-year average annual import of candy sugar into the Persian Gulf,
1701–64 58
2.13 Dutch import of Javanese sugar into Kharg Island, 1753–64 61
3.1 Non-VOC sugar suppliers to Bandar Abbas, 1694–1715 68
3.2 Registrations of arrivals at Bandar Abbas, 1694–1715 69 3.3 Origins of English arrivals at Bandar Abbas, 1694–1715 70 3.4 Origins of Muslim arrivals at Bandar Abbas, 1694–1715 71
ix
Acknowledgements
This thesis is the result of a lengthy research process. In 2006, as an MA student at Kobe University in Japan, I began collecting some source materials for the research without even knowing how I would put them to use. Since then, however, I have been fortunate enough to work with a number of scholars, colleagues and friends. They have helped me carry on the research by giving me thoughtful advice. First and foremost, I would like to thank Prof. Dr.
Yasushi Ogata, Prof. Dr. Hiroyuki Mashita and Prof. Dr. Takao Ito at Kobe University.
Despite the unfamiliar type of research, they encouraged me to explore the archives of the Dutch East India Company for a broader study of Asia in early modern times. I also thank the Graduate School of Humanities of Kobe University for a seven-month grant, which enabled me to go to the Netherlands in 2010.
I feel privileged to have been involved in the Cosmopolis programme (2012–17) at the History Department at Leiden University. I would like to express my sincere gratitude to Prof.
Dr. Jos Gommans for inviting me to join that stimulating project. I am grateful for the
generous support that I received from the coordinators of the program, Dr. Carolien Stolte and Esther Zwinkels, and the secretary, Marijke van Wissen-van Staden. I also owe many thanks to Dr. Leonard Blussé, the project leader of the Encompass programme (2006–12) at the History Department, who gave me valuable advice and encouragement.
Of special importance are the people who have helped me learn modern and seventeenth- century Dutch. I am thankful to Lili Evers, René Wezel and Dr. Hugo ’sJacob, whose guidance made it possible for me to make a good start in the Netherlands. I am particularly grateful to Dr. Ton Harmsen. Since my arrival in Leiden, he has been of immense help in deciphering thousands of texts in complex Dutch.
The research for this thesis was mainly done in the Leiden University Library, the Koninklijke Bibliotheek and the Nationaal Archief in The Hague, and the British Library in London. I acknowledge the wonderful atmospheres provided by these institutions and the helpful working staff there. Financial support for the research came from the Cosmopolis programme and the Japan Student Services Organization. I am also thankful to the office staff of the Dutch Studies at Leiden University. At a crucial stage when I was drafting my thesis, they allowed me to use a reading room and other facilities that were very helpful for the work.
This thesis benefited greatly from discussions with Gabrielle van den Berg, Ryuto Shimada, Atsushi Ota and Ghulam Nadri. I appreciate their insightful comments. During my stay in Leiden, it was a great pleasure to interact with many Encompass and Cosmopolis students from various Asian and African countries. I will always cherish my memory of the times spent with them. My special thanks to Xu Xiaodong, Ariel Lopez, Pimmanus Wibulsilp, Kate Ekama, Yedda Palemeq, Abdur Rauf, Archisman Chaudhuri, Byapti Sur, Deepshikha Boro, Mahmood Kooria, Yulianti, Ligia Giay and Neilabh Sinha for their unfailing friendship.
xi
Note on transliteration
The Arabic and Persian transliteration used in this thesis follows the system of the third edition of Encyclopaedia of Islam.
xiii
Maps
Map 1: Iran and the Persian Gulf
xiv
Map 2: Khuzistan
xv
Map 3: Fars
xvi
Map 4: Kerman
Source: Th. Ricks, Notables, Merchants, and Shaykhs of Southern Iran and Its Ports: Politics and Trade of the Persian Gulf Region, AD 1728–1789 (New Jersey: Gorgias Press, 2012), 295, 297, 298, 299.
