chiefdom · Mesopotamia and Iran

Lordship of Bandar Rig

1730 CE – 1769 CE (approx.) · capital Bandar Rig

A small Arab-ruled port on the Persian coast of the Gulf, notorious under Mir Muhanna for piracy and the seizure of Kharg island from the Dutch.

Origins

Bandar Rig, north of Bushehr, was ruled in the 18th century by the Za'ab, an Arab family settled on the Persian shore. After the death of Nader Shah in 1747 central authority collapsed, and Mir Nasir governed the port as a local lord with links to the Dutch East India Company on nearby Kharg.

Rule and society

The lordship lived from fishing, trade and raiding. In 1753 Mir Nasir's son Mir Muhanna killed his father and took power. He became the most feared pirate of the northern Gulf, attacking shipping and coastal towns. In 1765 he drove the Dutch out of their fortified trading post on Kharg and occupied the island.

Decline and legacy

Karim Khan of the Zand Empire sent forces against him, and in 1769 Mir Muhanna fled to Basra, where he was executed by the Ottoman authorities. Bandar Rig came under Zand control.

Few sources survive for this state; details are uncertain.

Connections (1)

  • Lordship of Bandar Rig was conquered by Zand Empire1769 CE

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Cite this page
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). Lordship of Bandar Rig. In The Epoch Institute States Register. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/lordship-of-bandar-rig
MLA
“Lordship of Bandar Rig.” The Epoch Institute States Register, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/lordship-of-bandar-rig. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “Lordship of Bandar Rig.” The Epoch Institute States Register. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/lordship-of-bandar-rig.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Lordship of Bandar Rig’, The Epoch Institute States Register. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/lordship-of-bandar-rig (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random state ↻