chiefdom · Mesopotamia and Iran
Sheikhdom of Bushehr
Origins
Nader Shah developed Bushehr as a naval base in the 1730s. After his death in 1747, the Al Madhkur, an Arab family settled on the Persian coast, ruled the port as hereditary sheikhs. Sheikh Nasir Al Madhkur extended their power across the Gulf, taking Bahrain in 1753.
Rule and society
Bushehr became the main port of southern Iran, linking Shiraz with India and the Gulf. In 1763 Karim Khan of the Zand Empire and the sheikh allowed the East India Company to open a factory there, and it later became the seat of the British Political Resident in the Gulf. The sheikhs combined trade, customs revenue and a small fleet, paying tribute to the Zand and later Qajar rulers.
Decline and legacy
The Al Madhkur lost Bahrain to the Al Khalifa in 1783. Under Qajar Iran their authority was steadily reduced, and by about 1850 Bushehr was governed by appointed officials.
Few sources survive for this state; details are uncertain.
Lineage
On the connections map
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- Sheikhdom of Bushehr was a vassal of Zand Empire1753 CE – 1794 CE
More states of Mesopotamia and Iran →
Cite this page
- APA
- The Epoch Institute. (2026). Sheikhdom of Bushehr. In The Epoch Institute States Register. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/sheikhdom-of-bushehr
- MLA
- “Sheikhdom of Bushehr.” The Epoch Institute States Register, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/sheikhdom-of-bushehr. Accessed .
- Chicago
- The Epoch Institute. “Sheikhdom of Bushehr.” The Epoch Institute States Register. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/sheikhdom-of-bushehr.
- Harvard
- The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Sheikhdom of Bushehr’, The Epoch Institute States Register. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/sheikhdom-of-bushehr (Accessed: ).
Last reviewed October 2026Random state ↻