Establishment of a British Factory at Bandar Abbas

Timeline

1. 1615–1616Isfahan · IranThe English ambassador Thomas Roe negotiated with Abbas I at the Isfahan court; to bypass Ottoman-controlled overland trade routes, the shah agreed to English merchant ships using Persian Gulf ports for direct trade and designated Bandar Abbas as the main seaport open to Britain.
2. 1616Bandar Abbas · Hormozgan ProvinceThe English East India Company established a resident factory at Bandar Abbas, stationing factors and agents to purchase Persian raw silk, carpets, and other goods, while bringing cotton cloth and precious metals from India, forming a key node in the Persian Gulf–Indian Ocean triangular trade network.
3. 1617–1620Bandar Abbas · IranOnce operational, English merchant ships called regularly at Bandar Abbas, competing with Dutch, Portuguese, and other rivals for Persian silk supplies, while the shah used European merchants to counterbalance the Ottomans, quickly making the port one of the hubs of Persian foreign trade in the 17th century.