Tema: The Portuguese in the Arabian Peninsula and in the Persina Gulf

THE PORTUGUESE IN THE ARABIA PENINSULA AND IN THE PERSIAN GULF

Written by Marco Ramerini
The Portuguese, shortly afterwards theirs arrival in the Eastern Seas, decided to prevent the Arab's trade, with the Ormuz conquest. For his strategical position dominating the entrance to the Persic Gulf, Ormuz was one of the two strategical stronghold on the trade routes between the Arab world and Asia (the other being Aden near the strait of Bab el Mandab). The city of Ormuz (Hormuz), was one of the most important trade centers of the whole East, in its market were exchanged Persian horses and pearls. The town was placed on a dry and barren island, near the Persian mainland at the entrance of the Persic Gulf. For nearly 150 years Portugal ruled the Persic Gulf area. Ormuz was regarded by Albuquerque as the third key of the Portuguese Empire in Asia (the others two were Goa and Malacca).
The first attempt to conquer Ormuz was done in 1507 by Afonso de Albuquerque, he at the head of a small Portuguese fleet of 7 ships and 500 men, proceeded to Ormuz, during the journey, he stormed and conquered the towns of Kuryat, Muscat and Khor Fakkan, differently the town of Kalhat and Sohar, expressed their willingness to become tributary of the King of Portugal. The Portuguese fleet anchored in front of the town of Ormuz, the King of the city was prepared for an attack, he could count on 15.000/20.000 armed men. Albuquerque was resolute, he asked to the King to pay a tribute and become a vassal of Portugal, but the King's reply was evasive, a simple attempt to protact the negotiations. Albuquerque after three days of waiting, attacked the city, the King's fleet was entirely destroyed, seeing the complete defeat of his forces, the King sent a flag of truce offering to deliver up the city to the Portuguese.
Albuquerque concluded, in September 1507, a treaty with the King of Hormuz, under which the King had to pay to the King of Portugal a yearly tribute. After this, Albuquerque and his men began to build the fortress, the first stone was laid on 24 October 1507, the fort was named "Nossa Senhora da Victoria".


During the work for the fortress insubordination arose between the Portuguese, some Portuguese captains, with the help of the King of Ormuz, rebeled against Albuquerque. In Janaury 1508, after several days of skirmish with the Ormuz's forces, Albuquerque was forced to abandon the city.This was the first attempt to force the Portuguese rule in the Persic Gulf. The second attempt was made in 1515. In March 1515, Albuquerque with a force of 27 ships, 1.500 Portuguese and 700 Malabarese soldiers arrived in front of Ormuz, he was determinated to take the town in the name of the King of Portugal, and this time he was successful, the fortress was occupied by the Portuguese on 1 April 1515.
The fort was renamed "Nossa Senhora da Conceiçao". When the Portuguese arrived, the main ports of the Persic Gulf and Arabia such as Julfar, Bahrain, Calayate (Qalhat), Mascate, Catifa (al Qatif), Corfaçao, and the islands of Queixome and Lareca were all under the jurisdiction of the King of Hormuz. With the fall of Ormuz, all the cities and ports of the Persian Gulf became tributary of Portugal. The kings of Hormuz continued as a regional power, in conjunction with the Portuguese. In this way began the Portuguese rule in the Persic Gulf which lasted till the years 1620/1650.
In a document of the year 1515 ("Rendimento da cidade de Oromuz e seus reinos") are reported the ports that paied tribute to Portugal, they were: Aigom and Docer "portos que estam na barra de terra firme", Brahemim "porto que esta de fora da ilha d'Oromuz na terra firme", Tezer "lugar na terra firme", Beabom, Borate, Jullfar (Julfar), Callayate (Qalhat), Horfacam (Khor Fakkan), Caçapo (Khasab), Broqete "na ilha Qeixa", Lafete "na ilha Qeixa", Qeixa "na ilha Qeixa", Garpez "na ilha Qeixa", Rodom, Costaque, Chagoa, Callecazei, Lebedia (Al-Bidyah).
"A cidade de Ormuz està situada em hua pequena ilha chamada Gerum que jaz quasi na garganta de estreito do mar Parseo tam perto da costa da terra de Persia que avera de hua a outra tres leguoas e dez da outra Arabia e terà em roda pouco mais de tres leguoas: toda muy esterele e a mayor parte hua mineira de sal e enxolfre sem naturalmente ter hum ramo ou herva verde. A cidade em sy é muy magnifica em edificios, grossa em tracto por ser hua escala onde concorrem todalas mercadorias orientaes e occidentaes a ella, e as que vem da Persea, Armenia e Tartaria que lhe jazem ao norte: de maneira que nam tendo a ilha em sy cousa propria, per carreto tem todalas estimadas do mundo /...../ a cidade é tam viçosa e abastada, que dizem os moradores della que o mundo é hum anel e Ormuz hua pedra preciosa engastada nelle" Joao de Barros, Decada II, L. II cap. 2
In 1521, the King of Ormuz rebeled against the Portuguese, but the latter crushed the ribellion and put a new king on the throne. In 1523, Dom Luis de Menezes occupied Soar, which had revolted, and after this, he proceeded to Qeshm where a new treaty was done with the new King and a feitoria was established. In 1526, Lopo Vaz de Sampayo the Governor of Portuguese India (1526-1529), reduced to obedience Mascate and Khalat which had revolted. In 1542/43, the entire Customs duties of Ormuz were assigned to the King of Portugal. The years between 1550 and 1560 were years of continue warfare with the Turks for the supremacy in the Persian Gulf. In 1550/51, the Portuguese conquered to the Turks the fort of El Katiff (Al Qatif) in Arabia. In 1551/52, in order to help Ormuz's defence a fort was built in Mascate. The Turks, were determined to take revenge and in 1551/52 they attacked Mascate and sacked the town. In 1559, the Turks besieged the Portuguese fort of Bahrein, but after several months of siege, they were forced to withdraw. In 1581, Mascate was again destroied by the Turks. In 1582, the King of Lara (Larack an island near Ormuz), which had revolted, laid siege to the fortress of Ormuz, but the Portuguese succeeded in drive off the invaders and their in turn besieged the Lara's fort of Xamel which was taken by the Portuguese. Finally, in 1588, the Mascate's fortesses were again rebuilt, this time also the town was strenghten and in the nearby Matara (Matrah) a fort was also built. In 1602, Shah Abbas expelled the Portuguese from Bahrain.
Ormuz used for its provisions of water the wells of Comorao, on the Persian coast, here the Portuguese had a fort, this fort was conquered by the Persian in 1615 (1614?). In 1616, Soar, which had revolted, was captured by a Portuguese fleet and the King was put to death. In 1619, the Portuguese fortress of Ormuz had a garrison of 500-700 soldiers. The fort of Khawr Fakkan (Corfaçao) was built in 1620 by Gaspar Leite. On 8 May 1621, Rui Freire de Andrada, the "General do Mar de Ormuz e costa da Persia e Arabia", began to build a fort in Queixome (Qeshm), this fort was built to have the controll of the island's water wells. The building of this fort was regarded as an act of open hostility by the Shah of Persia, that waged war against the Portuguese. In 1622, the Arabs, who had joined with the Persians, succeeded in capturing Julfar from the Portuguese. On 11 February 1622, the Portuguese fort of Queixome, after a feeble resistence, was forced to surrendered to a joined Persian-English army. On 20 Febraury 1622, the Persian flotilla of more than 3.000 men with the help of 6 English ships besieged the Portuguese fortress of Ormuz. Ormuz was lost by the Portuguese on 3 May 1622. The entire Portuguese population, about 2.000 persons, were sent to Mascate.
During the decade after the fall of Ormuz, the Portuguese, under the command of Rui Freire de Andrada, tried several times (1623, 1624, 1625, 1627) to regain the fortress, the last attempt in 1631, was a diplomatic one, but all these attempts failed. After the loss of Ormuz the Portuguese established their base in Mascate, and in 1623, a feitoria (trading station) was established also in Bassora at the mouth of the Eufrate River. In 1623, Rui Freire reoccupied the fort of Soar, which had been taken in 1622 by the Persians. In the same year a new base is established in Cassapo (Kashab) in the Musandam Peninsula. Kalba (Quelba) was conquered by Gaspar Leite in 1624. The fort of Mada was conquered in May 1624 by Mateus de Siebra. In 1624/25, following a treaty with the Persians, a feitoria and a fortress was established in Congo (Bandar-e Kong), on the Persian coast of the Persic Gulf. In 1631, a Portuguese fortress was built in Julfar, important strategic point in Musandam Peninsula, this town enjoyed, during Portuguese rule, great prosperity as the regional trading entrepôt. In September 1633, Rui Freire de Andrada, the great protagonist of these years, died, and his body was buried in the church of St. Agostinho in Mascate. In 1633/35, treaties of peace were made with the English and the Persians.
The Portuguese rule in the Perian Gulf was nearly more stable after the loss of Ormuz than before, infact were established several fortresses and feitorias in a lot of places as Soar, Julfar, Doba, Libedia, Mada, Khor Fakkan, Caçapo (Khasab), Congo (Kung), Bassora. In August 1648, the Arabs besieged Mascate and on 31October a treaty was signed between the two opponents. The terms were as follows: the Portuguese should raze to the ground the fortress of Kuriyat, Doba and Matara. In Janaury 1650, Mascate, the last Portuguese base in Arabia was taken by the Omanits. By the loss of Mascate, the Portuguese were deprived of their last stronghold in the vicinity of the Persian Gulf and this ended the so called "Portuguese period" in the Persian Gulf.

A Portuguese map of the island and the city of Hormuz in the 17th century

The remains of the underground water cisterns of the Portuguese fort in Hormuz

Dibba, UAE (Doba), ruins of the fort

Al Bidiyah, UAE (Libedia), tower guard



The fortification of Muscat (Mascate) and Matrah (Matara), from the "Livro das Plantas das Fortalezas, Cidades e Povoaçoes do Estado da India Oriental" 1600s.

The Portuguese forts in Bahrein, from the "Livro das Plantas das Fortalezas, Cidades e Povoaçoes do Estado da India Oriental" 1600s.

Muscat, Oman (Mascate), Fort Jalali (Fort São João)

Tarut Island (near Al Qatif, Saudi Arabia): Portuguese fort (16th c.)

Map of the Portuguese forts in the Straits of Hormuz

The Portuguese forts in the Persian Gulf and in Oman (1500-1650)

Map of the Portuguese forts in Oman

Khasab (Cassapo or Caçapo) fort in the Musandam Peninsula, Oman. My thanks to Peter Rowland for this photo

Mutrah, Oman (Matrah, Matara), Portuguese fort

Quriyrat, Oman (Curiate), tower

Khasab (Cassapo or Caçapo) fort in the Musandam Peninsula, Oman.My thanks to Peter Rowland for this photo

Muscat, Oman (Mascate), Fort Mirani. My thanks to Peter Rowland for this photo

The Portuguese in*Arabia Peninsula and in the Persian Gulf

SOAR: DRAWINGS OF PORTUGUESE FORTS

For the image thanks to Prof. Nuno Varela Rubim and Prof. Rui Carita ("O Lyvro de Plantaforma das Fortalezas da Índia, na Fortaleza de S. Julião da Barra, com 22 plantas de anónimo (I Manuel Godinho de Erédia, de cerca de 1620), e 55 plantas de anónimo (II de cerca de 1640)").

Portuguese fort of Soar from Prof. Rui Carita "Lyvro de Plantaforma das Fortalezas da Índia"

The text of the document (click on the image for a larger version)

Soar. Portuguese fort in Arabia Peninsula and in the Persian Gulf from Lyvro de Plantaforma das Fortalezas da Índia