Arabia and Persian Gulf. List of Dutch colonial forts and possessions

Written by Marco Ramerini. English text revision by Dietrich Köster.

YEMEN

Aden:

Netherlands: trading office: August 1620- November/December 1620

On 22 August 1620 the Dutch ship “‘T Wapen van Zeelandt” reached Aden; here the Dutch immediately rented a house. When the ship left Aden, five servants and a supply of goods (worth about 42.000 guilders) were left in the trading post under the charge of the “chief” Harman van Gil. van Gil went to Sana’a, where Muhammad Basha granted the Dutch the permission to build a trading office in Mocha. In November/December 1620 van Gil transferred the Company’s goods to Mocha and closed the trading office in Aden.

Sources: Brouwer, C. G. “The VOC in Yemen, 1614-1655” Amsterdam, 1988 pp. 35-36

Mocha, Mokka (Al Mukha):

Netherlands: trading office: 28 January 1621- April 1623; January 1639- autumn 1639; ? -1739

van Gil arrived in Mocha on 28 January 1621 and there he founded the Dutch trading office. Harman van Gil died in July 1621, Willem Jacobsz. de Milde was appointed “chief” of the trading office. It seems that the trading office was closed in April 1623 due to problems with the Yemenite governors.

In November 1638 a new Dutch expedition reached Mocha, the “assistant” Cornelis van de Graeff was sent to the court in Sana’a asking for a warrant for free trade for the VOC; he returned to Mocha on 9 January 1639 with the warrant, signed by the Imam, that extended the Dutch free access to the entire country of Yemen. Cornelis van de Graeff, Hendrik van Zeller and the “steward” Lucas Ornings with supply of goods (porcelain, spices and sugar) worth about 6.700 guilders were left in Mocha. They, at the close of the trading season, were to cross over to Surat in order to hand over the cash earned to the Dutch director. van de Graeff and van Zeller crossed over to Surat in autumn.

Later the trading office was reopened. Until 1707 Mocha fell under the jurisdiction of the head office in Surat, but thereafter it came under Batavia as an independent base. In 1739 it was closed.

Sources: Brouwer, C. G. “The VOC in Yemen, 1614-1655” Amsterdam, 1988 pp.36, 42-44, 56-60 “Landmonsterrollen, 1691-1790” “Atlas of Mutual Heritage” www.nationaalarchief.nl

Al-Shihr, Sihiri (Ash Shihr):

Netherlands: trading post: September 1614-July 1616

In September 1614, van den Broecke established a small trading post: were stationated here three people: two “assistenten” and one soldier. He appointed Anthoine Claasz. Visser as “hoofd” (chief) of the small Dutch post. In July 1616, the small trading post was closed.

Sources: Brouwer, C. G. “The VOC in Yemen, 1614-1655” Amsterdam, 1988 pp. 22-23, 31

IRAN

Congo, Kung (Band-e Kong):

Netherlands: 1690 ?

In Kong the VOC never had a factory, although for a few months in 1690 it looked as if they would have one.

Sources: Encyclopaedia Iranica (http://iranica.com): “Dutch-Persian Relations” Dam, Pieter van “Beschryvinge van de Oostindische Compagnie (uitgegeven door Dr. F.W. Stapel)” 2e boek, dl.3, p. 289 “Atlas of Mutual Heritage” www.nationaalarchief.nl

Gamron (Bandar-e Abbas):

Netherlands: trading office: (the head office of the VOC’s Persian directorate was located in Gamron from 1638 to 1755): 1623-1758

The VOC founded an office in Gamron in 1623. Here the VOC purchased wool and attar of roses and above all silk. Besides spices and cotton fabrics, the VOC also sold porcelain, opium and Japanese lacquer work. Gamron had a garrison comprising around 20 European employees and 20 Persian staff members. In 1729 the Dutch attempted, without success, to move their factory from Bandar-e Abbas to the island of Hormuz. In 1758 the company decided to close the station at Bandar-e Abbas.