A Survey of Bushehr Customs and Its changes (1902 – 1904), Based on Unpublished Notes by Lambert Molitor

At the beginning of the 20th century, Bushehr was the most important Iranian port in the Persian Gulf. Because of this, the customs of this city had a vital function as an important source of revenue for the central and local rulers and they paid attention to it. The colonial and all-round presence of British agents in the Persian Gulf and their attention to this port and the establishment of consulates by several European countries had raised this importance. These circumstances caused several citizens of Belgium to go to Bushehr to manage the southern customs after the presence of Joseph Naus in the Iranian financial administration and his request to send other experts from Belgium. Among them was a young man named Lambert Molitor, who came to Iran with his two brothers, August and Camille. Lambert Molitor’s unpublished diaries provide researchers with new insights into the situation in Bushehr and other southern customs. Based on these notes, the present study, while examining the situation of Bushehr customs, deals with the efforts and challenges facing customs officials as a fledgling institution and evaluates the record of Belgian advisers in this regard. This change took place after the issuance of Muzaffar al-Din Shah’s decree indicating the abolition of the Iranian customs lease. Disobedience of some local governors and resistance to the implementation of the new law, extensive smuggling of goods and especially weapons, lack of appropriate facilities and finally the expansion of areas and coastal ports of the Persian Gulf from the Mohammareh (Khorramshahr) to the shores of the Oman Sea were among the problems facing Lambert Molitor and his other Belgian and Iranian colleagues. Despite some negative approaches to the Belgians’ performance in Iran, the increase in customs revenue and the establishment of an organized structure for it were among the achievements of Molitor and his compatriots. Although, this group did not have much success in training Iranian staff.