WANA (Dec 02) – For the first time, historical documents on “British Colonialism in Qeshm Island” will be showcased from December 10, 2024, to April 4, 2025, at the Geopark Museum of Qeshm, the largest island in Iran and the Middle East.

 

The exhibition features a selection of 37 documents from over 300 historical records related to the island, covering social, political, economic, and cultural topics. These documents, spanning from 1909 to 1974, have been curated by the Iranian National Archives and Library and are preserved in the National Archives Building of Iran.

 

Resistance Against British Colonialism

A member of the scientific board of the Iranian National Archives noted that these documents, being displayed for the first time, narrate the resistance of Qeshm’s people against British colonial powers, from the Qajar era to the Pahlavi period.

 

The scholar explained that in recent years, alongside traditional historiography, there has been growing interest in social history. It is now recognized that history is not solely shaped by elites and politicians; ordinary people have borne a significant part of historical events. However, due to factors such as illiteracy, poverty, lack of confidence, and insufficient resources, they often did not participate in recording history. Likewise, intellectuals and historians rarely focused on documenting daily life and the lifestyles of ordinary people.

 

Highlights of the Exhibition

Some of the key documents on display include:

 

The construction of coal warehouses and military facilities by British agents in Bandar Basaidu, in the northwestern tip of Qeshm Island.

 

Requests by the Ministry of War to the Prime Minister regarding British operations in Bandar Basaidu.

 

Reports on the activities of engineers from the Anglo-Iranian Oil Company in Qeshm.

 

Extraction of sulfur and black sand by oil companies, as well as the mining and sale of red soil from Hormuz, Qeshm, and Lark Islands.

 

Reports on oil exploration in Qeshm.

 

Opposition by the Planning and Budget Organization to building a bridge linking Qeshm to Bandar Abbas.

 

Lists of landowners during land reforms and requests for tourism and welfare infrastructure budgets.

Other documents address the migration of Qeshm’s residents to Oman due to drought and increased customs duties, the outbreak of plague in Qeshm, shortages of doctors, and the rise in deaths from infectious diseases. They also include records of public resistance to the imposition of Pahlavi hats and unveiling laws, data on religious schools and teachers, and the condition of Qeshm’s educational institutions.

 

Qeshm: A Strategic Island

Words like “colonialism” and “exploitation” are closely associated with Britain, a nation that has left its mark on many parts of the world. Qeshm Island, spanning 1,500 square kilometers with a 300-kilometer coastline, is situated along the southern coast of Iran, parallel to the Strait of Hormuz. The island, along with Hengam and Lark, is a vital part of Hormozgan Province in the Persian Gulf.

 

This exhibition aims to shed light on a lesser-known chapter of British colonialism and the resilience of Qeshm’s people in the face of foreign exploitation.