Persian Empire 1845

Chapter 102 Colonies and Exhibitions

“Work hard, all of you. These things need to be delivered to Bushehr. If you break them, we’ll have to sell you all to make ends meet.”

At the port of Mogadishu, many dockworkers are loading goods onto ships that will be sent to Bushehr, and their superiors are, of course, Iranian trading companies.

The company's trade activities in Mogadishu have been booming, thanks in part to the generosity of the local Sudanese. They exchanged a small profit for large tracts of land in the southern region, which provided them with vast farmlands. Furthermore, Mogadishu and Zanzibar have established trade relations, generating additional revenue through the transshipment of cloves.

"Long time no see, Armin. You're sending tree sap again?"

"Yes, demand has suddenly increased a lot recently, so I have to expedite the delivery. This time, I estimate I'll earn around 3. After deducting other expenses, I'll be happy if I can keep around 5000."

“That’s great. I remember you came here to help support your family. Your family must be very happy now.”

"you flatter me."

The people recruited by the company became plantation supervisors and civil servants here, and some others followed along, taking the money they brought from home to try their luck here.

Most of them come here to work in the shipping and retail industries. Because of state support, they can move freely in this region. As a result, they can engage in economic activities at relatively favorable prices, and the money they earn is remitted back to their homeland through a hastily established branch of the Iranian Trade Bank.

Regarding the Somali region, Iran has also held discussions with the British government. Since the time for dividing up Africa has not yet come, Britain naturally recognizes Iran's sphere of influence in Somalia.

With British recognition, the Iranian Trading Company officially declared the southern Juba River region as its territory. Simultaneously, it dispatched its first missionary group of 15 people to spread Shia ideology and reform the local population.

Although Britain values ​​its East African territory, it already has enough land in South Africa, Australia, and Canada. Furthermore, it needs to compete with France for land in West Africa, so even if Iran occupies land, it would be better than France.

From London's perspective, Iran's proactive pursuit of change was far better than that of the Ottoman Empire, as its openness significantly expanded trade between Britain and Iran. Of course, regarding tariffs, Iran repeatedly requested Britain's agreement to amendments, but how could Britain possibly agree? They knew how much less money they would earn if high tariffs were reinstated.

However, their trade is still somewhat insignificant, but it can serve as a bargaining chip in his negotiations with Iran to see if there can be any other benefits in exchange.

Despite some progress made by Iranian merchants in Somalia, their efforts have not been without setbacks. Besides the geographical and physical barriers that pose a threat, they struggle against a triple barrier from the social level: elders with absolute authority, middlemen who profit from the transactions, and ever-present, fiercely competitive Arab rivals.

Africa has its own traditional values ​​and long-standing social structures. In most cultures, the elders hold supreme power. From the very first day a company sets foot on the African continent, its activities are subject to the constraints imposed by local elders.

Furthermore, uncooperative Arab merchants and local middlemen also hindered the company's trade expansion. Therefore, the company had to repeatedly use mercenaries to force them to relinquish profits; however, these mercenaries were also hired from other tribes, and to ensure long-term sustainability, the company needed its own armed forces.

February 15th was a beautiful day, and everyone in the central square of Tehran, the capital of Iran, was eagerly anticipating this moment.

Naser al-Din alighted from his carriage, and the crowd waved their national flags upon seeing the Shah. The Shah waved back, and then Grand Chancellor Amir personally announced the opening of the Tehran Trade Fair.

This exhibition invited business representatives from eight European countries, as well as works from workshops in Iran. The venue covers education, arts and crafts, social services, industry, agriculture and forestry, and more than 1200 items are on display.

Persian carpets have become popular souvenirs, their exquisite craftsmanship surpassing even that of Europe's best artisans.

Of course, what was most astonishing was the nearly two-ton iron ingot produced by the Krupp factory in Prussia. Such a large object shocked many people, and it also made Alfred Krupp, the head of the Krupp factory, proud.

"How was something this big made?" Minister of Commerce and Industry Hussein asked in surprise.

"This can only be produced by the Krupp factory. Not only this, but it can also produce other things."

This surprised many people, and Alfred worked even harder to promote his business. At this time, Krupp was not yet the imperial arsenal; they were currently only producing train parts and springs. Although the Iranian market was small, every little bit helps. Moreover, the quality of his steel was unmatched, and he was sure to find many more uses for it.

"Yes, steel is good. It's just that it's a bit monotonous to only have these finished products. It would be better if it could be turned into other things."

Yes, it would be better if it could be turned into something else. It's just that I'm a bit short of funds right now, and the factory my father handed over to me is even on the verge of bankruptcy. I finally managed to get it back on track, and I have to develop a new use for it in order to maintain my position.

Naserdin could see the difference between Western and Iranian products. Western goods were mostly industrial products, while Iranian goods were primarily handicrafts and agricultural products. Iranian pistachios and saffron were very popular, as were grape juice, apple juice, and date juice.

These are just some of Iran's assets, given its current situation. Iran is merely a country undergoing transformation; it's still a long way from being a truly industrialized nation.

The people who bought tickets to enter were all amazed by what they saw; these were things they had never seen before.

Naserdin's support for expositions was partly aimed at making the public aware of the gap between their own national strength and that of the West, thereby prompting them to reflect on their backwardness, strive for improvement, revitalize industry, and ultimately achieve economic development and national prosperity. Once this goal was achieved and the nation became wealthy and powerful, it would then set its sights on the world, promoting its products globally to gain global dominance. This is indeed one of the reasons why France holds expositions. From the eighth exposition in 1834 onwards, the primary purpose of these expositions has been to develop domestic products and expand their sales abroad. Through these expositions, France investigated industry, formulated relevant laws and regulations for industrial development, and developed strategies for promoting its products overseas and capturing foreign markets. Thus, it is evident that French expositions embodied a strong sense of nationalism.

(End of this chapter)