الهيمنة البرتغالية واحتكارها للنشاط الاقتصادي في امارات الخليج العربي خلال القرن السادس عشر

Abstract

The study aims to examine the importance of the Arabian Gulf due to its geographical location, which serves as an important controlling point for maritime trade routes and as a link between the three continents: Asia, Africa, and Europe. This made it a major passage and a vital gateway for communication with the markets of the East, as well as a commercial crossing that enhanced economic activity in the region through numerous land and sea routes since ancient times. Spices were the main focus of trade and remained dominant in the region for a long period. However, their importance declined after the arrival of the Portuguese to the East at the end of the fifteenth century, which marked the beginning of colonial economic expansion and the imposition of Portuguese control over China. They brought raw materials such as pepper, spices, and minerals including gold, silver, and pearls, and secured markets for the surplus of European goods. This occurred through exploiting the geographical position of the Arabian Gulf, especially the Arab Emirates such as Dubai, Ras Al Khaimah, and the Gulf coasts, which were among the richest Gulf regions producing large-sized ships distinguished by the transfer of Portuguese goods to the Gulf and the Emirates. The Portuguese established forts and castles there, and their commercial and economic policies in the Gulf and the Emirates involved various means and taxation procedures imposed on local leaders, in addition to their use of the cartaz system to regulate navigation in the waters of the East.