Editing Bushehr (section)

=== Rise ===
In 1734, the Iranian military commander [[Nader Shah|Nader]] made Bushehr (then still a minor fishing village) the headquarters of the Persian Gulf fleet that he sought to create.{{sfn|de Planhol|1990}}{{sfn|Perry|2017}} This marked the start of Bushehr's rising importance. In order to build a massive warship, Nader even brought heavy wood from [[Mazandaran]]'s forests, which was 1,000&nbsp;km away from Bushehr. The shell of this ship drew notice from European travelers for the next 50 years. The naval aspirations of Nader ended when he was murdered in 1747, but Bushehr continued to serve as a prominent port for at least the following 150 years. Between 1737–1753, the [[Dutch East India Company]] ran a trading facility there.{{sfn|Perry|2017}}

Aside from Bushehr's strategic significance—being situated 300&nbsp;km from [[Shiraz]] and 600&nbsp;km from that of [[Ottoman Empire|Ottoman]]-ruled [[Basra]]—the place offered few benefits and numerous drawbacks. The town and its surrounding area were somewhat shielded by the interior's hilly terrain and narrow gorges, but were still vulnerable to pirate intrusion. In the 19th century, European ships had to dock around four kilometers offshore and transfer freight and passengers through small boats due to the shallow path to both the shoreline and the bay. Despite the numerous [[windcatcher]]s on top of the houses, the water in the wells was salty, and the summer heat and humidity were unbearable.{{sfn|Perry|2017}}