Fort Mosselstein
castle in Bushehr Province, Iran
Fort Mosselstein was a fortification of the Vereenigde Oostindische Compagnie (VOC) on the Iranian island Kharg. At the time, Kharg was called Kareek or Kareck.
Description
Since 1723, the VOC's most important settlement in Persia was Bandar Abbas, located opposite the island of Hormuz. When the VOC was no longer successful in trade there in 1750, the Gentlemen XVII (the central VOC board) wanted to abandon the area. To avoid toll collection and to evade the English, Governor-General Jacob Mossel, at the instigation of the local resident, Tido Frederik von Kniphausen, decided to try one last time to continue trade at Kareek. In 1753, a settlement was built there, consisting of a rectangular stone fort that was named Mosselstein. Initially, the fort was armed with the cannons and ammunition from the abandoned ship 't Fortuijn. With this, the fort was strong enough to withstand an attack by local enemies. The militia (garrison) consisted of 1 sergeant, 2 corporals and 50 commoners (soldiers), 1 constable's mate and 8 gunners (artillerymen). From Batavia, 5,000 pounds of gunpowder and six 18-pound cannons were also brought in; due to a lack of gun carriages, these were mounted on garrison carriages.
This brief starts where responsible research should: with the source description of “Fort Mosselstein” as castle in Bushehr Province, Iran. Everything that follows is an evidence route, not borrowed authority.
Why this record matters
The subject matters to the places & architecture register because the source frames it as castle in Bushehr Province, Iran. Its deeper value depends on whether names, dates, institutions and citations support that framing.
The strongest evidence will usually combine a dated visual record with documents produced by the authority responsible for the place. The source revision retrieved here is dated Jul 19, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q2242122. Authority coordinates are 29.259, 50.335. None of the 1 selected statements returned an explicit reference. The first chronological checks are 1723, 1750 and 1753.
Modern boundaries and familiar names can conceal earlier jurisdictions or structures that do not align with the present site. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Treat names, boundaries and functions as historically changeable. Maps, plans, inventories and administrative records can clarify what the place meant at different dates.
- Historic place names
- Jurisdictional context
- Routes into maps and plans
Contemporary maps, plans, listed-building records, estate papers and the responsible local or national archive.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “Fort Mosselstein”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow Fort Mosselstein primary sources, Fort Mosselstein archive and Fort research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Fort Mosselstein”?
- What physical evidence or contemporary plan supports the description?
- Which authority defined the place, boundary or structure at the relevant date?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “Fort Mosselstein” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.