Background of the Chamber
Kermanshah Province Chamber of Commerce, Industries & Mines, which around 1940’s was known as Chamber of Trade based on Kermanshah Chamber’s weekly minutes of proceedings and available evidence, held its first official meeting by the invitation of the Kermanshahan Government of the time, with the presence of the country's general trades office representative on Sunday 8 November 1931. But it already existed before and the date of its formation goes back to 1926.
While the elders still certify that the Chamber of Trade, not with this title, but with a specific title such as Kermanshah Merchants Council with the presence and participation of Kermanshah elite, has been active in the country and region’s economic scene and has been a special connecting bridge between the neighboring countries, Iran and Iraq, with the country's center.
It is evident that the Kermanshah Chamber of Commerce and Industries & Mines, with an 80 years background, has impressed its footprint in the history of this region. But the point is that, in contemporary history of Iran whose origin may be set as the year Tehran became the capital in 1210 Lunar Hegira Calendar, at the time of Agha Muhammad Khan Qajar; and after a relatively long period of trade depression that occurred in the trading goods exchanges with the East, Far East and Iran with the Middle East for a lack of security in the cities and the roads that were on the way of commercial convoys, the western part of the country, which because of proximity to huge Ottoman Empire became vulnerable in times of crisis and weaknesses and had lost its viability, in the reign of Fath Ali Shah Qajar and appointment of Prince Mohammad Ali Mirzaye Dowlatshah to head the Kermanshahan and the Sols and borderline country of Iraq, by virtue of Dowlatshah’s efforts, could once again establish new commercial and economical relationships in global trade scene, and convert the Kermanshah as a center of goods exchange and storage for trading between Iraq, Bombay, and Russia, such that the presence of dynasties of immigrant Arabs from Baghdad namely, Vakilodoleh Dynasty and Sadat Tojar Daghdad Dynasty since Dowlatshah age, opened up a vast business opportunity and based on the book The Living Ones of the Love Arena, in addition to security of western part of the country for investment of traders and merchants, moderate climate, abundant lavishness and prosperity, welcoming and friendly and hospitable and kind people of Kermanshah were an additional bonus so Arabian and Baghdad merchants, eagerly sailed their capital and trades ships towards the calm coastline, and justice and equality environment of Kermanshah. Therefore, Seyed Esmail, an Arab merchant form Baghdad, hopeful of advantages of Kermanshah in that time, arrived at Kermanshah with his 4 sons and started a vast business in Bistoon territory, so that the business circle of this dynasty from Baghdad, which in those times was a major European and Eastern business center, soon was expanded to Hamedan which was deemed a major storage depot for Russian goods, and all members of that family were engaged in business and eventually possessed huge lawful wealth and many properties. Each of the elite members of this family was expert in commercial business and had connections with major domestic and overseas trading venues and amassed great credit. Also, marital relationships between migrant families such as Baghdad Arab Vakilodoleh with Alam and Taghavi and Alagha, and the prominent presence of the deceased, Haj Mohammad Hassan Company, The Vakilodoleh II, created a vast interrelated communication circle in western trades and thus, Haj Seyed Mehdi Arab and his father, Agha Seyed Hadi, and Agha Seyed Mohammad Ali, launched wholesale Bombay and Baghdad trades in Kermanshah Customs Hall, and the brothers’ commercial influence was also extended to Hamedan.