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The Nomenclature of the Persian

H. Malmirian (Direclor, National Geographical Organization, )

The geographers have observed some principles in denominating territories and , to the effect that tribal and ethnic names of each are applied fOT their territories , and as such, the names of most reflect their colors and the names of most mountains are designated because of their similarities with the other objects or phenomena As to denomination of the seas, this principle is more vigrous]y foUowed and nearly all seas around are named after the countries and situating on their vicinity such as Indian , Gulf of , , , etc. These are some instances of this type of nomenclature. The ancient , the principal settlers of the southern part of the Islamic Republic of Iran, before any other Aryan ethnic group established relationship with the west and for this reason, the Greeks for the first time referred to the sea situated in the South of I.R. of Iran as "The ". Hence , we clearly see in this denomination that the element of nationality or ethnicity and the Persian or language factor had no effect. On the contrary, it was merely a reflection of linguistic reality propounded by the . great scholars of that time and used in the whole perioos of past. In this ankle, by relying on the valid historical documents , I will try to present a comprehensive but concise review in connection with the nomenclature of the Persian Gulf in B.C. and A.D. periods as well as the Islamic periods. According to the well - preserved documments of many historions, before the establishment of the Persian State (6th century B.C'), ethnic groups including the Dravidians, Semites and pro- Elamites were the initial settlers of the areas along Makran , Bandir and the head of the Persian Gulf respectively)) . The Dravidians were the aborigines, the Semites were comprised of Assyrians, Babylonians, , Phoenicians, Hebrews and

1) Sir Arnold T. Wilson, "The Persian Gulf', ( 1928), P. 25.

- 88- Moabites (descendents of Moab tribe who lived in the East of ), the pro- Elamites were the Elamites who had migrated to the , and earlier than 4000BC.2) Ethnic groups such as the Elamites, the Semites . Akkadians, and Babylonians were the early inhabitants nhabitants on the coast of Persian Gulf and their main task of livelihoOO was seafaring. Therefore, in order to obtain the oldest maps of the Persian Gulf we must search into the history of these ethnic groups and make a thorough study of their antiquities. But since in that period of history , man still knew nothing of the spherici ty of the and essentially had no knowledge of plotting a map with a relative correctness, the seafaring was very simple and limited only to the coastal waters. Therefore, the seafarers navigated on their personal experiences and these

; experiences of repeated seagoings resulted in using the maps that were fixed in their minds. In view of above - mentioned accounts. searching into the ancient hi story of mankind we are unable to find a correct map of the Persian Gulf that could meet the standard of today's modem maps. On the whole, even though we have Quite access to the maps left from the ancient periods but most of these maps shown theorical aspects and drawn without considering the true

geometry of the earth. Here, I bring to your attention some of these authentic " maps penned by the greatest, most famous scholars of the ancient times dating as far hack as the 4th century E.G.

The Early Historical Period

Before migration of Aryans to We Persian Plateau and establishing their domination. Assyrian in their inscriptions called this sea "Nar Marratu"meaning "bitter ri ver'" and this is the Persian Gulf's most ancient name3). 1) According to the archaeological foundings, the Babylonians in their world map, the most ancient existing map recorded upon the order of a Babylonian's king on a baked clay tablet in the sixth century B.C (fig.noI). depicts the known world of their time. They thought the earth as flat and round surrounded

2) ibid .. pp. 26,29,33. 3) Atlas Historique L'antiqiite Cart n, Presses Universitaire. . 1955.

- 89- by the salty and bitter waters. In this map, the entire known area of the world in those days was limited to Babylon, and the lands surrounding them. The flows between these two realms southward to the Persian Gulf. Hence, we could conclude that the Babylonian had very limited geographical perception of the surrounding earth beyond their living areas. 2) Homere, in his World Map, in ninth century Be (fig.no2), in accordance with prevailing hypotheses of that period, thought the earth as flat and round surrounded by huge waters. In this map, the boundaries of the East -lI_ Mediterranean, Greece. Asian Minor Peninsula and Phoenician coastal areas were depicted roughly correct. 3) Akkadian called the Persian Gulf "Tamtu Spalitu " meaning the lower sea versus "Tamtu Elenitu" meaning the upper sea, which was used for the Mediterranean4). ' .. 4) A world map drawn .by (5th century B.C) , the famous t historian, has survived, which divides the world in two main portions, namely ~ and , and upon which the is called Arabian Gulf, • precluding any confusion with the Persian Gulf. • This map depicts the today's recognized world better than the previous 1 maps. The Mediterranean, its North and South coasts as well as and a part of west Asian were crudely drawn. In this map, the two rivers of and Euphrates and the Persian Gulf were depicted incorrectly with a little accuratian. Some Greek writers, inter alios, Herodotus in the fifth century BC, called all the seas in the Southwest of Asia, including the Persian Gulf, , and the Red Sea, en masse, "he Erythra Thalassa or the Erythraen Sea" or "Mare Erythraen"5) in Latin language. As to the origin of the name, some have suggested that it refers to the red clays in those seas, which is doubtful. Others believed it was the name of the son of a Greek notable, or a Persian prince which.is again unverifiable. We may also mention here that for some unknown reasons Chau-ju-klia, a medieval Chinese writer, has called. the

4) First appears on a tablet of Sargon of (2872 E.C). See Sir "The Persian Gulf" (Oxford: 1928), The "Gulf is specifically named in the historical text of Lugal Zagesi; king of Uruk (2340-2316 B.C,) where it is said that then from the Lower Sea by the Tigris and Euphrates, as far as the Upper Sea (the god Enlil] provided him with clear routes," C. Edmund Bosworth, "The Nomenclature of The Persian Gulf' in the Persian Gulf States": A General Survey, G. Ed.Alvin ]. Cottrel, (Baltimore: 1980), P.xviti. 5) Herdotus iv, 40

- 90- Persian Gulf the "Green Sea"6).

f. i1 The Second Period

This era starts with the establishment of Achaemenians, who created a strong navy and merchant shipping for Persia.

5) In the fifth century Be, of the Achaemenian Dynasty called the Persian Gulf "Draya: tya: haca parsa: Aitiy" , meaning, "The sea which goes from Persia.''7) 6) In the second century AD, another Greek historian "Flavius Arrianus" in his famous book "Anabasis"8) pertaining to "Military Adventure of Alexander in

IS ", recounting the seafaring of , the Alexander's Macedonian y admiral, who. upon his king 's orders, sailed from lndia, via the delta of the f, Indus. through the Gulf of and the Persian GUlf. reaching the entry of Euphrates , has called the Persian Gulf "Persiconkaitas" - literally meaning ,s "Persian Gulf". 7) Strabo. the renown Greek geographerlhistorian (64163 B.C - after 23AD)

"'0 whose erudition brought him considerable fame, compiled an opus in 67 volumes coveting the geography of world of his time. Making great use of his time's fables and the accounts left behind by Herodotus and others , he drafted a til world map on which the lands were represented as a large island located amid If unbounded , from which the and the Persian Gulf derived.

!II In his works, using repeatedly the term of the Persian Gulf, he particularly e, emphasised that the Arabs geographically situated between Arabian Gulf (Red is Sea) and the Persian Gulf.J). a 8) Claudius Ptolemaeus, the celebrated. Greco - Egyptian mathematician!

)f astronomer in the second centwy in hi s book of geography written in the Latin

1e language, repeatedly called this sea "Persicus Sinus" meaning Persian Gulf. T his tenn in the Latin book are often called HSinus Persicus"lO) and in the

6) Edmund C. Bosworth,op.cit. p. XUl. 7) Roland G.Kent, ~ Texts" journal tor Near Eastern Studies, vou. Oct.1942,no.4,p.419. 8) Arriani, Anabasis et India etc., (Paris, 1005). 9) Geographie de Strabo, traduction du green Francais, (Paris, 1805), Deuxieme livre. pp.357-362. 10) Sunbury, op,cit.votIl Map of the World, p.578 . A1 so ~ see geog raphy of

- 91 - I'I

geographical book of Latin, "Mare Persicus" meanmg Sea ...... Persian Gulf. His main work is the Almagest in which the Ptolemaic system, based on a geocentric view of the universe, is expounded. He was the first to compile an atlas of the earth, including 36 maps of various regions, as well as a world map and a comprehensive index. On several of his maps, the waterway between the southern shores of Iran and the Arabian Peninsula is unambiguously given as the Persian Gulf. 9) In the first centry AD, another Greek historian, Quintus Curticus Rufus called "Aquarius Persico " meaning Persian Seall). 10) Another Greek historian Flavius Arraianus, called it "Persiconkaitas" meaning Persian Gulf12l, 11) Strabo. another great historian/geographer in the fifth century AD, used the same denomination13l . 12) This Latin tenn of "Sinus Persicus" is translated into other living languages of the world and nations using this Iranian Sea in their languages as Persian Gulf. As it is called "Gulf Persique" in French, "Persian Gulf" in

English, "Persisher Golf" in German, "Golfo Persico" in Italian. "Persidskiziiv" In Russian. "Perusha Wan" in Japanese. It is clearly conspicuous that in all of these denominations the name of "Pars" is being retained14l. J3) During the Sassanian Dynasty . the Gulf was invariably called "the Persian Sea" . Darius the Achaemenian, also known as Darius the great, conquered Egypt some five centuries before the Christian era, and had a canal dug between the Red Sea and the . which may be considered the predecessor of the Suez CanaL On the hieroglyphic stele Darius ordered to be erected beside this canal, following a brief history of the work, it is referred to as "the sea coming from Pars." Considering other illusions in the text make it clear that reference is being made to the Persian Gulf.

Claudius Ptolemaeus translated by Edward L.Stevenson; Sir Arnold Wilson, op.cit.,p.43. II) Histoire d' Alexandre Ie Grand par Quinte Curre, tranduction en Frencais, Tom 11 (Paris, 1834), P.l84. 12) Flavius Anianus, "History of Alexandndre and India "with an English by E. Lliff Robinson

- 92- After the Arabian conQuest of Iran, for eight centuries the Persian Gulf 11 was called "Bahr Farsi" meaning Persian Sea. II This was the tenn used during the time of the Prophet Mohammad (S.A.) and the four Eminent Guided Caliphs, which constitutes a "sunna". The designation of "Persian Gulf" was also used during Umayyads and the is Abbassids1S). The Ottoman repeatedly called it "Persian Gulf' or "'Persian Sea". 1S I) An overall glance upon the sources pertaining to the original nomenclature of the Persian Gulf shows that a number of these are ancient s" documents, mostly written in Latin or Greek and the remainder, which comprise a far greater nwnber and wider geographic and historic scope , are the works of Muslim scientists, compiled in Persian or Arabic and occasioally available in the Conn of in French, English, Gennan. Spani sh etc. These works 1Il either logically follows, or are based upon the studies of Greek scholars or are !IS the outcome of original research and are penned in accordance with Islamic in geographical traditions. in It is essential to bear in mind that, in Islamic culture. geography constituted of a deep - rooted science highly revered by scientists. This respect derives ITom the esteem in which Islam itself holds cultural achievements, as we)) as the tradition of the Prophet's emigration (hijrah), which bestowed particular 01, importance upon geography. Therefore. the leading historians / geographers. both Arab and Persian, who ""he wrote mostly in Arabic from 9th to the 17th century AD have used the term be "Bahr Farsi" or "Khalij Pars" for the Persian Gulf. The most notable among to them are: , it 1) Abu Bakr Shahab al - Din Alunad ibn Mohammad ibn Ishaq Hamadani , known as Ibn - Faqih, wrote in his book geography "al Boldan" in 279 AH: "know that the "Persian Sea" and Indian Sea (meaning ) in the view of continuity are both one Sea: 16) 2) Abu Ali Ahmad ibn Omar ibn Rasteh , wrote in his book of Taqvim al - Boldan under title of al Alaq al-Naffssiya. in Esfahan in the years of 290 Ali: ;-, "From Indian Sea a gulf is protruded towards the territory of the Persia, which is called the Persian Gulf and between the Red Gulf and the Persian Gulf

15) Given the Sunna, one may Question the permissibility of any change in the "Persian Gulf' as it would constitute an innovation or BOO'a which is Haram. 16) The abridged "al- Soldan" Leyden 1885, P.8.

- 93- situated the territories of and Yarnan and other arbic landsJ7}. I 3) Iranian geographer , Sohrab, in the 9th century AD wrote in his book of "Ajayeb al - Aqalim al - Saba ila Nehayate al - Mara:" . "The Persian Sea is a great sea situated in the south."IBl -• 4) Abu al - Qassim Obaidollah ibn khordabeh Khorassani, (died in the year of 300 A.H') wrote in his renown book under the title of AI-Massalek wa I al-Mamalek, about the the rivers flowing into the Persian Gulf19l. "Some of these reivers running towards and some towards Mozar (a city located between Waset and Basra) and hence all of them flow into the Persian Sea. 5) Nakhoda Bozorg ibn Shahriyar Ramhonnozi in hi s book of "Ajayeb a1 - Hind" wrote in the year of 342 AH.: "The wonderlul things about the Persian Sea is that the people seeing them during the nights. 'When the roaring waves collide with one another and crush together violently , blazing fires leapt from them and the people travelling on the board of a ship think that they are flowing on the Sea of ftre."ZO) 6) Abu Ishaq Ibrahim Mohammad al - Farsi al - Istakhri, from the people of Istakhr - e~ Pars, known as al-Karkhi (died in 346 A.H.) , wrote in his book "Massalek al - Mamaiek " which is based on the book Suvar al - Aqalim of Abu 2aid al - Balkhi: "The Persian Sea, which includes the most of its areas, joins the regions of Arabs and other Islamic lands, having depicted it, we will enumerate its whole areas , and beginning from Oolzom Sea (Red Sea) , the coast of which in the East extends to Ayyaleh.21l Hence, to the areas of Arabian Sea up to Abadan, cutting the width of Euphrates extends to the coast of Mahruban22 ) and from there to Ganaveh23) and Sira(24) and afterward extending to the coasts of Hormoz and beyond Kerman to Dabil25l and Multan26), which is the coast to

17) al-AlaQ al-Naffssiya, vol.VIl ed: De Aj. Goeje , Leyden 1891, P.B4. 18) Ajayeb al- AQlim ai- Saba iJa ai- Mara. (Vienne, 1929), P.S9. 19) AI-Massalek ai-Mamaiek," Leyden edition: 1989 , p.233. 20) "Ajayeb aI - Hind ed: M. Davis, Leyden 1886, p. 41. 21) "Ayyaleh" was a city on the coast of Qolzom Sea (Red Sea). 22) ~ Mahruban " was a city on the coast of Persian Sea situated between "Abadan" and "Siraf' (source, Morasad a1 -Ettela'). 23) "Jennabeh" a small city on the shores of Persian Sea and like "Ganaveh" port is a division of the Dashtestan, district of Bushr. 24) "Siraf" , was a city on the shore of Persian Sea, locating on the Southern part of Shiraz . and presently a division of "Kengan" (source: Nameh Fasaie),

- 94- Indus ,Z'l) f 8) Abu aJ - Hassan Ali ibn aJ-Hussin ibn Ali Massudi (died in the year of 346 AH.) , a renown historian, in his books of "Muruj al - Dhahab " and "Ma' aden aI - juhar WTote:

r "Frome this sea, which IS the Indian or "Jeyshi" Sea" another gulf is • brunching forth , which is called "Persian Sea" and extending to the cities of "Abeleh"28) and "Khashabat" and Abadan ... and this gulf is a triangular shape29l , 9) Massudi , in his another book, al-Tanbiyah wa al-Eshraf" written in the , year 345 AH., wrote: "Many people , who delineated the areas of , have said that its limit from the East is an island, known as "Mayan Rudan", joins the Persian Sea, and from the areas of Bahman Ardeshir", lacated at the back of "Basra", is near 1 the Sea."") 1 10) Ibn aI - Mottahar aI - Maqadasi aI - Taher ibn al Mottahar in his 1 historical book titled "Al - BoI' wa aI - Tarikh" in the 355 AH. , wrote about the rivers running into the Persian Gulf. , "all these rive.-s join Tigris and after passing "Abeleh " and "'Abadan", flow I into the Persian Gulf'.3D f 11> Abu Reyhan Mohammad ibn Ahmad al- Biruni aJ - Kharazmi (died in the year of 44 A.H.) in his book of " aJ - Tafhim Beavaele Sana'at al - Tanjim, f which is written in the , used names of Persian Sea and Persian Gulf. 32l , 12) Abu Reyhan in his another renown book, "Qanun Massudi" writes:

25) "Dabil" , a locality near Yamameh and in some sayings, situated between I Yamameh and Yaman (source" Morasad al- Ettela') Apparantly. it must be "Dabul", a f port on the coast of "KonkanH in the Indian Sea, a district of "Pishavar State". ) Bachelet: Dictionare General de Biographie et d'Histoire (Pans,l889). 26) Multan, a city of "Panjab State", Eight Kilometer distance from the bank of Chinab river. 27) "MassaJ ek aJ - MamaJek" ed: De. M.l. Goeje , Leyden 1927, P.28. 28) Abeleh a city. located on the bank of, in the comer of a gulf on which situated "Basra", (Source Marasad a1 - ettela'). 29) "Munti aI - Dahab," English lranslation by Aloys Sprenger. yoU. (London: 1841 ), P.259." NMuruj al - Dahab": Barbien Duminar (Paris: 1861) vol.l.p.238. 30) AI-Tanbiyah wa al-Eshraf (Bagdad, 1938), p. 35. 31 ) "al-BoI ' wa aJ-Tarikh" (Paris 1907), Tom lV, p. 58. H 32) H al - Tafhim Beavaele Sana'at al-Tanjim ed: laUal ai-Din Aomai (Tehran 1318 Hijri Solar Year), p. 167, also "Qanun Massudi", (Hcydarabad: 1955), vol. n, p. 566.

- 95- "Abadan is situated at the mouth of "Khashabat" in Tigris delta and its extension is towards the Persian Sea." • 13) Abn al- Qassim Mohammad ibn Hawqal in his book of "Surat al - Arz" (367 AHJ in the connection with the Persian Gulf writes Istakhri's recounting with a little change and like him called it Persian Sea."33) 14) In the book of "hodud al - ' A1am men al - Mashraq ila al-Maqrab , which is the oldest geographical book written in the Persian language (372 AH-l, we read: "The Persian Gulf entends from the Persia to the area of with a narrowing width."34) 15) Shams ai-Din Abu Abdallah Mohammad ibn Ahmad ibn Abu Bakr (Sharni Maqadassi) in his book, "Ahsan al -Taqassim fi Ma'refat al - Aqalim", written in the year of 375 A.H.. designated this sea Like the others "Persian Sea"':l5) 16) "Mohammad ibn Najub Bekiran" in his book "Jahan Nameh" , written in Persian in the third century A.H. , and recently printed in Russia, wrote: "Kerman Sea joins Makran Sea and , known for its , situated on this sea, and passing Kennan sea, you reach "Persian Sea" and the lenght of this sea extends from the areas of Oman to the vicinity of Sandib and it on the Southern part of this lies . And this Sea and the Sea of Oman, ..t the both are one Sea OOcause the land of Pars lies in the North and Oman state .. situating in the south of i1.36) 17) Ibn Balkhi in his book, "Fars Narneh", written about 500 A.H. writes: "The Persian Sea is a part of a greater Sea called "Blue Sea or the Circumambient Sea. Each parts of this long sea situated on different regions, hence, the inhabitants called it after their own regions, like Persian Sea, Oman 1! Sea, this is why this long Sea is called Persian Sea. ott IS) Sharaf aJ-Zaman Taber Marvazi in his book. "Tabaye al- Hayvan", l: written in the year of 514 A.H. , nominated this, "Kahj aJ - Farsi" , meanmg " 33) "The OrientaJ Geography of "Ebn Hawkal", Translated by Sir William Ouseley (London: 1800) p.62; "Surat aJ - Arz."(Leyden 1938), vol. 1, pA2. Ebn HawQaI was an Arabian traveler in the tenth century. 34) "Hodud al - 'Alam", from Tomanski 's copy, printed in Leninegrade . recourse by Sayyed lalla! al - Din Tehrani (Tehran. 1312). P.&' 35) "Ahsan aJ-Taqassim fi Ma' refat a1-AqaHm" 00: De A.J. Goeje. (Leydan 1906), P.l7. 36) "lahan Nameh", Quoted by M.}.Mashkour in an article entitled "Nam-e-Khalij-e Fars" in the Proceeding of the"Seminar on "Khaiij - e -Fars" Tehran 1964), voLJP.44. Bekiran lived in the eleventh century AD. Also "jahan Name, recourse by Peshchafski, p.19.

- 96- Persian Gulf.37) 19) Abu Abdallah Moharrunad ibn Moharrunad ibn Abdallah ibn Edris (al - Sharif al - Edrissi)3Bl. in his book. "Nuzhat al - MoshtaQ fi Ekhtraq al - Afaq" wrote: "A tributary of China Sea is a green gulf designated as Darya~e-Pars and AbeUeh. The entrance of this gulf extends from south to a slightly North, in such way that it will pass the Eastern regions of Sind, Makran, Kennan and Pars up to Abelleh where is Abadan and that point is the end of this sea" .39) 20) Shahb al-Din Abu Abdallah Yaqut ibn Abdallah Hamawi Rumi (died in 805 A.H.) wrote in his well - known geographical encyclopedia "Mo'jam al - Buldan)": "The Persian Sea (Darya-e-Pars) is a tributary of the greater sea of India and its name. as Harnzeh Esfahani wrote, is in Parsi "through Kamsir" and its limit extends from Tyyaz, Makran region to Abadan and Abadan is the mouth of Tigris and this river flows into the Farsi Sea. The coasts of this sea extends from the the south of Oater"ll Oman. Shehtd41 l and Merbat42l and Hazrmut and Aden. On the coasts of Persian Sea from Abadan situated one of renown cities is Mahruban. "Harnzeh writes that this sea hereafter in the Persian language designated "through European Route" and that is a gulf from the Persian Sea extending from the south to the North, and hence passing the vicinity of Ahelleh.""l 21) Abu Abdallah Zakariya ibn Mohammad ibn Mahmud Oazvini (died m the year of 682 A.H.l in his book "Athar al-Belad" wrote:

37) "Tabaye al- Hayvan". Quoted by Mashkoor, ibid. , p. 44. Also, Abwab fi aI- 'Ayn wa aI-Tarak Montakhabeh min Ketab Tabaye aI-Hayvan, recourse by: Minureslti (London; 1942), p. 16. 38) ~Geographj d'Edrisi "Arab de I'traduti en Francais par p. Amedee JauJert (Recueil des Voyages et des Memoires Publiees par la Societe de Geographie), (Paris: 1840), voL5. vand VI. 39) "Nazhat aI - MoshtaQ aJ-Afaq." (Rome: 187&), p .Q. 40) Meaning the Qater peninsula situated on the Eastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula", with its capital, Doheh. "Geography of the Arabian Peninsula, " written by Omar Reza Kehameh. p.448. 40 Shehred , a city on the shore of Indian Sea and the capital of Mehr region in the Southeast of Jazireh al- Arab."Geography of the Arabian Peninsula", p.431. 42) Merbat, a city between Oman and Hazermut, it was a ~rt in the past, and now ruined. "Geography of the Arabian Peninsula," p.434. 43) "Mo'jam aJ-Buldan," (Caire: 1900), vol. 2. p. 68.

- 97- "Pars is a weJl -know region extending from the East to Kennan, and from SUI the west to Khuzestan, from the North to the desert of Kharasan and from the South to Sea nominated the Darya- ye-Pars44l. Persian Sea." m·;- 22) He also wrote in the book, "Ajayeb al-Maqluqat wa Qarayeb al-Mojudat":

"From the Sea of India. two great gulfs are protruded that one 15 the (13; Persian Sea and the other "Qolzom Sea" and added: tho "The Persian Sea is a tributary of a greater Indian Sea and it is its biggest tributaries , and this sea is full of affluences and benefits."45) 23) Abu al-Fed Emad aI-Din Ismail ibn Ali Amir Homat (cUed in the yeat of 732 A.H.) wrote in the "Taqwim al-Buldan": "The Persian Sea (Darya-ye-Fars) is a tributary of Indian Sea and situated "G between Oman and Makran and Makran's port is called Tez46l and this part is aft at the mouth of Persian Sea, hereafter, this sea extending along the coasts of Se Oman and passing through the North up to Abadan and thereafter, from Abadao to Mahruban and hence to Syniz47l, then extending southward to Ganaveh and .1bI the shore of Sea which is the region of Pars, hence extending Eastward to Qa Honnoz and from the south and East joinsi Kennan."48) 24) Shams al -Din Abu Abdallah Mohammad ibn abu Taleb al-Ansari an al-Dameshqi al- Sufi (died in WA.H.) in hi s book "Nokhbat al - Dahr fi Ajayeb ai- Bar wa al- Bahr," repeatedly called this sea, Bahr Fars or Bahr aJ Farsi or Persian Gulf.49) 25) Shahb al-Din Ahmad ibn Abd al - Wahab ibn Mohammad al-Nobari (died No in the year of 735 A.H.J in his book, "Nehaya! al-Edab fi Fonoon al-Arab" Pe wrote: o~' " But the Persian Gulf is a triangular shape like the sail of a ship, one of its sides extending from the direction of Makran's Tez and Kennan region to Honnoz and the regions of Pars, Siraf and Mahruban and ending to Abadan and In, turning to al- Khat(50), on the shore of Oman5)). and the other side on the

44) IIAther al-Belad (Gutingen: 1848), I). 104. E 45) The same book, p. 114. F 46) Tez, a city on the shore of Makran (Yaqut. vol. 11), this place is now called Tis and 51! situated on the North of Chabahar. 5

- 98- surface of sea extends Tez of Makran to Ra's ai - Khaymeh."52) 26) Hamadallah ibn Abu Bakr Mostowfi Qazvini (died in the year 740 AH.) in his book, "Nuzhat al Qulub ", written in Presian language , writes: In this book, calling this gulf Bahr Farsi, adds: "The islands, extending from Sind to Oman m the Persian sea (Bahr- e- Fars) are considered parts of Pars regions and the biggest islands 10 the view of population and affluences , are IGsh and ."S3)

27) Abu Hafs Zein al-Din Omar ibn Mozafar, known Ibn Alwardi (died In the year of 740) in his book titling "Khatida la- Ajayeb wa Khatida aI­ Qarayeb" writes: "A chapter about the Persian , its island and wonders and that Sea is called "Green Sea" and is a tributary of a great Indian Sea. The Persian Gulf is full of affluences and benefits , always calm and safe and comparing it with the other Seas, it is relatively less exciting.54) 28) Sharar ai -Din abu Abdallah Mohannnad ibn Abdallah Tanji known as Ibn BatUIa (died in the year of m A.H.l in his book, "Tohfe aI-Nezar fi Qarayeb aI -Emsar wa Ajayeb aI-Asfar" writes: "Then • in the gulf outside of the Persian Sea, we boarded on a ship and anived in Abadan."55), 29) Ahmad ibn Ali ibn Ahmad aI-Qolqoshandi (died in the year of 821 AH') in his book, Sobh aI-Ashi fi Ketab aI-Ensha." Writes" "But the Persian Sea a tributry of Indian Sea and its extremity from the North extends to the coast of Kerman and once again turn to the original Persian Gulf and extending towards the North continue until it reaches the city of Hormoz."56J. 30) Mustafa ibn Abdallah Kateb Qostantini Known as Haji Caliph (died in the year of 1087 AH.) in books, "Kashf aI Zanoon" and "jahan Nema" written in the Turkish language about the geography of the world, writes: "Darya Pars" is called "Persicus Sinus" meaning Persian Gulf because in the

Bahrain situated between Basre and Oman. (Yaqut and Geography the Arabian Peninsula, p.263- 265). 50 This region is today one of the seven Shikhdoms of . 52) "Nehayat al- Edab fi Fonoon ai-Arab", (Cairo: Daml ai- Arab," (Cairo: Darul al-Ketab, 1993) , voU,p.244. 53) ~Nuzhat al QulubH 00: Muhammad Dabir SiyaQi, , (Tehran: 1336, Hijir Solar Year), P.l54. 54) HKharida ai-Ajayeb", (Cairo, 1303), vol,I,P.91,P.94. 55) The travels of Ibn Batutah, (Egypt;1322), voI.2.p.l39.

56) "Sobh aJ I Ashi" (Cairo-Dalrul ai-Ketab, in 14 vol.from 1913 to 1920), p.241.

- 99- East of it situated Pars regIOn and this Sea also is called "Mare Persicus" meaning Persian Gulf.57)

31) Shams ai - Din Mohammad Sami In the books of Qamus al- 'AlamSSI and Qamus Turky59) used the tenn of Khalij Basra for Bahr Farsi or Persian Gulf. Of course, his intention for using the term "Basra Gulf' was a small part of Persian Sea which was situated near Basra city. In this regards, occasionally tenns of "Bushre port or Bushr Sea " used for the Persian Gulf. 32) In the encyclopedia of aI- Bostani, vol.?, ed: 1883, under the word of Gulf, we see al - Kalij al ' and al Khalij ai-Arabi. The first term meamng the Persian Gulf and the other designating Red Sea (Bahr Ahmed. These were some instances of historical and geopgraphicai evidences relating the name of the Persian Gulf. Now, let's see, where is the real "Arabian Gulf' - Khalij-e-Arabi."

H 33) Romans used the term "Sinus Arabicus , meaning "Khalij- e - Arabi" or

"Arabian Gulf', but in the ancient historical and geographical recordings t this term meant exclusively "Red Sea" situated between "Suez Canal" and "Bab-el-Mandeb" and as the of its shores are red , Greeks called it "Erythra", and in the Latin language ,"Mare Rubrun", the both meaning Red Sea and it was also called Qolzom. 34) Hecataeus of Miletus (549- 478 B.C') . one of the Greek scholars, known as the father of geography. drawn a world map on which the ocean encircle the lands. In various sources, this map is found in two, circualr and ellipticaJ, rms. It clearly shows the Persian Gulf and the Arabian Gulf (Red Sea).60J 35) A world map drawn by Herodotus (484 ?-430/420 ? B.c.). the famous historian, has survived, which divides the world in two main portions, namely Asia and Europe, and upon which the Red Sea is called Arabian Gulf, precluding any confusion with the Persian Gulf.61 ) 36) The World Map of Ereatosthenes of Cyrene (Z/6- 194 B.C.), the famous geographer and great scholar of the antiquity, who, for a while , directed. the Library of Alexandria . He created numerous works and set forth important theories concerning the evolution of geography and astronomy, Among his contemporaries were such scientists as Archiemedes, Aristarchu s of Samos and Ptolemus. One of his significant achievements was the utilization of longitudes

57) Kalab ChaJbi, "Jahan Nerna" , (Istanbul, 1145), 0.78. 58} Istanbul, 1306 ' 59) Istanbul. 1317 60) AI-Doctor Ahmad Suseh, al - Iraq fi al-Khavarat al-Qadimeh,p.? 61) Histoire d' Herodote , traduction de Pierre Saliat . (Paris, 1864),

-}OO - and latitudes in locating geographic sites. He has expressed. many theories on the fann . the motion and the location of, ~e earth, And in all of his works , both the Persian Gulf and the • Arabian Gulf (Red Sea) are distinctly named.62) '57) Strabo, ranking among the greatest geographers, studying in the school of Rome and Alexandria . and then traveling far and wide, compiled an opus in fi7 volumes covering the geography of the world of his time. In his world Map, the land is a large island located. amid unbounded oceans, designating the f Persian Gulf, he, too, calling Red Sea as "The Arabian Gulf"63) 1 38) Ptolemy (Claudius Plolemaeus), the famous astronomer, mathematician and geographer, during 2nd century AD., compiled an atlas of the earth, s including 36 maps of various regions , as well as a world map and a 1 comprehensive index. On Several of his maps, giving the waterway between the southern shores of Iran and the Arabian Peninsula unambiguously as the

r Persian Gulf, he called Red Sea in Latin as I Arabicus Sinus" meaning the Arabian Gulf.64)

j 39) In the book of'Hodud a-' Alam men aI -Mashraq ila aI -Maqreb" written t m 372 A.H. Red Sea explicity is called "Khalij -e - Arabi: meaning the a "Arabian Gulf: "Another gulf joins this • extending to the North as far as Egypt region and

1 hence, becoming so narrow that its width will be one , it is called "Khalij - , e - Qolzom"65) 40) Haj Caliph (1067 AR) in his book "Jahan Nema" written in the Turkish language , recounts: s "But "Bahr- e-Qolzom," because of its situation in the East of the Arabian Peninsula, is the Sea of Mekkeh, is called Sinus Arabicus and also , ., "Bahr- e-Hamer", in the ancient books, meaning "Mare Burum" and "Mare Rusu".

t Conclusion s j 1) As far as history and other pieces of evidence can provide confumation. s and judging by the oldest graphic recordings 1eft behind by various peopJe

62) AI- Iraq fi al- Khavarat a1 Qadimeh , p.Q. 63) Geographie de strabon (Paris, 1805), pp.357-362. 64) Bunbury : A history of Ancient Geography, (New-) , vol.II,P.78 (Map of the World According to Ptolemy). 65) "Hodud aI-' Alam" . (edTehran),P,8.

- 101 - whose crudely executed document have survived to the present day, the waterway on the southern shores of Iran has ever been referred to as the Persian Gulf. The ancient documments recorded by the greatest powers of the antiquity or famous ancient cartographer, and are accredited with the community of Present-day geographers. Whithout exception, they show that the southern waters of the Islamic Republic of [ran, from 2500 years have inVariably been referred to as the Persian Gulf or Bahr-e- Pars meaning Persian Gulf. Designating "Arabian GuJf', dates back even before "Persian Gulf. but it exclusively referred to the Red Sea (or Oolzom Sea). 2) The Greeks were the first ones who used both names for these two seas, i.e. the Persian Gulf and Red Sea. So, the fa ctor of the Persian or Arabic languages absolutely played no role in this nomination. .1 3) An overall glance upon the source pertaining to the origins of the name .I of the Persian Gulf shows that a number of these are ancient documments, mostly written in Latin or Greek and that the remainder are the work of Muslim scientists and geographers, compiled in Persian or Arabic and occasionally available in the form of translations in French. English, German, ets. These works either logically follow or are based upon the studies of Greek scholars or are the outcome of original research and are penned in accordance with the Islamlc geographical traditions. A brief search show that they unanimously refferred to "Darya-ye-Pars" as Bahr- a) - Fars or Khalij - e- Fars all meaning Persian Gulf. 4) Since the fifth centUIY Be, the geographical designation of the landlocked Sea of the Persian Gulf has remained unchanged and from the dawn of history up to the present - day, the term Persian Gulf" has established itself in the living languages of the world and all nations are using this tenn in their own languages. ... -..-.

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