What is in a Heritage
names?
The
Persian Gulf and its equivalent in different languages has been in used
continuously since 2500 years ago in all
languages and all over the world specially in the Arabs world so that Befor 1960s not even a single case of
calling “the Gulf as the Arabian gulf has ever been found in any text or map
specially in Arabic language. for the first time the new name was appeared in 1960s pan Arabism era.
Not
only ancient and past centuries texts and contracts but also all international organization and institutions
also uses and recognize the term Persian Gulf as the valid term.
Below
are Some Historical, Geographical and Legal Validity of the Nomenclature: Persian Gulf .
Introduction
The
importance of the geographical names had been considered by geographers since
ancient times. Through maps, atlases, and books, the Persian
gulf ’s name had been protected during different eras as a part of
historical, cultural identity and saved as intangible heritage. For the same
reason, any change, destruction, or alteration of the such unique names
registered in historical deeds and maps is like the destruction of the cultural
heritages. Therefore, the names of geographical features profiting from a
common unique historical identity, should not be utilized as political
instruments in gaining a political,
tribal, and racial objective.
The
Persian Gulf as the most ancient commercial
naval path is located in the southwest
of the Asian Continent separating Arabian plate from Iranian (Persian) plate with a length of 1259 kilometer and a depth
of average 60m.
Name of Persian Gulf .
Researchers
and scholar, who have investigated the
background of name of the Persian Gulf , became convinced of the applicability and unanimous use of the name since ancient
time and at least during the past 2500 years, i.e. as of the time of the
powerful Pars (Persian) Empire. has never been seen such an unanimity in the Middle East among writers and scholars on using one name
during 2 millennium history .
Considering
the historical background of the name Persian Gulf, Sir Arnold Wilson mentions
in his
book, published in 1928 that:
"No
water channel has been so significant as PERSIAN GULF to the geologists,
archaeologists, geographers, merchants, politicians, excursionists, and
scholars whether in the past or in
present. This water channel which separates the Iran Plateau from the Arabia
Plate, has enjoyed an Iranian Identity since at least 2200 years ago.
also
some famous Arab scholars , historian, politician and Professor as like Mohammad
Aabed al Jaaberi , Abdolhadi Altazi and Abdol
Moneim Saeed Ahmad al Sarraaf and … also in separate writing or interview has
mentioned as:” all the maps and written deed in Arabic had referred to the
bahra or khalij fars(Persian gulf)there are no single written map or document
before 1960s to refer to Persian gulf as Arabian gulf and there is no need to change of a
historical name.”
Background for Application wrong term
Iran
and Britain signed treaties of 19 March
1809(part5)- 1812- 1814 all have mentioned Persian gulf as an Iranian sea(Britain
army will not settled in any island or coast on the Persian gulf without
permission of Iran(T 1809Part5- T1812P9) but Britain breached the treaties and
attacked on Khark Island in 1837, the government of Iran at that time protested
to England's colonialist policy in the PERSIAN GULF and officially warned the
government of Britain to avoid mischief intended at separating the Islands of
the Persian gulf which is an Iranian sovereignty sea. This warning caused the
Times Journal, published in London in 1840, to claim
the PERSIAN GULF as Britain
Sea
But
following nationalization of the oil industry in Iran
in 1950 and dispossession of UK Companies and serving relations between Iran and UK
In
these years, the Arab emirates of the South of the Persian Gulf were either colonies
of Britain UK in the PERSIAN GULF Roderick Owen published“The
golden bubble on the Arabian gulf documentary”.(
Publisher: London, Collins, 1957.) “
blive to be agent of MI6
Spy Org. The book was immediately
translated into Arabic. In his book he suggested change of the Persian gulf name to satisfy the Arabs nationalists .
Roderick
Owen wrote in the preface of his book:
"I
visited PERSIAN GULF and believed that it was Persian Gulf, because I had never
seen any map or deed, unless it had
named the place as Persian Gulf, but by living there, I found out that the
people residing at the( western) beaches are Arabs, therefore, to be polite, we
should name it: Arabian Gulf ."
It
is very clear that Owen was wrong. Even
if he was correct it can not be a good excuse to change a historical name of an
international waterway. Even now all original Arabs citizen of the 6 Arab state
of GCC are less than population of Tehran Urdu SEA Indian Ocean . But
that is not the rule or criteria the rule shall be decided by UNCSGN and UNGEGN.
In
1960, after Iran and Egypt 's disconnection of relationships and after
the Arab-Israeli war, anti Iranian actions culminated due to the SHAH’s support of Israel Damascus 1970,
participating heads demanded for change of the name of Persian gulf to a nationalistic ,
without relying on any legal and historical document.
The
Name of Persian Gulf in Historical texts and Documents.
Few
written deed has remained from before the Persian (Pars) Empire, but in the oral history
and culture, the Iranians have called the southern waters of Persia at that time as Ajam
Sea and Iran
Sea
During
the years: 559 to 330 B.C. coinciding with the sovereignty of the Persian
Empire over the most part of the Middle
East area , especially the whole part of
the Persian Gulf and some parts of the
Arabian Peninsula, the name of Pars ( Persian)
Sea has been widely written in the compiled texts of the different era.
In
the travel account of Pythagoras, Darius sent Scylax to survey the Persian sea.
several chapters are related to the description of his travels accompanied by
Dariush I, to Susa
and Perse polis, and the area of Persian gulf is described.
From
among the writings of others in the same period, there is the inscription and
engraving of Darius the Great, which belongs to the 5th century BC where,
Dariush Shah , the emperor of Persian (Pars)
Empire has mentioned the PERSIAN GULF
Water Channel as PARS SEA Persian Gulf described .
In
the world map of Niark Niarjous (285-347 B.C.), Persian
Gulf is described. At the same time, many maps and deeds prepared
up to the 8th century by the scientists and geographical researchers such as
Hecataeus, Herodotus, Hipparchus, Claudius Ptolemy, Krats Malous and in
the Islamic period, also Tabari- Mohammad
Ibn Mousa Khwarazmi- Abou Abu Yusef Eshaq Kindi, Ibn Khardazabeh - Batani,
Masoudi (Masudi), Abou Zeyd Balkhi, Estakhri, Ibn Houghal (Ibn-e Hawqal),
Aboureyhan Birouni (Biruni) and others, had explained the Persian gulf and
saing that “ there is a wide sea at south of Iran named Pars Sea, (Persian), Bahre Fars, Sinus Persicus and Mare Persicum
and so on.
In
a book, named travels of Periplus Eritrea, the Greek ‘traveler’, of the 1st
century A.D. has called the Red Sea as Arabian Gulf; the Indian ocean has been
named Aritra (Eritrean) Sea; the waters at Oman Coast is called Pars Sea;
Barbarus region (between Oman
and Yemen coast said to
belong to Persian (Persia ), and the Gulf located at south side of Iran (to the south of) is named: PERSIAN GULF. also the residence of Persians living at both sides of the Persian gulf had
been confirmed .
Islamic era :
There
are no any written document about Arabian coast prior to prophet Mohammad era. However, in
more than 300 geographical, historical, literary, books or interpretation(Tafsir)
of quran and Islamic morals, and jurisprudence, the Muslims and
Arab scholars have described PERSIAN
GULF from beginning day of Islamic period to the last century .from Tabari
(1100 ac)to tantavee(1900) all Islamic scholar and religious leader in the different era ABAASID- FATOMID
– MUGUL- OTHEMAN – SAFAVID ERA ALL unanimously had referred to it as Persian gulf or Persian
sea .
Hegemony of Portuguese in the Persian gulf
In
1507 A.D. Portugal 's navy
captured Hormuz Island Portugal Persian
Gulf are kept in museums as mankind heritage.
From
among 50 maps and letters exchanged during the years: 1500 to 1700
A.D.
among the governors of Persian Gulf and the kings of Portugal
Mare
de Persia, Persico Sinus, mare Persio,
Mare Persicum, Mar Persiano,
Persiski
Zaliv, Persischer Golf, Pars
Sea
As
of 1800 to 1970, at least in 45 contracts concluded among the tribal leader(Emirates)
or countries such as Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Ottoman, Oman, Emirs of Motesalehe (United Emirates), compiled in
English and Arabic, the name of Persian Gulf(bahre fars) has been used.
In
a book published in UAE 1989 by Rashed Ali Mohammad titled : ((Economic and
political agreement between the Arabs Emirs and Britain 1806-1971)) he had
included original of around 22 contracts in all of them in both
Arabic and English text the name of Persian
gulf had been mentioned.[1]
From
among the aforesaid contracts the following can be mentioned:
1.
General contract with Arabian Emirs on Jan. 8, 1820 between Sheikhs of United
Emirates at Persian Gulf , signed by General
Cair and 11 chiefs of Arab Tribes, the word: Al khaleej Al Farsi has been used
in the Arabic texts.
2.
Treaty of 1856 and 1947 on Prohibition
of Slaves trades.
3.
Permanent Contract of Peace in 1853.
4. Contract on Independence of Kuwait (this deed
was registered on June 19, 1961 with Secretariat of United Nations.
5-
Treaty on Determination of Border Lines of Iraq
and Kuwait
Even
Nasser the pan Arabic leader of Egypt
In
all the important historical maps and Atlas whether modern or belonging to previous
centuries, the water artery located at south of Iran
has been registered as Persian Gulf . In the
Arabian countries too, it has always been named Persian
Gulf up to the 70s. For instance, in the Atlas "Al araq fi Al
khavaret Al ghadimeh" by Dr. Ahmad Souseh (Baghdad 1959) including 40 maps
among the Arabian sources of the Middle Ages all have the Arabic term for the
Persian gulf.
In the maps presented by Arabian countries to
the International Court of the justice for settlements of border claims, the name of PERSIAN GULF has been mentioned in their documents.
- Atlas of
La Péninsule Arabique dans les cartes Européennes Anciennes (The Arabian
Peninsula in Old European Maps).Paris, Monde Arabs institute and Tunisia
university IMA & Khaled. Al Ankary,
2001. 424 pp. contains 260 maps with details about each map in 3
languages: Arabic, English and French. Almost all of these 260 maps have the correct name of Persian Gulf .
Moreover,
10 maps have both Persian
Gulf for the gulf and also Persian
Sea
(for the current area of Sea of Oman
and Arabian sea ) •
The
book: Roots of Kuwait Netherlands also contains 15 maps where the name
of PERSIAN GULF exists.
·
In the "Atlas of Al kuwait fi Al kharaet Al Aalam" some maps
have been used where there exists the name of PERSIAN GULF .
·
· In Atlas of "Al kuwait fi Al kharaet Al tarikhieh"
published by the efforts of Abdollah Yousef Al ghanim
in 1994, there are about 200 maps mentioning the name of Persian
Gulf
· In
the ARABIC book: "Al khalij al fars Abar Al tarikh va Al ghoroun"
(written by Mohammad Mirza, 1976 Cairo ) there are 52 maps drawn out of Arabic sources, all have the name of Persian Gulf .
· In
Atlas of "History of Islam" (1951-55 America
and Egypt ) the name Persian Gulf has
been mentioned IN 16 MAPS.
· In the Atlas of "Khalij (Gulf) in the
Historical Maps" published in UAE (1999) more than 600 maps have the term
Persian gulf.
· The
Arabic Bank and Beyt Al quran in Bahrain
published a large wall calendar in 1996 containing
the 11 historical map of Bahrain
in which all the maps contain the name of Persian Gulf
It
is interesting that from among 6000 existing historical maps published up to
1890, there are only three maps mentioning the names of Basreh Gulf, Ghatif
Gulf, and Arabic Gulf, this name in fact are the name of bays of the Persian gulf.
in local language they call the bay also
as the gulf like : gulf of Busher - Chah
Bahar Gulf ,
Siraf Gulf ,
Basreh Gulf ,
Ghatif Gulf , Bahrain
It
is obvious that the promotional use by the Arabs of the three aforementioned
maps, whose identity and originality are
not clear, in comparison with 6000 maps and more than 300 historical and credible geographical books from ancient time to 20th
century , shall lack any value.
In
the Arabic Dictionaries like Al Monjed, and also in all (60)Qoranic Tafsires
and religious Islamic books and in all
treaties ( more than 30 Arabic treaties between the Arabs tribe leader with the UK
and Othman and Iranians ) Persian gulf has
been used .
In
the many museums all over the world some
can find maps or manuscript having the name Persian gulf some recorded as intangible
world heritage (UNESCO) In Library of American Congress, Britain
National Library (London), deeds at Ministry of India's Affairs (London),
Library of Faculty of Orientals Studies
of London, there are more than 300 maps, containing the name Persian Gulf. In
Eskandria Library of Egypt And National
Musum Of Egypt also Persian gulf map are
preserved.
Furthermore,
about 30 valid Atlas have registered the name of PERSIAN
GULF within the past 300 years, such as: Atlas of Thomas Herbert (1628).
-
Atlas of Pars, Lousaj
University Germany (1861), Pars
Envile Atlas (1760).- Atlas of Modern
Geography (1890).- Atlas of London
(1873),- Atlas of Ernest Embrosius
(1922),- Atlas of Bilefild (1899)- Atlas
of Harmsorth (19th Century, London). - ….
In
18th to 20th centuries when the UK expanded its dominance over the seas
and appeared as protectorate of the Sheikhs on the south sectors of the PERSIAN
GULF, the official maps and documents of the areas in all languages refers to the GULF as PERSIAN GULF .
Applications of the Name Persian Gulf by
International Organizations
Not
only the Persian Gulf had been used since ancient time in all languages but
also in current time non Arabs countries had never recognized a new tribal name
and UN and all international Organizations and
affiliated foundations have applied the correct name of PERSIAN GULF.
In
the Arabic text of the UN some time had
appeared wrong term but as soon AS the secretariat have considered it the correction have been done.
For
the first time in 1971 in a UN text wrong term was used and then was corrected
by a UN instruction and Note No.
AD311/1GEN dated March 5, 1971.
From
among the other instructions of United Nations, the following samples can be
named:
·
Note No. LA45.82 dated Aug. 10, 1984 (New
York
·
Circular No. CAB/1/87/63 dated 16.02.1987 of Managing Director of UNESCO.
·
ST/CSSER/29 dated Jan. 10, 1990.
·
AD/311/1/GEN dated March 5, 1991.
·
ST/CS/SER.A/29/Add.1 dated Jan. 24, 1992.
·
ST/CS/SER.A/29/Add.2 dated Aug. 18, 1994.
·
ST/CS/SER.A/29/Rev.1 dated May 14, 1999.
In
all the above mentioned notes and circulars, it has been instructed that the
water body existing at the south side of
Iran be stated: PERSIAN GULF . The Specialized Group for Experts on
Standardization of Geographical Names,(UNGEGN) active in the United Nations
Social Economical Council also
emphasizes the correct use of historical names for features, and is active in
dispute settlement related to geographical names. "Naphtali Cadman"
the head of Working Group for Toponymy Information has stated in a book
published by UNGEGN on 2001 that the
motivation to change the name of PERSIAN GULF
is purely political.
**
Some of the most important historical atlases of the persian gulf are as:
§
1- Atlas of The Arabian Peninsula in Old European Maps (253
maps) by Khaled Al Ankary, Institute du Monde Arabe,Paris
and Tunisia University
all 253 maps of this atlas has been printed in color and 3
languages and have the corect name of Persian gulf also the maps in
pages:-141-226-323-322-331-345-347-363-355 have mentioned persian gulf for the
Gulf and also persian sea for the body of water of current Arabian sea and
Oman gulf , such as the hours shape map of Bunting H.S.Q34/24CM Hanover,1620.
§
2- Atlas of Historical maps of the gulf by sultan muhammad al
qasimi Sharjeh 500 maps of the persian gulf .
§
3- Atlas of Iraq
§
4- Kuwait Persian
gulf name.
§
5-Kuwait reading the historical maps, 200 maps ,1994 .
§
6-Roots of Kuwait
§
7-description of the Persian gulf
in the historical maps by Iranology foundation, 40 maps of Islamic scholars and
120 maps of European famous cartographers 0f 1500-1900 AD.by Dr
Tehran.all the maps have the name persian gulf. and many other
atlases have also been published and they have been described in the book:
Documents on the Persian Gulf 's name .[14]
International
Organizations
International
organization and Intergovernmental
organization uses the Persian gulf as the international recognized term.[15] .[16]
Translated
and abstracted from the book:
“Documents on the Persian Gulf‘s name ancient heritage for all the time”. By : Mohammad Ajam. December 2007
Also :
2.
^ United Nations Group of
Experts on Geographical Names Working Paper No. 61, 23rd Session, Vienna
§
documentary on the persian gulf history[3]
§
a historical documentary on the name of Persian
gulf
§
documentary on persian gulf
[[4]]
§
Documents on the Persian Gulf 's
name : the eternal heritage of ancient time
2.
^ Bosworth, C. Edmund.
"The Nomenclature of the Persian Gulf ."
Pages xvii-xxxvi in Alvin J. Cottrell (ed.), The Persian Gulf States: A General
Survey. Baltimore : Johns Hopkins
University
4.
^ ALAI ,
CYRUS. "GEOGRAPHY iv. Cartography of Persia". Encyclopædia Iranica. Retrieved 2012-02-01.:
After World War II, some circles decided to
change the name of the Persian Gulf to Arabian Gulf .
Although the government of Persia opposed the move vehemently, in some editions
of a few maps and atlases the term Persian was omitted, leaving only "The
Gulf" (e.g., The Times Atlas,
p. 39), while the historical term Persian Gulf mostly remained intact, as in
the National
Geographic Atlas (p.
77; fig. 7).
.
5.
^ MILANI, MOHSEN M.. "IRAQ vi. PAHLAVI PERIOD, 1921-79". Encyclopædia Iranica. Retrieved 2012-02-01.:
...Iraqi troops began to engage their Iranian
counterparts in border skirmishes. Iraq
once again called for “liberation” of the Khuzestan province from “Persian
occupiers,” and began to use the term “Arabian Gulf,” rather than Persian Gulf ...
.
12.
^ United Nations Group of
Experts on Geographical Names Historical, Geographical and Legal Validity of the name
'Persian Gulf' (April 2006).
13.
^ [1],Documents on the Persian
Gulf 's name : the eternal heritage of ancient time Author:
Ajam, Muḥammad.Pirouz Mojtahedzadeh retrieved 24 Feb. 2012.
14.
^ [2],Conspiracy to change a heritage name:
"The Persian Gulf "2002 by M.Ajam,
retrieved 24 Feb. 2012.
15.
^ [3],Documents on the Persian
Gulf 's name : the eternal heritage of ancient time Author:
Ajam, Muḥammad.Pirouz Mojtahedzadeh retrieved 24 Feb. 2012.
19.
^ http://www.worldpress.org/Mideast/2616.cfm, http://www.un.org/depts/dhl/maplib/docs/escwa.pdf, http://www.un.org/Depts/Cartographic/map/profile/iran.pdf,http://www.un.org/Depts/Cartographic/map/profile/westasia.pdf
20.
^ Report of the United
Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names on the work of its twenty-third
session. Document E/2006/57, Economic and Social Council, United Nations. New York
21.
^ http://www.worldpress.org/Mideast/2616.cfm, http://web.mit.edu/isg/persiangulffactsheet.pdf, http://unstats.un.org/unsd/geoinfo/eighthuncsgn-english.pdf
22.
^ "Limits of Oceans and Seas, 3rd edition".
International Hydrographic Organization. 1953. Retrieved 6 February 2010.
23.
^ "Name game stokes U.S.-Iranian tensions -
CNN.com". CNN. 24 January 2008. Retrieved 22 May 2010.
25.
^ Spencer, Richard (23
February 2010). "Iran threatens flight ban over 'Persian' Gulf name
row". The Daily Telegraph (London
33.
^ The Persian
Gulf at the Millennium: Essays in Politics, Economy, Security, and
Religion edited by Gary G. Sick, Lawrence G. Potter, pg 8
35.
^ http://gnswww.nga.mil/geonames/Gazetteer/Search/Results.jsp?Feature__Unique_Feature_ID=-1506414&Diacritics=Yes&reload=1
36.
^ "Navy Causes Controversy by Changing ‘Persian Gulf’
to ‘Arabian Gulf’." AllGov.com, 9 December 2010.
42.
^ "Louvre's 'Gulf' Move Draws Iranian Ire". Radio Free
Europe/Radio Liberty. 2006. Retrieved 18 December 2008.
43.
^ Ap, Riyadh London
45.
^ Montague, James (2008). When Friday Comes:
Football in the War Zone. Mainstream Publishing.
p. 57. ISBN 978-1-84596-369-9.
46.
^ Montague, James (2008). When Friday Comes:
Football in the War Zone. Mainstream Publishing.
p. 113. ISBN 978-1-84596-369-9.
[1] - راشد، علىمحمد. الاتفاقات السياسية و الاقتصادية
التى عقدت بين الامارات ساحل عمان و بريتانيا (1806 - 1971)، منشورات اتحاد كتاب و
ادباء الامارات، 1989
