Naming of the Persian Gulf

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Persian Gulf , which separates the Arabian Peninsula from the Iranian Highlands , has had different names throughout history.

Variants of the term " Persian Gulf " ( Persian خليج فارس chalidsch-e Fārs , named after the region of Fars in southern Iran ) have been pre-Christian times in Persian and Greek, and since the Islamic period in Arabic ( Arabic الخليج الفارسي al-Khalij al-fārsī ) and European sources, but rivalries between Arabs and Persians have led to the neologism "Arabian Gulf" ( Arabic الخليج العربي al-khalīdsch al-ʿarabī ) has prevailed in many Arab countries and appears sporadically in Western media. The name dispute repeatedly caused diplomatic tensions between Iran and the Arab states. The name "Persian Gulf", which is established in most languages, hasnot been used at allby most of the Arab states since then.

The Persian Gulf

Historical development

Arabic-language regional map by the geographer al-Istachrī from the 9th century, who uses the term "Persian Sea".
Detail of the famous Cantino-Planisphere , a Portuguese world map from 1502: The Persian Gulf "Sinus Persicus", the Strait of Hormuz, the island of Socotra (colored red), the Red Sea
Name of the Persian Gulf in the Waldseemüller map from 1507
The regional map of the Italian cartographer Giacomo Gastaldi from 1548 is considered the first “modern” map of the region and uses the designation “Golpho de Persia” (“Persian Gulf”).
In this map from 1667 the gulf is referred to as "Sein Arabique" ( Arabian Gulf ).
Designation Persian Gulf in Latin on a map from 1689.
In this map from 1717 the cartographer Herman Moll uses the term "Gulph of Bassora" for the Persian Gulf, but in other maps for the Encyclopedia Britannica he uses the term Persian Gulf for the waterway and "Sinus Arabicus" for the Red Sea.
On this British map from 1808, the Gulf is referred to as the "Persian Gulf".
Arabic map from 1952, on which the Gulf is still referred to as the "Persian Gulf".
From this historical map the word Persian has been removed from Persian Gulf .
The United Nations recommends the name Persian Gulf.
The United Kingdom uses the term "Persian Gulf".

The waterway is referred to as the "Persian Gulf" on almost all maps printed before 1960 and in most modern international treaties and documents. This corresponds to the traditional naming since the Greek geographers Strabo and Claudius Ptolemy as well as the geopolitical realities of the time with a strong Persian empire , which controlled the entire north coast and faced the isolated emirates on the Arab coast.

When Arab nationalism increased in the 1960s, the term “Arab Gulf” became increasingly popular in the Arab states. This development has been intensified by the declining political and economic influence of Iran in the English-speaking western world since the Islamic Revolution of 1979, which led to an increased acceptance of the alternative name “Arabian Gulf”.

The term "Arabian Gulf" ( Sinus Arabicus ) was previously used to refer to the Red Sea . This term was adopted by Strabo and Ptolemy, among others, in the European maps that called the Red Sea Sinus Arabicus ("Arabian Gulf"). Both ancient geographers also used the name Sinus Persicus (Persian Gulf), which refers to the waterway between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. In the early Islamic period, Muslim geographers used similar terms such as Persian Sea ( Arabic البحر الفارسي al-Baḥr al-Fārsī ) or Persian Gulf . In the early modern period, most European maps used similar names such as Sinus Persicus or Golfo di Persia for the Persian Gulf.

By the Ottoman conquest of Baghdad in 1534 who received Turks with the port of Basra on the Gulf tip access to the Indian Ocean . This coincided with the early cartographic efforts of Gerhard Mercator , who tried in 1541 to produce current globes and maps on which he called the Gulf as Sinus Persicus, nunc Mare de Balsera ("Persian Gulf, now the Sea of ​​Basra"). On his world map from 1569, however, he named the gulf as Mare di Mesendin (after the Musandam peninsula in today's Oman ), while his opponent Abraham Ortelius for his world atlas from 1570 called Mare El Catif, olim Sinus Persicus (after the Arab port of Qatif) used. For the Gulf access, the Strait of Hormuz , he chose the name Basora Fretum (Strait of Basra). Despite these differences, the term Persian Gulf spread more and more, but Turkey still uses the term “Gulf of Basra” ( Basra Körfezi ).

Current development

The top division in Iranian football is used to highlight the name of the golf Persian Gulf Pro League ( Persian لیگ برتر خلیج فارس) called. As a result of the name dispute, the Iranian national soccer team does not take part in the golf cup .

After a football tournament at the Gulf Cup of Nations in Oman complained the Iranian Football Federation in the FIFA and the Asian Football Confederation on a distortion of the Golf name in the tournament name.

As a result of the name dispute, the 2nd Islamic Solidarity Games planned in Iran , which were originally postponed from October 2009 to April 2010, because Arab states could not agree with Iran on the use of the name Persian Gulf, were canceled.

Alternative names

The naming is still controversial, as the competing naming conventions are not only supported in the internal literature by some governments, but also in dealings with other states and international organizations. Some parties use terms such as "The Gulf" or "Arab-Persian Gulf".

Some companies that work in the Gulf region are also dealing with the name dispute and, depending on whether they work for the Arab states or Iran, choose one of the two names or use both names like Saudi Aramco .

After the Iranian Revolution of 1979, the name "Islamic Gulf" was proposed by Ruhollah Khomeini . This idea was abandoned after the First Gulf War broke out between the Muslim neighbors Iraq and Iran .

Position of Iran

Iran only uses the term Persian Gulf and does not recognize other terms such as "Gulf" or "Arabian Gulf".

Aircraft with labels other than "Persian Gulf" will be refused entry into Iranian airspace. The Iranian government does not believe that the airlines, as impartial companies, are free to designate and sees this as superseding the historical name.

National Persian Gulf Day

National Persian Gulf Day is celebrated annually on April 30th in Iran, especially in the cities on the Gulf coast such as Bushehr and Bandar Abbas . This holiday was introduced by the High Council of the Cultural Revolution , chaired by former President Mohammad Chātami, with the background that some Arab states had previously started a campaign to rename the Gulf. The Post Office of Iran then issued a series of stamps entitled “National Persian Gulf Day”. During the National Persian Gulf Day on April 30, 2008, protests and discussions took place for the retention of the original name of the golf.

Position of Arab States

Most of the Arab states and the two organizations Arab League and Gulf Cooperation Council use the term “Arab Gulf”. In contrast, the position of the Organization for Islamic Cooperation and OPEC is unknown.

As the envoy to Kuwait, Majdi Ahmad Ibrahim al-Zafiri, said, Kuwait is on the side of Iran and refers to the historical naming of the Gulf, which can no longer be changed.

Position of other states and organizations

United Nations

office

The United Nations and two of its sub-organizations also dealt with the name dispute between the Arab states and Iran . The Secretariat of the United Nations has repeatedly specified that only the use of the name Persian Gulf is permitted. However, this is due to the majority in the United Nations in 1959. Most of the Arab Gulf States, as British overseas territories, had no voting rights until 1961/1971, and Iran maintained good relations with the United States, which dominated the United Nations, and thus received more attention. The majority did not change gradually until 1960, when more and more African states became independent and became members of the United Nations in the " African Year ". The decision of the United Nations at that time was never revised and only alternative names were allowed.

United Nations Expert Group on Geographic Names

The United Nations Expert Group on Geographical Names was set up by the United Nations Secretary-General within the Economic and Social Committees of Council 715A (XXVII) on April 23, 1959 and recommends the name Persian Gulf.

The group discussed the naming during its 23rd meeting from March 28 to April 4, 2006 in Vienna . According to the report of the meeting, the group noted that countries cannot be prohibited from using or creating exonyms .

The use of the term “Arabian Gulf” was designated as “incorrect” by the eighth United Nations conference on the standardization of geographical names from August 27 to September 2002 in Berlin .

International Hydrographic Organization

The International Hydrographic Organization uses the term "Persian Gulf", which is stated on page 23 of the Boundaries of the Oceans and Seas , Division 41.

United Kingdom

Due to the historical importance of the Gulf region for the United Kingdom and the military presence, the Permanent Committee on Geographical Names of the British Government (PCGN) dealt with the naming of the Persian Gulf and established the term Persian Gulf as the correct name for the United Kingdom.

The Australian Armed Forces refer to the strait as "The Gulf" and the northern part of the Gulf as "Northern Arabian Gulf" (NAG).

United States

Since the United States was and is militarily and politically active in the Gulf region, its federal government dealt several times with the name dispute over the Persian Gulf. The United States has officially used the Persian Gulf term since a proposal by the United States Department of State's Board of Geographical Names in 1917. The GNS designates the term Persian Gulf as the only "official" name of 14 other terms from different languages ​​such as "Iranian Gulf", "Gulf of Ajam", "Gulf of Basra", "Arabian Gulf", "Persian-Arabian Gulf" , "Gulf of Fars" or "Farsi Golf".

In the course of the last few years, due to increased cooperation with the Arab Gulf States, the individual departments of the US armed forces have relaxed the guidelines for their employees.

Atlases and other media

In 2000 the Associated Press published a handbook on the designation of golf: “Persian Gulf is the long-established name and the best choice. Some Arab countries call it the 'Arab Gulf'. Use 'Arabian Gulf' only in direct quotations and explain in the text that the waterway is better known as the Persian Gulf. "

Some atlases and media have decided to use the name “The Gulf”. This definition was also made by the British Broadcasting Corporation and the Times Atlas of the World .

In 2004 the National Geographic Society published a new edition of its atlas , in which the name "Arabian Gulf" was given for the first time as an alternative. This led to protests from many Persians, especially in the online community and the Iranian government, which banned the issuing and publication of the atlases in Iran and refused entry to the cartographers. On December 30, 2004, the Society reversed its decision and published a revised edition in which the Gulf was referred to as: "In the past, this area was referred to differently by some Arab Gulf states and is still known as the Persian Gulf".

In 2004 the name dispute became part of a Google bombing campaign by hundreds of Iranian bloggers who linked a dead website with the Arabic name of the Gulf in blogs and internet forums , and by hackers who manipulated the search results for “Arabian Gulf” on Google .

Iran does not believe that these designations are impartial and sees its own action as preserving the historical name. On June 15, 2006, Iran banned The Economist from selling on the grounds that a card would be a problem if it "mislabeled" the Persian Gulf as "The Gulf".

See also

literature

  • Michaela Wimmer, Stefan Braun, Hannes Enzmann: Focus on golf: Background, history, analyzes . Munich 1991, ISBN 3-453-05201-3 .
  • Tariq Aziz : The Iraqi-Iranian Conflict . Dar Al-Ma'mun, Baghdad 1981.
  • Saddam Hussein : This is how we should fight the Persians . Ed .: Ministry of Culture and Information. Dar Al-Ma'mun, Baghdad 1980.
  • Muhammad'Ajam, Pirouz Mojtahed-Zadeh: Asnad-i nam-i-Khalij i Fārs: Miras ī va Kuhan Javdan . 1st edition. Ivīn, Teheran 2009, ISBN 978-6-00902314-1 (Persian, first edition: 1388, Documents on the Persian Gulf's name: the eternal heritage of ancient time).

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b Touraj Daryaee: The Persian Gulf Trade in Late Antiquity . In: Journal of World History. Volume 14, No. 1 March 2003 ( archive.org ).
  2. ^ A b c Hermann F. Eilts: Security Considerations in the Persian Gulf . In: International Security. Volume 5, No. 2 . 1980, p. 79-113 .
  3. ^ A b c Gary G. Sick, Lawrence G. Potter (ed.): The Persian Gulf at the Millennium: Essays in Politics, Economy, Security, and Religion. S. 8: "As recognized by the United States Board on Geographic names, the name of the body of water that lies between Iran and the Arab states of the Gulf Cooperation Council is the Persian Gulf. For political reasons, Arabs often refer to it as the Arab or Arabian Gulf. "
  4. ^ A b C. Edmund Bosworth: The Nomenclature of the Persian Gulf. In: Alvin J. Cottrell (Ed.): The Persian Gulf States: A General Survey. Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore 1980, pp. Xxxiii. Excerpt: “Not until the early 1960s does a major new development occur with the adoption by the Arab states bordering on the Gulf of the expression al-Khalij al-Arabi as weapon in the psychological war with Iran for political influence in the Gulf; but the story of these events belongs to a subsequent chapter on modern political and diplomatic history of the Gulf. "
  5. ↑ a b Mahan Abedin: All at sea over "the Gulf". Asia Times, December 9, 2004, accessed October 30, 2009 .
  6. ↑ a b c Louvre's 'Gulf' Move Draws Iranian Ire. Radio Free Europe , December 4, 2006, accessed October 30, 2009 .
  7. ^ A b Hassan el-Najjar, Nader Habibi: The Dispute about the Persian Arabian Gulf Name how should it be resolved. Al Jazeera , February 11, 2005, accessed October 30, 2009 .
  8. ↑ Historical map of the Middle East from 1764. Columbia University , New York City , accessed October 30, 2009 .
  9. ^ Documents on the Persian Gulf's name, Dr Mohammad Ajam
  10. ↑ a b c Historical, Geographical and Legal Validity of the Name: PERSIAN GULF. (PDF) UNITED NATIONS GROUP OF EXPERTS ON GEOGRAPHICAL NAMES, February 9, 2007, archived from the original on January 8, 2010 ; accessed on October 30, 2009 .
  11. ↑ Gerard Mercator Map of the Arab World from 1540
  12. ^ Map of the Middle East from 1569
  13. ↑ Map of the Strait of Hormuz from 1570
  14. ↑ İstanbul before the Roman Era. Ministry of Culture and Tourism (Turkey), accessed October 30, 2009 .
  15. ↑ James Montague: When Friday Comes: Football in the War Zone . Ed .: Mainstream Publishing. 2008, ISBN 978-1-84596-369-9 , pp. 57 .
  16. ↑ James Montague: When Friday Comes: Football in the War Zone . Ed .: Mainstream Publishing. 2008, ISBN 978-1-84596-369-9 , pp. 113 .
  17. ↑ IFF outraged about "Golf Cup": Persian Gulf remains Persian. (No longer available online.) January 21, 2009, formerly in the original ; accessed on October 30, 2009 .  ( Page no longer available , search in web archives )  Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.@1@ 2Template: Dead Link / www.persianfootball.com  
  18. ^ Islamic Solidarity Games canceled after gulf row divides nations. The Guardian , January 17, 2010, accessed January 22, 2010 .
  19. ^ Islamic Solidarity Games canceled over Gulf dispute. BBC News , January 18, 2010, accessed January 22, 2010 .
  20. ↑ Islamic games canceled in Arab-Iran row over Persian Gulf name. The Daily Telegraph , January 17, 2010, accessed January 22, 2010 .
  21. ^ Gulf dispute puts and end to Islamic Solidarity Games. The Times , January 18, 2010, accessed January 22, 2010 .
  22. ↑ Name game stokes US-Iranian tensions. CNN , January 24, 2008, accessed October 30, 2009 .
  23. ↑ Iran expels foreign steward over Persian Gulf row. Press TV , February 21, 2010, archived from the original on March 2, 2010 ; accessed on March 4, 2010 (English).
  24. ↑ Iran threatens flight ban over 'Persian' Gulf name row. The Daily Telegraph , February 23, 2010, accessed April 20, 2010 .
  25. ^ The Persian Gulf is its real name, forever. al-Arabiya , May 5, 2009, accessed October 30, 2009 .
  26. ^ Nazeri's voice to honor Persian Gulf. Press TV , April 6, 2010, accessed May 29, 2010 .
  27. ↑ Iran names Persian Gulf national day. Muslim Herald , February 26, 2009; archived from the original on June 1, 2010 ; accessed on October 30, 2009 .
  28. ↑ Iranians to observe Persian Gulf Day. Tehran Times, April 29, 2010, accessed May 29, 2010 .
  29. ↑ Persian Gulf stamps. February 26, 2009, accessed October 30, 2009 .
  30. ↑ What is the name of the Golf? Berliner Zeitung , April 30, 2008, accessed October 30, 2009 .
  31. ^ Kuwaiti envoy: Persian Gulf name, irreversible. Press TV , February 19, 2010, accessed March 4, 2010 .
  32. ↑ a b UN Map (PDF; 133 kB), UN Map of Iran (PDF; 685 kB), UN Map of Western Asia
  33. ^ UN Editorial directive regarding the Persian Gulf
  34. ↑ USE OF THE TERM "PERSIAN GULF" (PDF; 7 kB)
  35. ↑ Use of the terms "Persian Gulf", "Gulf" and "Shatt al-Arab" (PDF; 31 kB)
  36. ^ Report of the United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names on the work of its twenty-third session. (PDF) Archived from the original on March 6, 2009 ; accessed on October 30, 2009 .
  37. ^ Factsheet on the Legal and Historical Usage of the “Persian Gulf”. (PDF; 324 kB) Iranian Studies Group at MIT, accessed on October 30, 2009 (English).
  38. ^ Eighth United Nations Conference on the Standardization of Geographical Names. (PDF) Archived from the original on March 6, 2009 ; accessed on October 30, 2009 .
  39. ↑ Limits of Oceans and Seas ( Memento of October 7, 2009 in the Internet Archive )
  40. ↑ Request for the inclusion of an item in the provisional agenda of the fifty-sixth session - Observer status for the International hydrographic Organization in the General Assembly. (PDF; 124 kB) July 6, 2001, accessed October 30, 2009 (English).
  41. ^ Letter from Ben Bradshaw to Lynda Clark. PersianGulfOnline, July 27, 2001, archived from the original on March 6, 2009 ; accessed on October 30, 2009 .
  42. ↑ CPL Damian Shovell: Terror in the gulf. Department of Defense (Australia), accessed October 30, 2009 .
  43. ↑ gnswww.nga.mil ( memento of the original from October 7, 2007 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / gnswww.nga.mil
  44. ↑ ARABIAN VS. PERSIAN GULF. CBC / Radio-Canada , May 2002, accessed October 30, 2009 .
  45. ↑ The AP Stylebook dictates proper name usage for the Persian Gulf. (No longer available online.) March 4, 2009, formerly in the original ; accessed on October 30, 2009 .  ( Page no longer available , search in web archives )  Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.@1@ 2Template: Dead Link / www.eyeranians.com  
  46. ↑ BBC. PersianGulfOnline, archived from the original on June 7, 2009 ; accessed on October 30, 2009 .
  47. ↑ a b Iranian hackers on Arabic websites. St. Galler Tagblatt , June 5, 2008, accessed December 9, 2009 .
  48. ↑ AIC update. American – Iranian Council, January 2005, archived from the original on November 24, 2009 ; accessed on October 30, 2009 .
  49. ↑ google bomb: the arabian gulf google bomb. Archived from the original on February 20, 2010 ; accessed on October 30, 2009 .
  50. ↑ Louvre's 'Gulf' Move Draws Iranian Ire. Retrieved October 30, 2009 .