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Journey in Iran (1) Persian Gulf
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The name of Persian Gulf or the Sea of Pars has been introduced to the world by the first studies in topography. Claudius Ptolemy, mathematician, geographer, and topographer of the second century A. D.; in his first map of the world introduced the sea between Iranian territory and the Arabian Peninsula as Sinus Persicus. In most of the Greek and Roman maps this sea has been called Sinus Persicus, Mare Persicum, and Aquarum Persico, the exact translation of the Sea of Pars.
However the oldest existing map of the Persian Gulf is a Babylonian terracotta tablet belonging to the seventh century B.C. in which Babylon and Assyria are drawn as two rectangles. Between them the river Euphrates flows to the Persian gulf, which in this tablet is named Nar Marratu "bitter and salty water" that like a circle surrounds these two countries and other lands.
The other ancient document is an inscription by the Great Achaemenid King, Darius. In that inscription which had been made on the occasion of the digging of the Nile Canal around 515 to 518 B.C. and discovered in excavations of the lands around Nile River, the King mentions the Persian gulf as a sea flowing from Pars.
Our investigative journey along the shores of the Persian Gulf and Oman Sea begins from the fertile plains of Khuzestan, the cradle of the ancient civilizations of Elamite, Akkad, Sumer, Babylon, Assyrian, and the Iranian, from the point that Karoun, Dez, and Karkheh rivers are flowing. In the ancient times these rivers like Euphrates and Tigris in Iraq each one separately flew to the Persian gulf. However, as time passed and the sea retreated, the Karun, the Dez, the Tigris and Euphrates joined together and formed the Arvandrud or Shat al-Arab which is the water border between Iran and Iraq and flows to the Gulf through the Fav estuary. It is through this waterway, which centuries B.C. Palmyrian of Kharg Island carried their goods to the Mediterranean markets such as Thayer, Sodom, Beirut and further away to Rome.
lbn-Battuta, the Moroccan traveller who, in the 14 century A. D. travelled the same path as ours, from Khor (narrow gulf) Musa to port of Mahshahr, writes in his diary: "In the morning, resolved to go to Majool (Mahshahr) in Abbadan (Abadan) which is a big village, we boarded a ship and reached Majool after four days. Majool is a small town with a large market on the shore of a bay that has deviated from the Sea of Pars."
Instead of Majool and the market that Ibn-Battuta has described, today in this estuary we encounter two large ports of Mahshahr and Imam Khomeini, which are equipped for docking of large ships. Additionally, beside these two ports the largest Iranian petrochemical plant is located whose products are exported from these ports.
To reach the port of Bushehr, which at the time of the Elamite Empire was called Lian and was one the most important connecting centers of the Eastern and Western civilizations, one has to pass from the ports of Dailam, Ganaveh, and Rig, which three of them are ancient and traditional ports. In these ports the jungle of wooden hand-crafted boats, more than being a carriage means, are cultural symbols. This is a culture to which the riparian have an indispensable connection. In addition boat is, indeed, the home of the men of sea and the fishermen.
One of the most interesting ceremonies performed in Bushehr is the ceremony of cymbals and drums which is done in connection with the self-beating processions of Tasu'a and Ashura in the mourning month of Moharram. In Bushehr each quarter of the city has its own ceremony of cymbals and drums, which usually begins with blowing a horn made of the horns of an animal called citatonga imported from Africa.
Our next destination after Bushehr was the island of Kharg. This is the island that although has been in existance for more than a million years, it appeared from under the water about 14,000 years ago. Because a long time of dwelling of human being in that island, there remain many monuments from the ancient times and from the Islamic period. One could observe monuments like Imamzadeh Mir Mohammad from Islamic period and many graves and Palmyrian temples from the ancient times that are cut in stones. Additionally, Kharg Island today is one of the largest terminals for exporting crude oil in the world.
Returning from Kharg Island, as I stare at the waves of the sea, I remember that for assuming power and gaining wealth what kind of crimes that had not happened on this wavy sea, the Persian Gulf. From the tyranny of the pirates like the British Captain Kid to the rebellion of Mir Mohanna Bandar Riggi and the Javasem mobs of the Thieves' Shore from the other side of the water; and looting of the greedy Portugese, and the Dutch and British colonizers who, under the name of freedom, and campaign against slavery and preventing the smuggling of arms
exploited the defenceless people of this part of the world looting the wealth of this sea and its islands for centuries.
Our way to Bandar Abbas is a long one. One could choose between the seas on a boat with fellow fishermen or take a car alongside the shore accompanied by a friend from Bushehr.
One of the historical and interesting points on our way is, doubtlessly, Bandar Taheri, which had been constructed on the ruins of Bandar Siraf. Around four centuries Siraf had been one of the largest trade centers of the Persian Gulf. Yaqut Hamavi writes: "Siraf is a town in the vicinity of Ardeshir Khore of Pars. Traders call it Shilave. In this town there are beautiful monuments and a congregatinal mosque whose pillars are made of teak wood. I have seen this town and its monument which are located close to a mountain." Although an earthquake destroyed Siraf in 984 A.D., it remained one of the important ports of this waterway for centuries and Moslem historians speak of its rivalry in trade with Basra and its clean and beautiful dwellings.
In the northwestern part of the Taheri Port on the strait of Lir we arrive at the frightening world of death where there are thousands of tombs, graves, and wells dug in the mountain. The tombs are related to the time when the people dwelling on the shores of the Gulf were Zoroastrians and would dig their graves in the stones of mountains so that by burying their dead they would not contaminate the earth which, with water, fire, and wind was one of the four sacred elements of Zoroastrianism.
In the large graveyard, on the lower plain of the tombs, we encounter numerous rectangular graves that are cut of stones. Archaeologists relate these graves to the Moslems who dwelled in this area. Although there are others who are of the opinion that the thousands graves in the valley of Lir testify to the holiness of the earth of this valley. Because of the religious beliefs of the people living at the edge of the Persian Gulf (Sea of Pars), they had brought their dead from different parts to bury them in this place.
Visiting the stone fortresses of port of Kong and the islands of Qeshm and Hormoz reminds us of more than a century of residence of the imperialist Portugese on this waterway. These are the Portuguese who several years after coming of Admiral Vasco da Gama to the Indian Ocean in 1497, under the command of Alfonse de Albukerk by the fire of their Men of Wars, violently
looted the towns and ports cutting defenceless people' ears and noses. Eventually the Portugese supremacy was ended by the ascendance of the Safavid King, Shah Abbas.
The preparation for the war with the Portugese began at the end of the year 1622 A.D. when Imamgholi Khan-e Shirazi the well-known Safavid commander, using a troop of 30,000 soldiers, two hundred boats, and with the help of several British trade ships with cannons, ran the Portugese out pf the Persian Gulf (Sea of Pars).
Our trips from Bandar Abbas to Bandar Chabahar lasts for two weeks. Our path ran parallel to the shore and between various Baluchi tribes. These are the Baluchis who have come to the shores from mountainous surroundings for work and fishing.
Our return from Bandar Chabahar to Bandar Imam Khomeini took place aboard a cargo ship belonging to Islamic Republic of Iran Shipping Company. Traveling with that huge ship equipped with all kind of modern means of navigation, reminded me of Captain Haidar on whose sixty years old wooden boat built by Iranian craftsmen, I traveled the same path forty five years ago. I asked him: "Tell me captain, how do you travel at nights?" He smiled and said: "Nowadays we have maps and compass but, indeed, it is the stars that take the navigator to the end of the world." And then, like he was standing under the roof of the sky and saw the celestial shapes, he pointed out different parts of the wooden cabin explaining the status of the stars that guided him." Then the old man got excited, looked at me and laughed for his own meaningless explanation. When he wiped his tears with the back of his hand, he kindly said: "At night I am going to show you those stars, incidentally tonight is a good night." And then, with the pride of an old navigator, he said: "by the way, this Gulf is my home, I know this sea like the palm of my hand." I put my hand on his bony hands that had grasped the helm, and, laughingly said: "Captain Haidar this gulf is the home of all of us." And the captain laughed with a childish excitement.
Translated by: Hassan Tehranchian.
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