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November 12, 2004
Sea of Baluchestan
National Geographic Society is about to release its latest edition of World Map. As you know, NG is a very influential society and much of the knowledge of Americans, and many others, about the world comes from the pages of their publications.
In the latest edition of these maps, Persian Gulf is changed to the "Arabian Gulf"! This, as we all know, is an inaccurate name and opposition to it has nothing to do with national pride, but owes more to academic correctness. Changin the name is like changine The Gulf of Mexico to Gulf of Texas. Furthermore, the name Arabian Sea for the longest time was applied to the Red Sea, while Persian Gulf (Sinus Persicus) has been the term in use at least since the time of Strabo!
The reasoning behind this deliberate action is the attempts by the Arab nations around the Persian Gulf to reduce the name to "the Gulf" (like calling the Mediterranean Sea , "THE SEA") and then to the Arabian Gulf, because of their political purposes.
It is also obvious that National Geographic cannot do much about it. They were probably given a large sum of money by various interest groups linked to UAE, Qatar, Kuweit and KSA to publish these new maps, and they cannot refuse all that. I nontheless encourage everyone to spread the word here and email NG and complain and refuse to buy their new maps.
However, I think here, offense is the best defense: since the Persian Gulf is being changed to the Arabian Gulf, I am going to call the Sea of Oman with a new name: the Sea of Baluchestan. The reasoning fits: Baluchestan (the Iranian and Pakistani one) occupies more of the coast of the Sea of Oman than Oman itself does! So, Sea of Baluchestan it is, and I am going to use it in my writings from now on! Viva Sinus Persicus and the Sea of Baluchestan!
Update: wow, this is getting more interesting! Apparently, the maps also include the phrase "occupied by Iran" under the name of the Greater and Lesser Tonb and Abu Musa islands! This is really funny! One of the UAE emirates, Ra'as Al Khaima, has been just claiming these islands without ANY real legal reason! They just say they want it. The ancestors of the Sheikhs of Ra'as Al Khaima were a group of pirates in the Persian Gulf/Sea of Baluchestan area and were known as the Javaasem and Ghavaasem. They were from Minab, in southern Iran, and they used the Tonbs, Abu Musa, and Ra'as Al Khaima (it means "head of the tent"!) as their temporary refuge after the sea raids.
When petroleum was discovered in the area, some of the Javaasem moved to Ra'as Al Khaima and took residence there. Then, when the British formed the UAE, they forced the Iranian government to sign away the Emirates in 1973 (prior to that, UAE, as well as Bahrain and Qatar, were officially part of Iran). However, since the Javaasem owned land in Minab, the Shah of Iran refused to sign Ra'as Al Khaima away, reasoning that it would mean that a foreign government owns part of the soil of Iran.
It is ironic that exactly this little emirate that actually cannot lay legal claim to its mainland is now claiming three islands that have belonged to Iran for the time immemorial, based on the claim that their pirate ancestors used them as their raiding base! Really, if that holds true, then Tunis can claim Malta and Mallorca and Ibiza as well, since Barbarosa, the famous Tunisian pirate, used these as his raiding stops as well!
Posted by Khodadad at November 12, 2004 03:24 PM
Comments
I grew up reading National Geographic and I have always enjoyed the publication. However, it is disappointing to hear that the Society may be influenced by large contributions by Arab countries. I wonder if this renaming of the Persian Gulf to the Arabian Gulf might have something to do with "Axis of Evil" neo-conservatism in Washington D.C.? As to your renaming of the Sea of Oman, it seems logical to me. :)
Posted by: David at November 12, 2004 09:00 PM
This issue goes back to almost 20 years ago and an attempt by many British run organizations to change the name whereever apparent in public. I recall that once one of these map publishing companies for Encylopedia Britannica had actually printed the name as such and the issue went all the way to the UN general assembly. I will do whatever necessary in my power to ensure "Persian Gulf" remain as such. We need to send a strong message to people way up in the la la land not to mess with our Persian.
Posted by: Jamak at November 13, 2004 12:06 PM
Interesting, I did not know that U.A.E. was until recently (historically speaking) a part of Iran. Actually, I have wondered before why these little countries were independant of Saudi Arabia. Well, I have my answer now. I have a blog friend who recently moved from the U.S. after finishing school to Dubai. He has taught me some interesting things about that part of U.A.E. Thanks for the geography lesson! :)
Posted by: David at November 17, 2004 09:56 AM
Actually, I stand corrected on one point. The Ghavaasem pirates are their paternal ancestors, not the Javaasem. The Ghavaasem were given the rule of Ra'as Al Khaima by the British. The current Sheikh of Ra'as Al Khaima has the last name of Al Ghasimi which shows his direct descent from the Ghavaasem. Their piracy was the original reason that the British entered the Persian Gulf era.
Posted by: Khodadad at November 17, 2004 03:02 PM