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Arabian Gulf versus Persian Gulf
By Paul J. Balles*
2 January 2008
Paul J. Balles argues that, whether the body of water between Iran and the Arabian Gulf States is called the Persian Gulf or the Arabian Gulf depends on which side of the Gulf you associate with, which maps you view, which academics you read and which government designations you accept.
Are the Arabian Gulf States called that because they’re Arabian states along the Persian Gulf or because they’re states on the Arabian Gulf?
In several articles, I mentioned the Arabian Gulf States. Recently I received an email complaining that the
| geographical location referred to as the “Arabian Gulf” has
been known to the entire civilized world for over three millenniums
only as the “Persian Gulf” and any other reference to the contrary is
inaccurate and under present international laws illegal. |
Not quite accurate.
An edition of The Wall Street Journal dated 5 December 2007 notes that Arabs have their own idea of what the body of water is called: "Iran is building up its military arsenal, and has threatened to shut down the Persian Gulf (or, as Arabs call it, the Arabian Gulf)."
Some years ago, in an article in Time magazine entitled "Profiling the Gulf States", Marguerite Johnson aptly referred to "...the Persian, or Arabian Gulf, depending on the side of the water on which one stands".
Once, returning from holiday to Kuwait, a customs officer insisted that I black out Persian Gulf from a map in my luggage and replace it with Arabian Gulf before he allowed the map to pass customs.
In a June 2007 article about the cyclone that hit the Arabian Peninsula, Arab News (an English daily in Saudi Arabia) reported, “We have also adopted emergency plans for all our marine institutions operating in the Arabian Gulf and for the protection of our employees.”
The School of International and Public Affairs of Columbia University in New York City says: "The Persian Gulf is a 600-mile-long arm of the Indian Ocean, which separates the Arabian Peninsula from Iran... Since the 1960s some Arab states have referred to this body of water as the Arabian Gulf."
Businessman Jamal Al-Duaij, “president of the Gulf Forum for the Development of Projects, Tuesday projected value of real estate projects in the Arabian Gulf region at USD 358." Travel Guides like Answers.com write, "Persian Gulf also Arabian Gulf".
All multinational naval forces (including Australia, the US and UK) refer to the area as “Arabian Gulf” during operations, and their naval charts reflect this.
"Historically and most commonly known as the Persian Gulf, this body of water is referred to by some as the Arabian Gulf." (National Geographic)
While many early cartographers labelled it the Persian Gulf, a number of 17th century map makers differed: Mercator called it Arabicus (Arabian Gulf). In 1670, Richard Blome published a map with the "Gulf of Arabia" rendered into English. The best known British cartographer, John Speed, in a 1626 map of the Turkish empire called the Gulf “The Sea Alcatif” and “sometimes the Arabian Gulfe”.
If Arab scholars, cartographers and government officials prefer reference to the Arabian Gulf over the Persian Gulf, most Arabs will opt for their own label. There’s no question, however, that Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates constitute the Arabian Gulf States.
An article in the journal JSTOR by the British Institute of International and Comparative Law says, "The Legal Status of the Arabian Gulf States. A Study of Their Treaty Relations and Their International Problems by Husain M. Al-Baharna.” In her book Understanding Arabs: Guide to Modern Times, Margaret Nydel heads a section "The Arabian Gulf States.”
Whether the body of water between Iran and the Arabian Gulf States is called the Persian Gulf or the Arabian Gulf depends on which side of the Gulf you happen to associate with, which cartographers’ maps you view, which academics you read and which government designations you give credence to.
*Paul Balles is a retired American university professor and freelance writer who has lived in the Middle East for 38 years. For more information, see http://www.pballes.com.
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