نشریه مطالعات خلیج فارس
سال دوم شماره 1 (پیاپی 5، بهار 1395)

During the reign of the Parthian Empire, the coasts of the Persian Gulf were divided among some Iranian states or provinces. Its southern coasts comprised a part of the Arabian Peninsula; its western coasts were a part of the Maysan state or province, and its northern coasts belonged to the three Karmania )Kerman(, Pars )Fars(, and Khuzestan Provinces. There were also some important ports on the coasts or in the coastal regions of the Persian Gulf. One of the most important Parthian ports which Pliny the Elder and Periplus have referred to is Omana, which was probably located on the coasts of the Strait of Hormuz. In the course of investigations on the northern and southern coasts of this Strait, a number of ancient sites which were associated with the trade ports belonging to the Parthian period were identified, inscribed, and reported. The ancient port of Omana could have been one of them. The names of the sites mentioned above are as follows: Kahur Langar Chini )Nakhl-e Ebrahimi( on the coasts of Minab, al-Duur on the coasts of Sharjah in the United Arab Emirates, and Sahar on the coasts of Oman. In this paper, the authors have tried to shed some light on the place of the ancient port of Omana, which has been mentioned in historical sources and documents as one of the major ports of the Persian Gulf during the reign of Parthian Empire. In doing so, they have collected a part of the required data with reference to classical written sources following the method of library research. They have also collected some of their data through field research and by resorting to archeological findings of foreign archeologists in the southern coastal regions of the Persian Gulf and those of Iranian archeologists on its northern coasts. It is worth noting that two of the three authors of the present paper )Khosrozadeh and Esma’ili Jelodar( were actively involved in the exploration of these sites on the northern coasts of the Persian Gulf in the regions near the Strait of Hormuz.

The Persian Gulf is considered to be one of the most important centers for the immigration and movement of different ethnic groups in the process of the establishment of civilization in Iran. From the rise of the Safavid government in Iran until 1945, this point attained increasing clarity and influence. During this period, the immigration of various ethnic groups was completely different from that in the past not only due to the motives, reasons, and motherlands of immigrants but also because of its consequences and roles in the changes in the Persian Gulf. Accordingly, the present research was conducted to explain the different types of immigration, the motives of immigrants during this period in the Persian Gulf, and the role of immigration in the changes in this region. In doing so, the author intended to provide an answer to the question of the effects of immigration in the Persian Gulf in the changes in this region from the Safavid period until the end of World War II. In response to this question, he posed the hypothesis that the immigration of different ethnic groups to the Persian Gulf since the establishment of the Safavid Dynasty in Iran was the main cause of the political, social, and economic changes in this region. This study was carried out following the library method, and the related findings, while providing an answer to the posed question and testing the formulated hypothesis, shed some light on some of the problems associated with immigration in the Persian Gulf.

‘Adud al-Dawla Buyid became the King of the states of Fars and Kerman and the only policy-maker of the Buyid realm after the demise of his uncle, Ali Emad al-Dawla, in 949. In order to exercise his influence all over this vast realm and, particularly, control sea-trade in the Persian Gulf region, he put a comprehensive religious, social, and commercial security plan into effect, the result of which was the welfare of his subjects, the increase of royal power, the development of the coasts of the Persian Gulf, and the flourishing of sea-trade there. The role of trade routes of the northern coasts of the Persian Gulf was of prime importance in this security plan, and the reconstruction of these caravan-routes seemed necessary for facilitating commerce. Among all the routes used by caravans, the Shiraz-Firouzabad-Siraf route attracted the greatest attention of ‘Adud al-Dawla. The present paper is intended to provide some answers to the questions of why this route assumed a significant place in ‘Adud al-Dawlah’s security plan, and which security actions were put into effect in this regard following the historical method of research and through analyzing the existing historical data.

The Ottoman Empire was the last great Islamic realm which had an influential, powerful, and active presence in the political scene of the world for six centuries. This powerful empire established its Shahbandar in Bushehr Port, which was the most important commercial port of Iran during the Qajar Period. The most important reasons of Ottomans’ attention to the Persian Gulf during the late 19th and early 20th centuries were to compensate for their misfortunes due to their failure in Europe and their awareness of the commercial and economic roles of this region in future international relationships. In order to obtain their expansionist and domineering goals on the shores and hinterlands of the Persian Gulf and Bushehr Port, they paid serious attention to this port. The present paper follows an analytic approach to exploring the reasons behind the Ottomans’ 47-year presence in the Persian Gulf and Bushehr Port.

The state of Fars and its southern regions, such as Bushehr and Bandar Abbas, enjoyed particular importance during the late Qajar period in the history of Iran. This region was the gateway connecting Iran to the world, and the presence of England with its colonial purposes there had added to the significance of that state. Keeping India was of crucial importance to England, and since the south of Iran was the way to enter India, one of the policies of the English government in this region was to decrease Iran’s power in the Persian Gulf and create some rivals for the Iranian government there. During the reign of Naser al-Din Shah, foreign Imams )khawarij( of Musqat in Oman, who were previously dependent on the Ottoman government, gained the support of England. Using this strategy and benefitting from the decentralization of Iran’s power in its southern regions, they entered these areas and rented Bandar Abbas from the rulers of Fars. Their arrival in this region endangered Iran’s rule, which is why, through the endeavors of the people of the south of Iran and to some extent by accident, they were pushed back from this area, and the history of Iran was freed from witnessing the formation of another Bahrain in the next periods.

The process of establishing modern schools adopted increasing speed during the late years of the Qajar Era. Such schools were usually established by merchants and political and cultural figures. During the reign of the first Pahlavi king, great efforts were made to change the cultural centers of the country. This cultural evolution was accompanied with the fast growth of new institutions and with the purpose of the disintegration of traditional cultural centers by the government. Many cultural institutes which were established in this period were the Iranian schools opened abroad, some of the most important of which opened on the coasts of the Persian Gulf. The present paper aims to examine the functions and management methods of Iranian Schools of Bahrain and Kuwait from the late Qajar period until the middle of the first Pahlavi period.

Because of its vastness and geographical status, Qeshm Island has always enjoyed certain features such as providing several berths for ships as well as the possibility for providing and storing water for the development of human communities and agricultural activities. Archeological remains and proofs indicate the existence of several human societies from the Achaemenid period onwards on Qeshm Island. The members of such societies were involved in sailing, fishing, and sea-trade through the existing berths and harbors. In Kusheh village in the heart of Qeshm Island, there is a mosque or a mausoleum which functioned as the rendezvous and offering place of sailors and their families. In cases of danger, such as storms, high waves, or exposure to pirates, sailors usually prayed at this place. In this article, alongside referring to various narrations regarding the structure of this mausoleum, the writer explores the Burkht village, the history of sailing in Burkht Island, Burkh mausoleum, and its unity with sailors. This study was conducted following the library and field methods, and some of the required data was collected through interviews and visiting the intended location. The results of this research indicate that Burkht village was considered to be the production and trade center of the island during a specific historical period. Because of the significance of this village, the island itself was called Burkh Island, and the old mausoleum in Burkht village was of great importance to the people and sailors there.