Historical Geography of the Persian Gulf Based on Hamdullah Mostofi’s Nizhat al-Qulub and Hafiz-i Abru’s Geography

The works and writings of several Muslim geographers play a significant role in developing the knowledge of the geography of Iran and the Persian Gulf. The writing of books on geography began among Muslims in the third and fourth centuries (AH) and continued until the Mongol, Ilkhanid, and Timurid periods in the seventh and eighth centuries (AH). Among such works, reference can be made to Nihzat al-Qulub by Hamdullah Mostofi in the Ilkhanid period and Geography of Hafiz-i Abru in the Timurid Era. In both books, the writers have referred to the historical geography of the Persian Gulf. Nihzat al-Qulub is an eighth-century text, which is of great significance in the geographical study of several Islamic regions of that time. Hamdullah Mostofi refers to the Persian Gulf as Bahr-i Fars (the Sea of Fars) or simply as the “Sea” or “Bahr” (Arabic for sea). Among the other noteworthy bookswhich are of great significance in introducing the geography of the Persian Gulf is Geography, by Hafiz-i Abru, one of the most famous historians of the Timurid period. Like Nihzat al-Qulub, this book also plays a great role in introducing the Persian Gulf. The present study investigates the coasts, ports, and islands of the Persian Gulf and the rivers that flow into this waterway from the viewpoints of Hamdullah Mostofi and Hafiz-i Abru in order to provide some knowledge regarding the Persian Gulf.