Etymology and historiography of the word Makran
Although in historical sources the word Makran is pronounced as (Mokran) or (Mekran), but its common pronunciation is (Makran) and of course the correct word is (Makoran). There are many different views on the origin of the word Makran, so that some have considered it as a modified word (Mecan) or Megan (Megan) with the root (Maketa) in the Sumerian and Babylonian periods. Some have considered it as a modified word (Mahikhoran) in the Arab period, while others consider it derived from the word (Makara) referring to tribes and inhabitants in the northern part of the Indian subcontinent. Yaqut al - Hamawi (a famous geographer and historian of the sixth and seventh centuries) with reference to biographers has stated that the origin of the name Makran is named after "Makran bin Fark bin Sam bin Noah" because he came to this area and settled there and the ancestor of the Baluch tribes reaches him. What is certain is that in the works of great Iranian, Arab and Indian historians and geographers (Urdu) such as Yaqut al - Hamawi, Abu Ishaq Istakhri, Ibn Hawqal, Abu Reyhan Biruni, Hamdollah Mostofi, Nasir Khusraw, Ibn Battuta as well as Varahamihira and well - known Christian and European travelers and travel writers such as Arian Grenfon, Marco Polo, Nofel Ibn Yamin, Aloys Sprenger, and George Nathaniel Curzon, Makran region is an ancient civilization and vast land in the period from 2500 to 550 BC and corresponds to the fourteenth satrapy (state-province) called Mecca (Mecca Satrap) during the Achaemenid, Parthian and Sassanid empires. As in the Achaemenid cuneiform inscriptions in Persepolis, Naghsh - e Rostam, Biston and Susa, as well as Persian, Islamic and European writings and maps during different periods, the name and location of the land of Makran have been mentioned. Prior to the rise of Islam, these names were common among the people of the region. However, in the first century Lunar Hijri, when the Arabs conquered that land, the name Makran (Makuran) was applied to this region, and Islamic geographers also recorded it with the same spelling. Ibn Wadih Al-Yaqubi (historian and geographer of the third century) called the capital of this great state, whose eastern border reached the heights of the Indus Valley of Pakistan, the city of Fansbour or Punjab, which is now in Balochistan, Pakistan, near the city of Saravan in Iran. Shams al - Din al - Maqdisi and Abu Ishaq al - Istakhri (fourth century geographers) and Muhammad Ibn Aufi (sixth century historian) named the port of Tis as the most important commercial port of Makran. It was considered an intercontinental port. This multi - purpose port had trade relations with Egypt, Abyssinia and Zanzibar in Africa, with India and Sindh (Pakistan) in Central Asia, and with Arab countries such as Oman and Bahrain in the Middle East. Unfortunately, the port of Tis (ancient Tiz) has lost its former prestige and is considered as a small port and coastal village 9 km north of Chabahar port on the east bank of Chabahar Bay (on the Chabahar - Konarak route). In some European sources, the sixteenth to eighteenth centuries the state of Makran is mentioned, so that the British Empire in the eighteenth century made the region part of India and the British colony. Today, there are cities in India and Pakistan called Makran. This region in different historical periods until 1850 (Safavid and Qajar) has been part of the territory of Iran and George Curzon in his book Persia and the Persian Question, from Jaleq to the Gwadar port with a length of 130 miles has introduced as the border of Makran. The border was established in 1871 by Goldsmith between Iran and Pakistan. After the migration of Baluch tribes from Kerman and Sistan, the name of Baluchistan was chosen for this region. In other words, it can be said that for centuries the land of Balochistan was called Makran (Makuran), where the tribes of the Baluch people live in the Baluchi, Makri and Persian dialects. Ferdowsi (the great Persian language epic poet of the fourth century) in the Shahnameh book and about the battles of Kikavous and Hamavaran, Siavash and Afrasiab, Kaykhosrow and Afrasiab and also Farrokhi Sistani (famous Persian poet of the fifth century) in a poem in praise of the court of Sultan Mahmud of Ghazni, many times have mentioned Makran, Makran Zamin, Makran city and Shah Makran.
He went from Iran to Turan and China, and then to Makran "Ferdowsi"
He gave him the property of Bast region, the kharaj of the Makran and Qazdar regions "Farrukhi Sistani"
Current approaches to the Makran region
The emphasis of the "Supreme Leader" on the strategic position of the sea and the importance of strategic plans for the development of national authority has a history of more than three decades. In his speeches, he stated only the main view based on the importance and development of the Oman Sea and the shores of Makran and on various occasions, he emphasized this strategic and macro perspective and clearly emphasized the revival of the original name of Makran. He reiterated the need to develop the neglected capacity of the northern shores of the Oman Sea. In this regard, we can refer to several cases, including: Meeting with ideological - political officials and commanders of the Islamic Republic of Iran Navy (1984), visiting the Imam Khomeini Maritime University (1984 and 2009), meeting with the commanders and officials of the Islamic Republic of Iran Navy and the Islamic Republic of Iran Army (1989 and 2010), visiting the third region of the Islamic Republic of Iran Navy (2002), visiting the southern fleet of the Islamic Republic of Iran Navy and meeting with the naval personnel of the Islamic Republic of Iran Navy and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (2011) and meeting with the commanders and officials of the Islamic Republic of Iran Navy (2012 and 2014). Therefore, in speeches, interviews and writings of the national and military officials and senior managers, including the President, First Vice President and the Head of the Makran Shores Development Secretariat, then Speaker of the Islamic Consultative Assembly, the Deputy Minister of the Ministry of Roads and Urban Development Islamic Republic of Iran, the CEO of the Ports and Maritime Organization of Iran, the Governor of Sistan and Baluchestan, the Chairman and CEO of the Chabahar Free Trade Industrial Zone Organization, the Commander of the Islamic Republic of Iran Navy and the Minister of the Ministry of Defence and Armed Forces Logistics, the officials of the ministries, as well as many thinkers and experts including the President of the Iranian Association of Geopolitics and the head of the Makran Coastal Development Institute, the officials and faculty members of the universities as well as the academic members of the research institutes, they have never mentioned the Makran Sea and have referred exactly to the Oman Sea and the Makran coast.
Pursuant to Note 19 of the Law on the First Five - Year Economic, Social and Cultural Development Plan of the Islamic Republic of Iran, in 1989, the government was allowed to establish free trade zones in the three maritime border areas of the south of the country in Kish, Qeshm and Chabahar, which was approved by the Islamic Consultative Assembly and the Guardian Council in 1993. Based on the information in the database of the Organization of Free Trade, Industrial and Special Economic Zones, it is precisely mentioned that Chabahar Free Trade Zone includes the Makran shores in the south of Sistan and Baluchestan province and the northern shores of the Oman Sea. Article 21 of the General Policies of the Sixth Development Plan Law also emphasizes the development of the Chabahar - Khorramshahr rout and the Makran shores. It can be mentioned that the first practical step to review the current situation in Makran region and provide management solutions for the comprehensive development of this region, was to hold the 1st National Conference on Makran Coast Development and Iranian Maritime Power by the Islamic Republic of Iran Navy in cooperation with ministries, universities and national organizations, military and law enforcement agencies and other relevant institutions (February 2013 - Chabahar). In the goals and programs of this conference, it is mentioned that the purpose of this conference was to explain the role of these shores in promoting national power, developing economic, political, military, cultural and social components at the national and regional levels, as well as providing the necessary infrastructure, activating existing opportunities, and exploiting the Oman Sea and Makran shores.
Geographical zoning of the Makran region
The Makran region with an area of 5.9 million hectares includes two land and coastal areas. The region has received special attention from the government as the first priority for development and poverty alleviation, habitat protection and biodiversity, and the restoration of natural resources. The Makran region includes the central and eastern parts of Hormozgan province, the southern part of Sistan and Baluchestan province and a small part of the south - central part of Kerman province. According to the theory of scientists and geological experts of Makran region, this region in terms of geological structure and coastal geomorphology is divided into four areas of the Inner Makran in the height of Qasr Qand, Bashagard, Saravan, Bampour and Kalat of Pakistan, the Outer Makran in the highlands of Nikshahr and Bashagard, the Coastal Makran in the highlands of Minab, Sirik, Jask, Konarak, Chabahar, Gwadar and Jiwani of Pakistan, and the Offshore Makran within the same depth lines of the continental shelf off the coasts of Iran and Pakistan.
Gulf of Oman
In terms of the geography of the seas, the Gulf of Oman is part of the sub - northwestern part of the Indo - Pacific Ocean, which is the result of the Indian Ocean advancing into the land of southwest Asia. About 35 million years ago, crustal movements were the prelude to its emergence. According to the definition of the International Hydrographic Organization (IHO) and the United Kingdom Hydrographic Office (UKHO), the official borders of the world's oceans and seas were agreed upon by the countries, published as an official international document in 1940 and its special edition was revised in 1953. Thus, the official and well - known borders of the Gulf of Oman in the northwest are the line that extends from the Ras Al Khaimah (Latitude: 57 25 00 N) on the coast of the United Arab Emirates (coast of the Arabian Peninsula) to the Ras Al Kuh (Latitude: 48 25 00 N) to the coast of Iran (Maritime border with the Strait of Hormuz). In its southwest, there is the line that extends from the Ras Al Hadd (Latitude: 32 22 00 N) on the east coast of Oman (the most advanced ridge in the southeast of the Arabian Peninsula) to the port of Jiwani (Longitude: 43 61 00 E) on the coast of Pakistan. According to this definition, its area is 181 thousand square kilometers, but in the old definition, which included the Strait of Hormuz to the southern part of the Indian subcontinent (called the Deccan Peninsula), its area was 903 thousand square kilometers. Iran (about 640 km of coastline) and Pakistan (about 50 km of coastline) are located in the north and the United Arab Emirates (about 50 km of coastline) and Oman (about 750 km of coastline) are located in the south of the Gulf of Oman. The region is connected to the Persian Gulf by the Strait of Hormuz from the west and to the Arabian Sea and the Indian Ocean from the east and southeast, respectively. It covers the length of the Iranian coast along the Gulf of Oman, from the Gulf of Gwadar in the east (border with Pakistan) to Ras Al Kuh in the west (east of Hormozgan province). In general, the Gulf of Oman is bounded on the north by the coast of Iran within the two provinces of Sistan and Baluchestan and east of Hormozgan as well as Balochistan province of Pakistan, on the east by the Indian subcontinent (Deccan Pakistan), on the west by the Arabian Peninsula (Oman) and on the south by the Arabian Sea and the Indian Ocean.
Nomenclature of the Oman Sea and the Makran Sea
The Oman Sea is the Gulf of Oman and although it does not seem to be a wrong name geographically, it is a common mistake that is common in Persian, Arabic and English dictionaries. According to some historical sources and in Islamic geography (after the Islamic period), the name of the Oman Sea has been more common, which in fact included the current region of the Arabian Sea and sometimes it was called Makran Sea and Akhdar Sea. Yaqut al - Hamawi has limited the maritime borders of the Makran Sea from the east to the Indus Sea and from the west to the Kerman Sea and the Persian Sea, and its southern part is the Oman Sea. In some European historical documents and maps and in some Arabic writings, the modern Arabian Sea is also mentioned as the Makran Sea. According to historical sources, from ancient times, this part of the Persian Sea (including the Persian Gulf and the Sea of Oman) has always been called the Sea of Makran, although apparently sometimes its southern part is called the Sea of Oman. Also, some Arab and Islamic sources have introduced the Makran coast as the Makran Sea, which is now called the Arabian Sea. In older historical sources, the entire area of this sea basin and the current Arabian Sea are referred to as the Makran Sea and the Akhdar Sea, and in some ancient European sources as the Eritrean Sea, the Rum Irom Sea, and the Hindu Sea, and sometimes referred to as the entire Indian Ocean and its associated waters. The Makran Sea is sometimes considered to be all the waters of southern Iran and present - day Pakistan, and the Oman Sea is also referred to as the coast of Oman. According to a few documents related to local dialects, some coastal residents also referred to this region as the Sistan and Baluchestan Sea, the South Sea and the Chabahar Sea. The name Makran Sea and the Persian Sea were common until the late nineteenth century. However, according to historical documents, at that time, Britain with the aim of dominating and ruling the Indian subcontinent had a plan of active presence in the waters of southern Iran and for this purpose, Britain conquered Muscat and Oman. From this time on, the British government replaced the name of the Sea of Makran and Persia with the Sea of Oman.
The last word
In recent years, a group has published articles and writings, albeit very few, by introducing and promoting the title of Makran Sea and by incorrectly naming and documenting this sea area and in lectures and interviews, by expressing undocumented topics and in some cases even by distorting words, they have in fact promoted a kind of mistake in the historical geography of the region. Based on Persian and English searches performed with the keywords Gulf of Oman, Oman Sea - Sea of Oman and Makran Sea in several databases of the Scientific Information Center and Article Search Center, it was found that out of about 400,000 articles in the last three decades, the Gulf of Oman about 43 %, the Sea of Oman about 56 % and the Makran Sea less than 0.1 % are mentioned in these articles. It is worth mentioning that, unfortunately, a very small number of scientific articles and writings with the title of Makran Sea have been published by only a few Iranian authors, and so far no non - Iranian authors have not published any cases which is due to lack of documentation and approval of this name by the International and official organizations or probably due to the rejection of articles by the journal reviewers. On the one hand, the publication of such articles will have a technical and scientific problem. Because in such cases, it is obvious that for other researchers and scholars who search in archival documents with common and approved keywords of geographical areas and sea basins, they will be faced with a very small number of sources, and on the other hand, these articles in search of others do not actually have citation and credibility. Also, in some interviews and articles presented in the media by promoters and propagandists, the use and replacement of the Gulf of Oman with the Makran Sea, to validate theories, the statements of "Imam" and the emphasis of the "Supreme Leader", they have mentioned the revival and use of the original and historical name of the Makran Sea in order to defend the identity of Iran and Iranians. In this regard, it should be noted that based on the study (referring to the views of the the Supreme Leader and the government to the Makran region and also the official site for publishing the ideas of the founder of the Islamic Republic of Iran), no writings, speeches and statements of "Imam" and the "Supreme Leader" has not been recorded regarding the Makran Sea, and he only mentioned the development of the Makran coast and the Oman Sea. In order to defend the Iranian nation and ethnicity, it is outside international diplomacy to replace the words that are approved by international organizations and laws of the geography of the seas with the undocumented and misnamed words. Therefore, it seems that with such measures, regional relations with neighboring countries will also be damaged. As a result, it is emphasized that despite the historical background in periods of historical geography of the sea basins of southern Iran, and in accordance with international maritime law and the official and agreed borders of the country for international waters, currently, the title of Makran Sea is not approved and is not recognized. As mentioned, Makran is just a common coastal and marine geographical name between Iran and Pakistan for a large area on the coasts of the Gulf (Sea) of Oman. The name of the Gulf of Oman is now officially listed in international and official organizations affiliated with the United Nations (IMO - FAO) and international and specialized intergovernmental agencies (UKHO - IHO - NOAA - NASA) and even in most of the official sources and maps of navigation as well as national and international geographical atlases (World Atlas - National Geography Society) or encyclopedias and dictionaries (Oxford - Britannica - Webster - Wikipedia).