The Importance of National Persian Gulf Day

The National Persian Gulf Day is a very important day for iranian and it is celebrated on April 30 every year since 2004, and is marked with various ceremonies all over Iran, especially in the Persian Gulf coastal cities.

 The Persian Gulf, in Western Asia, is an extension of the Indian Ocean located between Iran (Persia) and the Arabian Peninsula.

according to the book "Documents on the persian gulf's name" the term Persian gulf and its equivalent had been in used continuously since 400 BC in all languages but the Arab league on 1964 ratified change of the name in the Arabic text to new term(Arabian gulf) but in fact, it was not accepted by some Arab countries. but after Iran Iraq war the decision was fulfilled. the act angered Iranian especially when the Arabs tried to use Arabian gulf in the English mass media too. After many gathering and seminars by the NGOs and the geographers of Iran asking the government to preserve the heritage name of the Persian gulf , finally The Islamic Republic of Iran in 2004 officially designated April 30 as the "national day of Persian Gulf", since the date coincides with the anniversary of Shah Abbas' successful military campaign against the Portuguese navy in the Persian Gulf, driving the Portuguese colonial forces out of the Strait of Hormuz in the Capture of Ormuz (1622). The decision was taken by the High Council of Cultural Revolution, the council mentioned the campaign launched recently by certain Arab states to re-name Persian Gulf as the drive behind the decision.In 1514 the Portuguese captured Hormuz and built a fort. For more than a century the island remained Portuguese, but they were routed and forced to withdraw after 100 years by the Iranian forces. Portuguese then lose all their colonial lands in east Africa and forced back to Mozambique. .

Source: encyclopedia.thefreedictionary.com

Other Links:

NOWRUZ IN THE IRANIAN CALENDAR (part 2)

NOWRUZ IN THE IRANIAN CALENDAR (part 3)