Recently a new site by the name: www.arabiangulfmaps.com (Site A) has popped up which claims that some 16th century maps have referred to the body of the water as Arabian Gulf. In this article we will show their claim is invalid based on many reasons and such a naming lacks historical legitimacy.

More than 400+ authors including all the geographers mentioned in Site A have maps that refer to the body of water Persian Gulf. The following taken from Persian Gulf (Atlas Of Old & Historical Maps (3000 B.C. – 2000 A.D.), (1 and 2) (Hardcover) by Mohammad Reza Sahab published by Center for Document and Diplomatic History; 1st edition (2005) available at:

provides a complete listing. We will provide some scanned photos of the source which unlike site A lists the exact source of the map. Note from the era of the Greek classics the name Persian Gulf has been consistently used for the body of water known today as Persian Gulf. Also it is well known fact that the Arabian Gulf refers to the red sea in many classic western texts. A list which contains about 400 authors who have used the term Persian Gulf since the time of the ancient Greeks is given below., Please continue with the text after examining this list.

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