TEHRAN – Recent discoveries along the Persian Gulf and Makran coastline in southern Iran could change the settlement history of the Persian Gulf. 

Iranian archaeologists have identified a number of prehistoric, Sassanid, and Islamic sites in this area, ILNA reported on Monday. 

So far, surveys have identified a number of coastal cities from the late Sassanid era (224–651) and the early Islamic period in this region, Iranian archeologist Abbas Moqaddam explained. 

Based on the size of these cities found on the Persian Gulf coast, a more accurate history for this region can be determined since these cities are completely connected to the water, he added. 

In addition, recent archaeological surveys have identified 11 prehistoric sites dating back to the fifth millennium BC, he noted. 

Archaeology and the history of settlements on the Persian Gulf coast were neglected for several decades by historians, but new discoveries are changing the region’s history, he mentioned. 

The Persian Gulf is a shallow, epi-continental sea approximately 1,000 km long and 200-350 km wide, narrowing to about 60 km across the Straits of Hormuz. According to Encyclopedia Iranica, to date, no Neolithic remains have been found anywhere along the Persian Gulf coast of Iran. The earliest archaeological remains yet identified on the coast of Iran consist of sherds of Mesopotamian Ubaid type picked up by M. E. Prickett and A. Williamson on the surface of Halilah, a prehistoric site on the Bushehr peninsula.

The Persian Gulf has always been a source of pride and honor for Iranians. For thousands of years, the people of Iran have lived alongside the Persian Gulf and have enjoyed its endless benefits.

In addition to having vast resources of energy and economic significance, the Persian Gulf has an ancient and unique history and culture.

According to the book “Documents on the Persian Gulf's Name, the Eternal Heritage of Ancient Time,” the term, the Persian Gulf and its equivalents have been used continuously since earlier than 400 BC in all languages, especially in the Arabic language.

On almost all maps printed before 1960, and in most modern international treaties, documents, and maps, this body of water is known by the name "Persian Gulf."

Located in the southern part of the Sistan-Balouchestan province, Makran is a semi-desert coastal strip along the coast of the Gulf of Oman.

The narrow coastal plain rises rapidly into several mountain ranges. Of the 1,000 kilometers of coastline, around 750 kilometers are in Pakistan. Makran is very sparsely inhabited, with much of the population concentrated in a string of small ports including Chabahar, Gwatar, Jiwani, Jask, Sirik, Gwadar, Pasni, Ormara, and many smaller fishing villages.

ABU/AM