Editing Persian Gulf (section)

===Historical names===
[[File:Persian Gulf map.png|upright=1.35|thumb|Map of the Persian Gulf. The [[Gulf of Oman]] leads to the [[Arabian Sea]]. Detail from [[:File:MiddleEast.png|larger map of the Middle East]].]]
Before being given its present name, the Persian Gulf was called many different names. The [[Neo-Assyrian Empire|Assyrians]] called it the "Bitter Sea".<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Bagg |first1=Ariel M. |title=The unconquerable country: the Babylonian marshes in the Neo-Assyrian sources |journal=Water History |date=1 March 2020 |volume=12 |issue=1 |pages=57–73 |doi=10.1007/s12685-020-00245-5|s2cid=216032694 |doi-access=free |bibcode=2020WatHi..12...57B }}</ref> In 550 BC, the [[Achaemenid Empire]] established the first ancient empire in [[Persis]] (''Pars'', or modern ''[[Fars province|Fars]]'', also known as Persia), in the southwestern region of the [[Iranian plateau]].<ref>{{cite journal|author=Touraj Daryaee |title=The Persian Gulf Trade in Late Antiquity |journal=Journal of World History |volume=14 |issue=1 |year=2003 |url=http://www.historycooperative.org/journals/jwh/14.1/daryaee.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130805010657/http://www.historycooperative.org/journals/jwh/14.1/daryaee.html |archive-date=5 August 2013}}</ref> Consequently, in the Greek sources, the body of water that bordered this province came to be known as the "Persian Gulf".<ref>{{cite web| url = https://japan.mfa.gov.ir/en/newsview/536034| title = Documents on the Persian Gulf's name the eternal heritage ancient time by Dr.Mohammad Ajam<!-- -->}}</ref> In the book of [[Nearchus]] known as ''Indikê'' (300 BC), the word "Persikon kolpos" is mentioned for multiple times meaning "Persian gulf".<ref>{{cite journal|author=Nearchus |title=The Voyage of Nearchus from the Indus to the Euphrates |journal=The Voyage of Nearchus |volume=1|issue=1 |year=2013 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=TyHAnAEACAAJ }}</ref>

During the years 550 to 330 BC, coinciding with the sovereignty of the Achaemenid Persian Empire over the Middle East area, especially the whole part of the Persian Gulf and some parts of the [[Arabian Peninsula]], the name of "Persian (''Pars'') Sea" is widely found in the compiled written texts.<ref name="unstats.un.org"/>

At the same period, there is the inscription and engraving of Darius the Great, which belongs to the fifth century BC:<ref name="unstats.un.org"/> King Darius says:<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.livius.org/sources/content/achaemenid-royal-inscriptions/dz/|title=DZ – Livius|website=www.livius.org|access-date=2019-03-28}}</ref>

{{Blockquote|text=I ordered to dig this ([[Canal of the Pharaohs]]) canal from the river that is called Nile (''Pirâva'') and flows in Egypt (''Mudrâyâ''), to the sea that begins in Persia (''Pârsa''). Therefore, when this canal had been dug as I had ordered, ships went from Egypt through this canal to Persia, as I had intended.|sign=Darius I|source=[[Darius the Great's Suez Inscriptions]]}}

In [[Sasanian Empire|Sassanian]] times, the Persian Gulf was called ''Pūdīg'', which comes from {{Langx|ae|Pūitika|lit=cleansing}}, a name mentioned in [[Bundahishn]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Foundation |first=Encyclopaedia Iranica |title=Welcome to Encyclopaedia Iranica |url=https://iranicaonline.org/ |access-date=2023-03-08 |website=iranicaonline.org |language=en-US}}</ref>

[[File:Persian-gulf-dubai-mus.JPG|thumb|upright=1.35|A historical map of the Persian Gulf in [[Sheikh Saeed House|a Dubai museum]] with the word ''Persian'' removed<ref>{{cite web|title=Gulf renamed in aversion to 'Persian'|author=K Darbandi|publisher=Asia Times|url=http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Middle_East/IJ27Ak01.html|date=Oct 27, 2007|access-date=2010-11-30|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101127021451/http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Middle_East/IJ27Ak01.html|archive-date=2010-11-27|url-status=unfit}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=All at sea over 'the Gulf'|author=Mahan Abedin|publisher=Asia Times|url=http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Middle_East/FL09Ak03.html|date=Dec 9, 2004|access-date=2010-11-30|archive-url=http://arquivo.pt/wayback/20160521084254/http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Middle_East/FL09Ak03.html|archive-date=2016-05-21|url-status=unfit}}</ref>]]