Islamabad, Dec 19, IRNA -- A leading Pakistani archaeologist observed
on Sunday that the Persian Gulf region in ancient times was referred
to by the same name and even included the eastern part of the Hormuz
Strait extending to the western and northeastern parts of the Indian
sub-continent.
"While the eastern borders of the Achaemenid Empire reached the
Sindh Valley, where it met the western borders of the Chinese Empire,
the greater Persian Gulf region, which was ruled by the Achaemenid
kings, covered the present Persian Gulf region as well as the
northwest and parts of the sub-continent down to Bombay," Professor
Ahmed Hasan Dani told IRNA.
The retired professor of international repute said that in
addition to the northern coasts of the Persian Gulf, the western and
southern coasts were also conquered by the Achaemenid kings and their
local rulers were subjected to pay taxes to King Darius and King
Cyrus.
The leading archaeologist expressed surprise over the publication
of an atlas by a Western magazine publisher calling the sea "Arabian
Gulf" instead of Persian Gulf, adding that geographical or scientific
publications should not be affected by political or racial
motivations.
Historical facts, Prof. Dani remarked, cannot be ignored and any
attempt to manipulate facts will negatively affect the institution's
reputation.
