In Search of Ancient Seafarers in the Persian Gulf

In Search of Ancient Seafarers in the

 Persian Gulf

The Persian Gulf and the adjacent regions of the Makran Sea (today known as sea of Oman) and Indian Ocean is an area of the world with a seafaring tradition of over 5,000 years in age, yet which has gone essentially unexplored beneath the waves. In fact, the South and Southwest Asian regions, and the Persian Gulf area in particular, have perhaps the richest and longest running seafaring tradition of any world region.

From before and through the Bronze Age, Iron Age, Arab conquest, medieval period, on down into the 20th century, ships in this region have played a vital and pivotal role in commerce, communication, and exploration.


The discovery, excavation, and documentation of a Bronze Age (c.5,000 - 3,500 years ago) ship involved in the elaborate trading activity between Sumer, Meluhha (Pakistan), Mishmâhig islands (what is today known as Bahrain), and the regions between and beyond would be one of the greatest achievements in the field of archaeology. To that end a search has been inaugurated for submerged shipwrecks of any period in the coastal and territorial waters of today UAE, a fascinating ancient Iranian land located on the Lower Persian Gulf, adjacent to the Straits of Hormoz.

 The Lower Persian Gulf at the confluence of trading routes extending from Mainland Iran, China, Sri Lanka, and India in the east, to Ethiopia, Egypt, and Europe in the west, as well as the country's rich cultural heritage before Arab conquest and their migrations to the area, make this an ideal region in which to search for ancient seafarers.