Report of the Persian Gulf Oral History Meeting

The need to accelerate the establishment of the "Persian Gulf Oral History Center"

Reporting and Persian Editing: Maryam Asadi Jafari
Machine Translation Edited by Mandana Karimi

2026-11-5

According to the Oral History website, the fifth session of the series of Persian Gulf Research Weeks, entitled "Oral History of the Persian Gulf; Necessity; Capacities and Prospects of a Field of Study," was held online on the evening of Tuesday, October 27, 2026 with a speech by Dr. Abolfazl Hassanabadi, Head of the Center for the Translation of Islamic Education at Astan Quds Razavi, with the support of the Intellectual Currents Group of the Islamic History Research Institute.
The text of Dr. Hassanabadi's speech is as follows:

The Importance and Place of the Persian Gulf in Historical Research
Let me start the discussion with a point. When we talk about the history of the Persian Gulf, what exactly are we talking about? Do we mean just a few coastal provinces, a collection of islands, or a specific geographical area? I think the Persian Gulf should be seen beyond today's political and administrative divisions. The Persian Gulf is a historical and cultural area; a region that has been shaped and sustained over the centuries through the sea, trade, migration, the movement of families, and the connections between ports and islands. Therefore, if we want to understand its history correctly, we must take these continuities into account.

 In Iranian historiography, most regional studies have been conducted within the framework of provincial divisions. This type of historiography has its own value and place, but it is not sufficient to understand the Persian Gulf. The history of ports and islands cannot be studied in isolation. Trade relations, the movement of sailors, the migration of families, and the cultural connection between the two sides of the water are phenomena that transcend today's administrative borders. For this reason, I believe that the Persian Gulf can be one of the most important and at the same time the most international areas of Iranian historiography.

If we examine the historical research conducted on different regions of Iran, we see that foreign researchers have paid great attention to the Persian Gulf in the last four centuries. The geographical and strategic importance of the region, the presence of maritime and commercial powers, and its historical continuity have provided the basis for this attention. Even in some fields, the volume of foreign research is greater than domestic work. Of course, this does not mean ignoring valuable domestic research; the problem is that, relative to the importance of the Persian Gulf, we are still faced with a shortage of expert researchers and historians.

In the last three decades, some of the attention to the Persian Gulf has been due to political issues and disputes related to the islands. This has its own importance, but the history of the Persian Gulf cannot be limited to political history and disputes. The lives of the people, the maritime economy, trade, migration, culture, language, rituals and social relations are also important parts of the history of this region. Perhaps it is time to also pathologize the numerous conferences and activities in this field and see to what extent they have contributed to the documentation and production of regional history.

Foreign Documents and the Necessity of Oral History
In terms of sources and documents, the Persian Gulf is in a relatively good situation. East India Company documents, British consular reports, and Portuguese sources - especially for the last four centuries - provide researchers with a rich collection. Domestically, capacities such as the National Archives and Library Branch in Bushehr, the Center for Iran Studies, academic activities such as the History Department of Bushehr University, and programs related to oral history such as the Oral History of War and Revolution have provided a suitable platform for Persian Gulf studies activities.

But a fundamental question arises. Despite all these resources and capacities, why is there still no clear picture of the status of the oral history of the Persian Gulf? If in the past twenty years, the issue of recording the oral history of the region had been pursued in a purposeful and coherent manner, today we should have at least 10,000 hours of interviews about the Persian Gulf and its islands and we could say that we have recorded an important part of the historical memory of the region in a central archive. Unfortunately, we do not have such a coherent collection. I emphasize that this does not mean ignoring the interviews and activities that have been carried out; certainly, some work has been done, but it has been more scattered and less in the form of a common and purposeful program.

Today, if we ask how many interviews have been conducted about the Persian Gulf, where are they kept, what topics do they cover, and how much of them is available to researchers, can we provide an accurate and documented report? In my opinion, the answer is not clear. This shows that the problem is not just a lack of interviews; we also have weaknesses in identifying, collecting, archiving, and making sources accessible.

This is where the importance of oral history becomes clear. Oral history is not just about recording the memories of individuals. It allows us to access the experiences of groups that are rarely seen in official documents. Much information about maritime life, livelihoods, indigenous skills, family relationships, migration and the culture of working in ports remains in people's memories and experiences. If this information is not recorded, we will lose part of the history of the region.

On the other hand, the existing documents about the Persian Gulf, especially foreign documents, were mainly produced for administrative, commercial or political purposes. These documents are very valuable, but we must pay attention to who their author was, for what purpose they wrote the report and from what position they looked at the society under study. Not every document can be considered a complete reflection of reality regardless of the conditions of its production. Oral history can, along with these documents, bring the experience and perspective of the people of the region into the research.

Of course, oral history is not the same as historical reality. Memory may change over time, and each narrator remembers the past from the perspective of their own experience and situation. Therefore, the researcher's task is to compare narratives with documents, photographs, press, and other narratives. Even the differences in narratives can be meaningful to us, because they show how different individuals and groups have experienced or interpreted an event. The value of oral history lies in this possibility of recognizing the polyphony of the past.

The State of Oral History in the Persian Gulf
Another point to note is the international nature of the history of the Persian Gulf. We are dealing with a region where the countries surrounding it, despite their political borders and differences today, had extensive commonalities and connections in the past. Migration, trade, marriage, seafaring, and family ties have created a common history. We have explored this part of history less.

In recent years, the Persian Gulf countries have also shown special attention to oral history. In the United Arab Emirates, according to statistics, 913 interviews have been conducted over the past few decades. A significant part of these activities has been dedicated to historical and maritime identity. The National Museum of Qatar has also conducted more than 500 hours of interviews about families and places in the last two decades. The American University of Kuwait has been pursuing a project entitled “Spatial Memory through the Narrative of the City” since 2020 and has also carried out activities in the field of folklore. Qatar has also held meetings and programs in the field of documents and oral history.

These examples should be taken seriously. The issue is not just the number of interviews; what is important is that these countries have invested in recording historical memory, introducing their identity, and creating archives. Of course, Iran has a different and broader situation in terms of territorial size, cultural diversity, historical background, and research capacities. The question is why, despite these capacities, we have not yet been able to have a coherent and evaluable program for the oral history of the Persian Gulf? The aforementioned statistics should also be reconciled with the main reports of these institutions for official use.

Why do we need a regional center? In my opinion, the answer to this question is clear: scattered activities are not enough. We need a center that can identify and connect existing capacities and plan for the future. The ethnic, demographic, linguistic and cultural diversity of the Persian Gulf is enormous. Spatial memory, social history, maritime economics and human connections on both sides of the water are all topics that can be pursued in the form of oral history projects.

We must also clarify one point. A regional center does not mean creating a new administrative organization or adding a center to the list of institutions. The center must have a specific problem and a clear scientific mission. First, it must know what resources exist, what work has been done, who is working in this field, and what gaps remain. Then it must be able to define joint projects, conduct interviews with scientific standards, archive resources, and provide access for researchers.

Another important point is that the history of the Persian Gulf should not be limited to provincial historiography. Each coastal province can have its own local history. But the regional center should examine the connections between these histories. If each department works only within its own geographical area, the historical continuity of the region may be lost sight of. We must go a step further and see the Persian Gulf as an independent field of study, connected to the world around it.

The issue of international access to resources is also of great importance. In today's world, the production of a resource alone is not enough; it must also be possible to identify and use it. The collaboration of the National Archives of Qatar with the National Archives of the United Kingdom to prepare and digitize the documents of the East India Company is a notable example of these activities. Some of these documents relate to Iran. This experience shows that countries are investing in access to historical resources and in creating an archival infrastructure. We too must identify, protect and present our resources in a usable framework for researchers.

Lack of planning in this area allows others to produce and publish their own historical narrative. This issue should not be viewed only from the perspective of political competition. Any institution that collects, describes, and publishes sources also has an impact on the formation of future questions and narratives of history. Therefore, access to sources and an active presence in the international research arena are part of our scientific responsibility.

The Potential of Oral History in the Persian Gulf
What topics should be prioritized? Oral history topics in the Persian Gulf are very diverse. From “diving and pearl fishing” to “sailing and captains”, “shipbuilding and maritime industries”, “ports and trade”, “migration”, “oil and industrial cities”, “women and everyday life”, “warfare and maritime defense”, “music, language and rituals”. Each of these topics can become an independent project, while still being related to the overall history of the region. For example, in the field of diving and pearling, we should not be satisfied with just the memories of a few divers. We should record the work system, the division of labor, economic relations, tools, professional terminology, the dangers of the sea, and the place of this activity in the lives of families. In the case of barge building, the knowledge of the craftsmen, the way skills were transferred, the changes in materials and tools, and the connection of this industry with maritime trade are also important. In the field of oil and industrial cities, we should also record the experiences of workers, families, and residents of cities whose lives were changed by the developments in the oil industry.

The issue of migration and movement of people between the two sides of the Persian Gulf is also of particular importance. We must ask who the families who lived in the region in the past were, which ports and islands they were present in, when they migrated, what their occupations were, and where their later generations live now. These questions are not limited to genealogy; through them we can understand the social, economic, and cultural networks of the region. Along with these issues, we must not forget women and everyday life. The history of the region is not just the history of captains, merchants, and rulers. The experience of women in coastal families, their role in the economy and livelihood, rituals, food, clothing, music, and ways of transmitting culture are also part of the history of the Persian Gulf. If these voices are not recorded, our archives will continue to have an incomplete picture of the past.

Creating a central archive and oral history center has its own requirements. If we want to create such a center, I think we should start by forming a small, specialized core. In the first step, it is necessary to identify all the activities carried out. We need to know how many interviews there are in universities, documentation centers, cultural institutions, and with researchers. What is the subject, time, and place of the interviews, and how much of them is available. This step helps us avoid duplication and identify real gaps. In the next step, research and geographical priorities must be determined. Not all topics can be pursued simultaneously and with the same quality. It is better to define a few sample projects, with different topics and social groups, so that both the working method is clarified and local forces are trained. In addition, a system must be designed for recording interview details, maintaining files, implementing, indexing, and researcher access.

My suggestion is to develop a five-year roadmap for the center. The first year should be dedicated to identifying existing resources and activities, forming a scientific core, and developing standards. In the second year, a digital archive and training local interviewers should be formed, and pilot projects should be initiated. In the third year, projects should be expanded and cooperation between universities and archival centers should be organized. In the fourth year, joint and comparative projects on historical ties between the two sides of the Persian Gulf should be pursued, and in the fifth year, achievements should be evaluated and a plan for the next period should be developed. In this program, the number of interview hours is an important indicator, but it is not the only indicator. We need to see what groups are covered, how many interviews have been processed and indexed, how much access researchers have to them, and what scholarly works have been produced based on these sources. If we only focus on increasing the number of hours, we may end up with a mass of recorded files that cannot be used for research. However, a small goal is also necessary. I believe that if we cannot conduct at least 20,000 hours of interviews on the Persian Gulf and related areas in the next four to five years, we should question our seriousness and ability to implement it. Of course, this goal makes sense when we also have a plan for processing, preserving, and making the interviews available.

Conclusion and a Demand
Let me return to the first question in conclusion. What is the historical, cultural, and strategic position of the Persian Gulf, and what have we done to record and recognize this heritage? In my opinion, the Persian Gulf is one of the main priorities of Iranian historical research. We have many written sources and foreign documents, but an important part of the historical experience of the people of the region has not yet been recorded. Many of those who possess the knowledge and memory of life on the sea are at an age when the opportunity to record their narratives is limited. If we do not act today, tomorrow we may lose part of this memory forever. My emphasis is that the oral history of the Persian Gulf should not be limited to a few scattered projects and ad hoc interviews. We need a sustainable program, cooperation between institutions and a center that will take responsibility for identifying, recording, preserving, analyzing and disseminating sources. Such a center should use the capacity of universities, archives, researchers and local forces, while maintaining its independence and scientific credibility. My specific proposal is to form a joint core as soon as possible to design and launch a regional center for oral history of the Persian Gulf. This core should, in the first stage, prepare a report on the current situation and, based on that, propose a five-year plan and priority projects. It is important to start working today and not let the remaining opportunities be lost.

We are talking about a region whose history does not only belong to the past; it is also part of our present and future identity. Our responsibility is to record this history scientifically, make its sources available, and enable future generations to understand it more accurately. I hope that this discussion will not remain a lecture and will lead to a decision and practical cooperation to establish the Persian Gulf Oral History Center.

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