‘Maritime Heritage of Iran in Chinese Ports’, a research book on history of shipping, commerce and cultural interactions between Iran and China, has been brought out by the publishing house of Research Institute of Cultural Heritage and Tourism (RICHT), affiliated to the Iran Cultural Heritage, Handicrafts and Tourism Organization.
The book is written by historian Mohammad Baqer Vossouqi, 57, who has authored numerous books including ‘History of Ethnic Migration in the Persian Gulf and Hormuz’, published by Fars Encyclopedia in 2001; ‘History of the Persian Gulf and Littoral Countries’, published in 2005 and ‘Causes for Displacement of Commercial Centers in the Persian Gulf’, brought out by the Research Center for Islamic History in 2011.
He is also co-author of ‘Description of the Persian Gulf in Historical Maps’ published by Iranology Foundation in 2007.
In the preface to his latest book, Vossouqi wrote: “Iran and China used to have common borders for over a thousand years during the Achaemenid (550-330 BC), Parthian (247 BC-224 AD) and Sasanid (224-651) rule” in Iran.
In his numerous researches, Vossouqi studied the maritime Silk Routes in the Persian Gulf and gathered historical data for his work. The book refers to ancient inscriptions and Islamic documents and relics left behind by sailors from the Persian Gulf in Quanzhou (better known as Hangzhou), a crucial port on the southeast coast of China, situated along the eastern maritime Silk Roads, Mehr News Agency reported.
Vossouqi has also shared the pictures of the inscriptions and documents with his readers. The book contains 20 chapters dealing with topics such as maritime commerce in the ancient Persian Gulf, maritime relations between Iran and China in the Islamic Period, Hangzhou Port (known as Zayton or Zaitun to traders arriving from Persia and the Arab world) as well as the Persian heritage in Zaitun Port and the Phoenix Mosque.
Phoenix Mosque in Hangzhou was built in the Tang Dynasty (618-907) and destroyed during the Song Dynasty (960-1279), but reconstructed on its original site in 1281. The mosque was restored in 1451-1493 and expanded to its present form during the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644).
