KHARG ISLAND

 

KHARG ISLAND (Pers. Ḵārag, shortened to ārg, contemporary Pers. Ḵārk, Ar. ārak), an island and a district of Bušehr Province in the Persian Gulf.  It is referred to as Ḵārag and Ḵārak in medieval Persian and Arabic sources (odud al-ʿālam, p. 20; Ebn Ḥawqal, p. 47; Eṣṭaḵri, p. 107; Ebn al-Balḵi, p. 150; Yāqut, II, p. 387; Nozhat al-qolub, ed. Le Strange, pp. 137, 171, 234, Dabirsiāqi, p. 106).  It appears as “Khārrack” in East India Company records and as Khārag (and Khārgu) in the India Government’s gazetteer of the Persian Gulf (Lorimer, pp. 1019, 1022; Handbuch des Persischen Golfs, 5th ed., Hamburg, Deutsches Hydrographisches Institut, 1976, p. 194). Apparently, the first usage of the shortened Persian form, ārg” occurred in the late 19th century in Fārs-nāma-ye nāṣeri of Fasāʾi (ed. Rastgār, II, p. 1586).

This entry is divided into the following three sub-articles:

i. Geography.

ii. History and archeology.

iii. Developments since the 1950s.

 

(Multiple Authors)

Originally Published: September 15, 2015

Last Updated: September 15, 2015

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