The Tonbs
The Haute Couture connection
September 20, 2000
The Iranian
Ancient Greek historian Heredotus wrote that in Xerxes' army that invaded
Asia Minor was a group of "islanders who came from the Erythraean
sea [Persian Gulf], where they inhabited the islands to which the king
sends those whom he banishes, [and they] wore a dress and arms almost exactly
like the Median." (G. Rawlinson, The History of Herodotus (London:
J.M. Dent & Sons, 1858), vol.2, p.150)
If the Tonbs contributed any men to Xerxes' army is not known, but either
island would have been sufficiently desolate and unsuitable to be a place
of exile. It is significant that the issues from these islands, with the
emphasis being on the plural of island, were attired like the Median. The
haute couture connection between the Iranian mainland and the offshore
possessions of the empire is therefore established.
The connection of the northern islands of the Persian Gulf to the Iranian
mainland is a fact of human geography, just as the existence of certain
reptiles on the Great Tonb is evidence of the zoological
connection of the Tonbs to the Iranian coast. Here are two statements
by J.B. Kelly that tracks the veracity of that claim into the early and
middle of the 18th century.
There is no doubt that J.B. Kelly is one of the most eminent scholars
of the Persian Gulf. His many works attest both to the depth of his research
and understanding of the history of this region and its peoples. His bias
is profoundly british in temperament and everything being equal, he would
lean toward the Arab point of view, as distinct from having any overt sympathy
toward Iran, or the last Shah of Iran, during whose rule Iran established
its sovereignty over the Tonb islands.
Why this introduction about Kelly? Because, I am about to cite him as
the source of a statement that I would like to enter into evidence supporting
the proposition that the Tonbs historically belonged to Iran. In order
for the statement to be admissible as evidence, I must show that this source
qualifies as an expert of sorts. Because he is not personally on the stand,
I will be citing his work, which by all accounts, is a learned treatises;
this will get me over the objection against the introduction of hearsay
evidence.
Here it is: J.B. kelly, Britain and the Persian Gulf, 1795-1880 (Oxford:
Clarendon Press, 1968). On page 184 of this opus, while describing the
Persian state in the Persian Gulf in the early part of the 18th century,
Kelly states "Qishm remained an Omani possession until some time between
1735 and 1743, when, together with the other islands of the Persian coast,
it fell under the sway of Nadir Shah." The Tonbs lay closer to Qeshm
and Lingeh on the Persian coast than any other territory and as such can
be presumed safely to have be among the islands that fell under Nadir Shah's
sway.
On page 40 of this work, where he is describing the extent of the Persian
empire in the middle to late 18th century, Kelly states "All the islands
off the Persian coast, from Kharqu and Kharaq in the north to Hormuz and
Larak in the south, were rightly Persian, though many were in the hands
of Arab tribes." The operative word here is all. By implication the
term would include the Tonbs that lay closer to the Iranian coast and among
the string of islands located between Khark and Larak.
Author
Guive Mirfendereski is a professorial lecturer in international relations
and law and practices law in Massachusetts.
