Persian Gulf Day · Ruz-e Melli-ye Khalij-e Fars

Culture of origin: Iranian · Cultural

Holiday sources: Iran · Persian Gulf Coast and Islands

Persian Gulf National Day, set by Iran in 2005, marks the day in 1622 when Safavid forces under Shah Abbas, with the help of English East India Company ships, took Hormuz and drove the Portuguese from the Strait of Hormuz. It was created in answer to pan-Arabist efforts to rename the waters the "Arabian Gulf"; the United Nations and most international bodies use "Persian Gulf", as do almost all maps printed before 1960. It is marked especially in Iran's coastal cities on the Persian Gulf.