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’ll need to hire a taxi to take you as these places are hard to find and reach on your own; ask your hotel to find a driver who knows the sights. It’s worth doing a full loop (which takes a whole day), perhaps taking in Laft and the lenge building-yards on the way. Of particular note is Char Khuh, where you can climb up into the narrow canyon to a well that has been used by shepherds for centuries. Further west a dirt road leads south and then heads back along the southern coast. Namakdan Cave is off this road, but is almost impossible to find, so make sure the driver knows the way. Though virtually deserted, this stretch of coast is a naval military zone; you can come here, but be careful with your camera. The beach is also where green turtles lay their eggs.

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HORMOZ ISLAND

pop approx 7000

A 30-minute boat ride from Bandar Abbas, delightfully sleepy Hormoz is a world away from the bustle of the regional capital. When your speedboat rounds the sea wall and the captain kills the motor you’ll be engulfed by something almost completely unheard of in Bandar – silence.

The only settlement is tiny Hormoz Village, where a richly evocative Portuguese castle slowly erodes at its northern edge and the rest of the largely impoverished village nestles among palm trees, pale-stone mosques and dusty laneways rarely disturbed by traffic. The rest of the 42-sq-km island is virtually uninhabited. The rugged interior is a barren land of forbidding peaks seared by centuries of fierce Persian Gulf sun; not at all inviting.

Hormoz is a fun half-day trip for its mix of history and Bandari village atmosphere; a trip best begun early in the morning to avoid the enervating heat.

History

Until the 14th century this was Jarun Island, while Hormoz was the name of a long-established commercial town on the mainland, probably on the Minab River. That changed when repeated bloody Mongol raids prompted the 15th Amir of Hormoz to seek a home where his head had a better chance of remaining on his shoulders. With many of his subjects in toe the Amir moved first to Kish Island before settling on Jarun Island.

Standing sentinel over the narrow entrance to the Persian Gulf, this new Hormoz soon became a grand emporium attracting immigrants from the mainland and traders from as far away as India and Africa. Visitors to Hormoz described it as heavily fortified, bustling and opulent. European traders arrived and before long the Portuguese took over (below).

The Portuguese were eventually kicked out in the early 17th century and Shah Abbas I relocated the trading hub to the mainland fishing village of Gamerun, which he promptly named after himself. Without commerce the power of Hormoz was shattered and it began a long descent into ruin.

Sights

Portuguese Castle

Some 750m to the north of the harbour is the famous Portuguese castle (ghal’e-ye Portoghaliha), probably the most impressive and ambitious colonial fortress built in Iran (also see the boxed text, below). Centuries of neglect have seen much of the original structure crumble into the sea, but the thick, muscular-looking walls and rusting cannons give it a haunting beauty.

From the port, walk along the waterfront until you reach the castle walls then follow them anticlockwise as far as you can go. You’ll come to a pair of rusting cannons and the low arched entrance right on the tip of the cape.

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THE PORTUGUESE ON HORMOZ

In 1507, talented Portuguese admiral and empire builder Afonso de Albuquerque (also known as Afonso the Great) besieged and conquered Hormoz as part of his plan to expand Portuguese power into Asia. The castle of Hormoz (see above), which he started the same year, was completed in 1515.

With Hormoz Island as their fortified base, the Portuguese quickly became the major power on the waters of the Persian Gulf. Virtually all trade with India, the Far East, Muscat (Oman) and the Gulf ports was funnelled through Hormoz, to which the Portuguese, under an administration known for its justice and religious tolerance, brought great prosperity