Seaport and capital of Hormozagan Province, Bandar Abbas with more than 200,000 inhabitants, is located on the south of Iran at an elevation of 15 meters above sea level and overlooks the strategic Strait of Hormoz. It is a port in the middle of strait linking the Persian Gulf to the Sea of Oman. With a distance of 1,501 km from Tehran, it can be reached by air (Iran Air, Kish Air, and Mahan Air), a first-class road, and rail (in a very near future).

Compared to other ports along the Persian Gulf and the Sea of Oman, modern Bandar Abbas is the largest and the most equipped port, which occupies a strategic position of the greatest importance. In summer it gets sizzling hot and very humid here, but it’s pleasant enough to visit in winter.

In the 16th century, the Portuguese took possession of the Isle of Hormoz in order to use the latter as an outpost for the protection of their Indian Empire. They were expelled in 1622 after a tough naval battle, by Shah Abbas the Great who founded the town which continues to bear his name ever since (it was called Gambro or Gambrun until then, which was the name of a type of abundantly found small crustacean around the town).

Following the downfall of Safavid dynasty and the Afghan invasion of Iran, Nadir Shah became the king of Iran. He expelled the Afghans, from Iran and, among other things, constructed a shipbuilding industry and the corresponding port facilities at Bushehr, as the result of which the fame of Bandar Abbas eclipsed and the town began to fall into ruin.

Revival of Bandar Abbas took place only recently. Its all-round development has been the result of social, commercial, military, political, and tourism imperatives. Close to the Arab world and, through the Sea of Oman, open to the oceans of Asia, Bandar Abbas is serving Iran as its most natural maritime outlet at present.

The port stretches out along a long and narrow coastal strip. The main east-west thoroughfare changes its name from Shahid Beheshti Blvd to Imam Khomeini Street and then to Pasdarn Blvd. The main docks (Shahid Bahunar) are in the west of town, the airport and bus station to the east and the main road out of Bandar Abbas in all directions extends eastwards from Shahid Beheshti Blvd.

A considerable part of the local population lives on the proceeds of its fishing activities. Partly employing the traditional net, most of them are using modern methods of preservation and transport which has led to a rapid extension of Iranian fisheries industry. Industrial fishing is carried out in the Sea of Oman and the Indian Ocean. Agriculture goes on with two annual harvests: early out of season garden products, fruits, dates, and citrus.

During the last two decades, the well-to-do citizens of the capital, as well as some northerners coming, for example, from Tabriz and Mashhad, hit on the bright idea of indulging in winter holidays under the southern sun. At that time of year the climate is astonishingly mild at Bandar Abbas. The great damp heat does not start before May and becomes unbearable only between June and September. The wide beaches are covered with silky sand, cleansed by fairly ample tides. The gentle slope provides a safe playground for children. The newly constructed hotels offer gardens, swimming pools and playing fields.

Considering the climatic conditions of the region, which are harmful to historical monuments (in many ways similar to the Caspian Coastal region), the antique monuments are restricted to an old Green Mosque in the district of Nowshahr; a disaffected Hindu Temple with its characteristic, conical roofs, the Pilgrimage to Khezr known as Khajeh Khezr, in the western part of the town; and a Kolah Fargani mansion from the Safavid period.

With the exception of the rich regional museum, the most attractive natural points are to be found in the surroundings: material water in Genau, the new Kuh-e Genau Wildlife park, and the great agricultural town of Minab. Motor boats are available for round trips to the islands.

An interesting local tradition which will be seen in Bandar Abbas and many other coastal towns of Hormozgan Province, are the borqas or the "masks" worn by some women, which are fairly hideous, semi-rigid contraptions surrounding eyes and cheek-bones and covering the nose. The Iranians believe that no religious taboo explains the wearing of these masks: rather it is a fashion which originates from the period of Portuguese occupation when ladies wished to talk about unrecognized or simply to protect their face from the scorching sun.

Hormoz

Two islands clearly visible from the beach at Bandar Abbas, are Hormoz on the left and Qeshm on the right.

Its great prosperity and, in particular, its situation of strategic importance at the entrance of the Persian Gulf led Albuquerque, the great Portuguese commander, to seize it early in the sixteen century. Under Portuguese rule, Hormoz became the great entrepot for that country’s trade with Persia and neighboring lands. The fact that such a flourishing place was in foreign hands was so galling to Shah Abbas the Great (1587-1629) that he, in 1622, induced the East India Company to allow ships to cooperate with his land forces and wrest it from the Portuguese. This successful operation, besides restoring Hormoz to Persia and so enhancing her prestige, so weakened the power of the Portuguese in the Persian Gulf that the East India Company was able to consolidate its position in that region. Shah Abbas, however, instead of maintaining Hormoz as a great port and trading center, abandoned it in favor of a small port on the adjacent mainland through which all goods in transit to or from Hormoz had to pass; the Shah then renamed this small port Bandar-e Abbas (the Port of Abbas), as he wished it to become the chief in his kingom.

Although almost entirely neglected by travelers and locals alike since the Revolution, its castle is without doubt the most impressive colonial fortress in Iran. Constructed of reddish stone on a rocky promontory at the far north of the island, the castle was originally cut off from the rest of the island by a moat, traces of which remain. Although most of the roofing long ago caved in, much of the lower part of the very substantial outer walls are intact, with the remains lying on different levels of the site.

The present town of Hormoz is interest, although there is nothing actually to do except ramble through the small maze of alleys. The focus of activity lies along the thin strip of beach to the west of town, where boats and passengers with their various small shipments compete in trying to avoid the attention of patrolling soldiers and guards. The highly important Hormoz Strait, situated south of Bandar Abbas, is the vital passageway of international oil tankers, and Iran’s supremacy over it speaks of the country’s key position in the region.

Qeshm

Qeshm Island, by far the largest of all islands in this part of the Middle East (with more than 70,000 inhabitants and more than twice the size of Bahrain or Singapore), is situated some 22 km from Bandar Abbas, and few tourists can pretend to know it. However, the shortest distance between the mainland Iran is not more than 1800 meters. It occupies an area of 1,500 sq. km (136 km long and 12.5 km wide). The island is mountainous, with a large rocky coast dotted with villages (85 altogether, 76 of which are populated) and small towns but few settlements of any size in the interior. There are deer, snakes and scorpions here as well as various types of birds – pelicans are found in the mudflats off the northwest shore of the island. There are many freshwater streams throughout the island, and there is some scope for subsistence agriculture. Salt mines on the southeast coast complete the picture.

The island was mentioned by Marco Polo, and later marked out for colonial potential by Vasco da Gama. The Portuguese built a castle in the east of Qeshm during their occupation of Hormoz, and the island came under the sway of the Dutch, the East India Company, the French, Germans and the British in turn, and it was only brought back firmly into Iran shortly after World War I.

All the buildings of the Island were destroyed by an earthquake roughly 100 years ago. The city of Qeshm lies at the island’s northeastern tip, with a mehmansara (guesthouse) which enables travelers driven by curiosity to quench their thirst for the unknown. Road communications around the island are very poor, and it would take several days to explore the whole of Qeshm Island even superficially. The only road out of Qeshm leads northwest from the main square (Jihad-e Sazandegi). Before visiting the island, you can check the latest state of development from the Secretariat, Qeshm Free Area Authority in Tehran, Somayeh Street, Tel 824456, 8197265, and 8107267. The second town and port, Dargahan, is 22 km west of Qeshm. The characteristic slope of the island’s mountains gives it a particular landscape and a part of its southern coast is adorned by good sand beaches.

Remnants of several fortresses, as well as piping and cannonballs, left behind by the Portuguese, and 33 graves of the British soldiers fallen in Basaidu, are to be seen here. The majority of population, inhabitants of the city of Qeshm, earn their living from fishing, seafaring and commerce. In Qeshm, there are few mosques, both Sunni and Shiite, of Arab origin.

The strait between Qeshm Island and the continent is occupied by large mangrove forests through which one can sail along a network of muddy water channels. This part of the coast is now a protected region.

However, according to the island’s first post-revolutionary five-year Plan, launched on 31 January 1990, it became a free area (on the same line as Kish Island), under its own ministerial council chaired by no less than the President of the Republic, and with its own executive president. This council is called The Qeshm Free Area Authority.

Under these plans Qeshm Island will become the entrepot of the Persian Gulf, with a support on its south coast and a causeway connecting north coast with the mainland. The vast untapped natural gas reserves in the strait will be sold off to Iranian and foreign companies in compensation for setting up a number of industries in the island. Supporting a large community of mainland Iranians and expatriates there will be international schools, cultural-athletic facilities, a Hormoz International University, an Islamic Azad University, hotels (Qeshm Hotel with 108 rooms, Sara Hotel with 48 rooms, and another one with 48 rooms), telecommunications, fully-equipped hospitals, good roads and an international airport, hundreds of residential units, a cement factory, and construction of Persian Gulf Bridge connecting Qeshm to the mainland railway, among other facilities at present very much lacking. Eventually Qeshm Island will develop into a major international economic and financial center and the largest free area between Europe and Japan. It’s also planned to market the island as a tourist attraction, emphasizing its natural facilities and potential for water sports.

ADDRESSES AND TELEPHONE NUMBERS

ACCESS AND DISTANCES: 1501 km to Tehran. 498 km to Kerman. 601 km to Shiraz. 1039 km to Zahedan. 1082 km to Esfahan.

ACCIDENTS:

Traffic Accidents 114, 27788

AIR AGENT:

One Iran Air office is opposite the entrance to Homa Hotel. The main Iran Air office is on the south side of Imam Khomeini Ave, 500 meters east of Shohada Square (26250), and it is the place to go for domestic and international flights.

AIRPORT:

There is no airport bus. A taxi to and from the airport is 2000 to 2500 rials for a solo passenger. Tel 22012-3

BANKS AND EXCHANGE OFFICES:

Bank Melli Iran, on the southwest of Vali-Asr Square.
Bluki Exchange Office, Imam Mussa Sadr Street 26169, 23512.
Chah Tussi Exchange Office, Guriha Alley 25551.
Hormozgan Exchange Office, Bluki Square 25684.
Kar Saz Exchange Office, No 1919 Bluki Square 25534.
Khatib Exchange Office, Delgosha Street 23169
Morvarid Exchange Office, Ahmadi Shopping Center 27446
Sa’id Exchange Office, Imam Khomeini Ave, Bluki Square 26984
Savan Exchange Office, Mohammadi Ruhi Shopping Center 27148
Yadgar Far Exchange Office, Ahmadi Shopping Center 23762, 25248

BUS TERMINAL:

Near the airport to the east of town, but bus companies are spread out around the center of town. Bus Company No 8 is on the north side of Imam Khomeini Ave, just west of Vali-Asr Square; and Bus Company No 1 is on the west side of Dr Behesti Street 600 meters north of Velayat Square. There are buses from Bandar-e Abbas to nearly all major towns and provincial centers.

CITY DIALING CODE NUMBER:

The dialing code for Bandar-e Abbas is 0761
DRUG STORE (24-HOUR):

Sina, Shari’ati Street 22119
Helal Ahmar, Imam Khomeini Ave 25655
Razi, Shahid Beheshti Street 26461
EMERGENCIES:

Jomhuri-e Eslami Blvd 22095, 22055
FIRE STATION:

Imam Khomeini Blvd 112, 22331. Jomhuri-e Eslami Blvd 24000
GOVERNOR’S OFFICE:

Ostandari, on the sea front in Shahid Chamran Blvd, about a km from Enghelab Square 27002, 22211.

Farmandari, Motahari Blvd 27772, 26380

MEDICAL SERVICES:

Omm-e Leila Hospital, Nayband-e Shomali 27172
Shahid Mohammadi Hospital, Jomhuri-e Eslami Blvd 24445, 27696.

MUNICIPALITY:

In an alley on the north side of Imam Khomeini Ave, 250 meters west of Enghelab Square 23021-2

POLICE:

17th Shahrivar Square 27676

POST AND TELECOMMUNICATIONS:

Shahid Beheshti Street 116
RAILWAY STATION:

Will be operating in near future
RESTAURANTS:

Ghadir, Aivaziha Bazaar 23664
Ghodss, Imam Khomeini Blvd 259700
Homa Hotel has the city’s smartest restaurant
Iran, Imam Khomeini Ave, Bazaar-e Ruz 23833
Ladan Ice Cream Shop on the northwest side of Vali-Asr Square caters to the visitor’s need for ice cream, faludeh, milkshakes, coffee or tea.
Sajjad, on the north side of Imam Khomeini Ave, 400 meters east of Imam Khomeini Square 22841. Here you can have chelo meigu (battered prawns or shrimps with boiled rice) and good chelo kabab
Salamat, Bargh Square 22408
Shahrzad (not marked in English), on Vali-Asr Square, serves good chelo kabab

TAXI:

Because of taxi shortage in Bandar-e Abbas, we recommend you to use telephone taxis, particularly the 24-hour service at Homa Hotel.

TOURIST MAP:

Available in English and Persian
TOURIST OFFICE:

Imam Khomeini Ave 23032, 24232-3