Hormozgan
هرمزگانThe Strait of Hormuz and its islands: red earth, palm groves, sailors and the port of Bandar Abbas.
Hormozgan holds the northern shore of the Strait of Hormuz. Bandar Abbas is named after Shah Abbas, who in 1622, with English help, drove the Portuguese from the island of Hormuz, which they had held for more than a century.
The islands each have a character of their own: Hormuz with its red and ochre soils, Qeshm with its mangrove forests, and Kish, a modern resort. The coast's culture looks across the water to Arabia, Africa and India.
Cities and towns
Bandar Abbasبندرعباس
The port on the strait
Minabمیناب
A palm-grove town known for its Thursday market
Qeshmقشم
The largest island in the Persian Gulf
Landmarksبناها و نشانهها
Hormuz Island
جزیره هرمزAn island of red and ochre earth, with a Portuguese fort
Hormozgan through time
Iranian historyThe Timuridsتیموریان
Timur's campaigns were brutal, but his heirs made Samarkand and Herat capitals of Persian painting, poetry, astronomy and architecture.
- Albuquerque begins the Portuguese fort
- Safavid and English forces take Hormuz