BANDAR_E ABBAS

Name: Perpetuating the memory of Shah Abbas the Great who founded the town after his naval victory over the Portuguese off Hormoz. Previously called Gameron or Qamerun.
Situation and access: Altitude: sea level. Port in the middle of the straits linking the Persian Gulf to the Sea of Oman. 500 km to the south of Kerman by excellent road. Airport: regular flights by Iran Air. Railroad projected.

A combination of social, commercial, military, political imperatives and tourism - have turned Bandar_e Abbas into one of those Iranian towns where the desire of the centeral government to modernize and develop even the most outlying provinces as keenly as the big urban centers is the most manifestly spectacular.
Controlling the Straits of Hormoz, one of the world's neuralgic areas, Bandar_e Abbas occupies a strategic position of the greatest importance. In the 16th century already (in 1520 to be precise) the Portuguese, intent upon protecting their Indian Empire, took possession of the Isle of Hormoz. They were expelled in 1622, after a tough naval battle, by Shah Abbas the Great who founded the town which has been bearing his name ever since. At the present time, when the world's mightiest tankers sail past its waterfront almost in bucket-chain fashion, Bander_e Abbas represents a trump card for world peace.

"Fisherman's Boat"

Close to the Arab world and, through the Sea of Oman, open to the oceans of Asia, Bandar_e Abbas is the natural maritime outlet for Iran. On the beach of the village of Tiab, some 100 km farther east, porcelain shards of great antiquity may be found, showing that the Chinese had one known this sea-route. Its significant today is enhanced by the modern docks which have been excavated there; cargoes of all nationalities call at the port to unload cement and cereals, motor vehicles and machinery.

"Traditional Architecture of a Mosque in Kish Island "

A few hundred yard out at sea scores of fishing barges and small Arab sailing boats, with tall prows and forecastles reminiscent of another age, seem to be looking on indifferently. Their sombre silhouettes resemble the outlines of a fortress on the island of Qeshm after which they have been named. A considerable part of the local population lives on the proceeds of its fishing activities. They still employ the traditional net, but soon modern methods of preservation and transport will permit Iranian coastal fishing to be extended and brought up-to date. The drying sheds worked by wood smoke which the Danes installed a long time ago are now shown in the curing plants as mere museum pieces. Meanwhile the animal life of those warm seas, not yet overly polluted despite the presence of oil-tankers, is being studied in specialized laboratories. The great damp heat does not start before May and becomes unbearable only between June and September. The beaches are covered with silky sand, cleansed by fairly ample tides. Their gentle slope provides a safe playground for children.

"A view of Kish Island"

Another local tradition, which is bound to disappear within a very few years, are the masks worn by some old women. They are fairly hideous, semi-rigid contraptions, surrounding eyes and cheek-bones and covering the nose. They remind one of the facial armour worn by the Greek soldiers of Antiquity. But although this coastal area must have witnessed the homeward march of Alexander's exhausted columns, it would be too bold perhaps to trace these masks back to Alexander's soldiers! The Iranians maintain that no religious taboo explains the wearing of these masks: rather is it a fashion which originates from the period of the Portuguese occupation when ladies wished to walk about unrecognized or simply to protect their complextion from the scorching sun.

"Wearing the mask is part of the local Tradition"