Ajay Kumar at 17:28, 28 August 2023

2023-08-28T17:28:02Z

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{{citations|date=February 2022}}
{{Infobox settlement
|name = Hormuz Island
|settlement_type = Island
|image_skyline = Iran's Rainbow Island.jpeg
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|caption = Satellite photo of Hormuz Island
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|subdivision_name1 = [[Hormozgan Province|Hormozgān]]
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[[File:Persian Gulf Near Hormuz Island.jpg|275px|right]]
[[File:Strait of hormuz.jpg|thumb|right|Historical map of the Strait of Hormuz showing the island spelled as Ormuz, top right]]
'''Hormuz Island''' ({{IPAc-en|h|ɔr|ˈ|m|uː|z}}; {{lang-fa|جزیره هرمز}} ''Jazireh-ye Hormoz''), also spelled '''Hormoz''', is an [[Iran]]ian island in the [[Persian Gulf]]. Located in the [[Strait of Hormuz]], {{cvt|8|km|0}} off the Iranian coast, the island is part of [[Hormozgan Province]]. It is sparsely inhabited, but some development has taken place since the late 20th century.

==History==
{{main|Ormus}}
The earliest evidence for human presence on the island is several stone artifacts discovered at the eastern shorelines of the island. A lithic scatter was found at a site called Chand-Derakht, which is an uplifted marine Pleistocene terrace. This site yielded a Middle Paleolithic lithic assemblage characterized by Levallois methods and dates back to more than 40,000 years ago.<ref>Zarei, Sepehr, (2021) The First Evidence of the Pleistocene Occupation in the Hormuz Island: A Preliminary Report, Bulletin of Miho Museum 21:101-110.
</ref>

The island, known as '''Organa''' ({{lang|grc|Όργανα}}) to the ancient Greeks and as '''Jarun''' in the Islamic period, acquired the name of "Hormuz" from the important [[Ormus|harbour town of Hormuz]] (Ormus) on the mainland 60 km away, which had been a centre of a minor principality on both sides of the strait. The principality paid tribute to the Mongol-ruled [[Ilkhanate]] and was an important source of income from maritime trade.<ref>Cambridge history of India, vol. 1, p.147</ref> The town's ruler decided to shift his residence to the island around 1300, in order to evade attacks by Mongolian and Turkish groups from the interior.<ref>H. Yule, ''The Book of Ser Marco Polo'', 1903, vol. I, p. 110, quoting Abulfeda ("Hormuz was devastated by the incursions of the Tartars, and its people transferred their abode to an island in the sea called Zarun, near the continent, lying west of the old city.") and Odoric for the date.</ref> The ruler later made peace with the Ilkhans.

A new town was built on the northern tip of Jarun island which was called New Hormuz for a number of years to distinguish it from the old town on the mainland until this fell into ruins. Slowly the name of the new town came to be used for the island as well.

The island is arid, and during the summer months, the temperature can rise to over {{cvt|43|C}}. As such, it was not an ideal location for the capital of a principality as all provisions including water had to be brought from the mainland. Its location, however, gave the island a degree of security which let it grow to be a major trading port for several centuries. As its competitors suffered from intermittent destruction, Hormuz remained a reliable and relatively safe harborage.

Hormuz was visited by [[Marco Polo]], around 1290, while traveling by land, as described in his travelogue.

[[Ibn Battuta]] also visited the island and New Hormuz.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Battutah |first1=Ibn |title=The Travels of Ibn Battutah |date=2002 |publisher=Picador |location=London |isbn=9780330418799 |pages=98–99,308}}</ref>
[[File:Portuguese Arabia V20.png|thumb|Portuguese presence in the Persian Gulf and Red Sea. Green – Portuguese possessions. Dark green – allied or under influence.]]

In 1505, King [[Manuel I of Portugal]] established a policy of expansion in Africa and Western Asia. During attempts to expand Portuguese influence into the Indian Ocean, the Portuguese duke [[Afonso de Albuquerque]] [[Capture of Ormuz (1507)|captured the island in 1507]] and it was incorporated into the greater [[Portuguese Empire]]. The Portuguese constructed a fortress on the island to deter potential invaders, naming it the [[Fort of Our Lady of the Conception]]. The island became an emergency stopover point for Portuguese ships traveling to Goa, Gujarat, and nearby [[Kishm]]. The [[Ottoman Empire|Ottomans]] laid siege to the island under the admiral and cartographer [[Piri Reis]] in 1552.<ref name="Önalp">[http://dergiler.ankara.edu.tr/dergiler/18/1574/17072.pdf Pîrî Reis’in Hürmüz Seferi ve İdamı Hakkındaki Türk ve Portekiz Tarihçilerinin Düşünceleri] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121202055408/http://dergiler.ankara.edu.tr/dergiler/18/1574/17072.pdf |date=2012-12-02 }} Ertuğrul Önalp. Prof. Dr. Ankara Üniversitesi, Dil ve Tarih-Coğrafya Fakültesi, İspanyol Dili ve Edebiyatı Anabilim Dalı. {{in lang|tr}}</ref> In 1622, [[Anglo-Persian capture of Hormuz|the island was captured]] from the Portuguese by a combined [[East India Company|Anglo]]-[[Safavid Iran|Persian]] force at the behest of the English East India Company.

Shah [[Abbas the Great|Abbas I of Persia]] distrusted the local population and was not interested in maintaining the island as a trading centre or military post; instead he developed the nearby mainland port of [[Bandar Abbas]]. Hormuz went into decline. Many of its inhabitants seasonally moved to their fields and orchards around the old Hormuz on the mainland, only fishermen being in permanent residence. The island continued to export small quantities of rock salt and lumps of iron oxide which were used as ballast stones for sailing ships.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/hormuz-ii |title=HORMUZ ii. ISLAMIC PERIOD – Encyclopaedia Iranica |website=www.iranicaonline.org |access-date=Mar 31, 2020 |archive-date=May 20, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200520132331/http://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/hormuz-ii |url-status=live }}</ref>

After a period of Omani administration in the 19th century, it remained a sparsely inhabited fishermen's island before experiencing some development in the later years of the 20th century.

==Geography and geology==
Hormuz Island has an area of {{cvt|42|km2|sqmi|}}. It is covered by [[sedimentary rock]] and layers of [[volcanic]] material on its surface. The highest point of the island is about {{cvt|186|m|0|abbr=out}} [[above sea level]]. Due to a lack of [[precipitation (meteorology)|precipitation]], the soil and water are salty. Specialists have helped [[cultivar]] [[Avicennia marina|white mangrove or Hara trees]] to grow in the climate. Due to the lack of fresh water, Iranian engineers have constructed a water pipeline from the mainland. There are many beaches that go all around the island.{{cn|date=February 2022}}

Reddish [[ochre]] on the island and its beaches, called Golak by natives, has been exploited for artistic and culinary purposes, and also attracts tourists. Degradation due to overuse of the ochre has resulted in actions by the [[Department of Environment (Iran)|Department of Environment]] to protect it.<ref>[https://www.tehrantimes.com/news/417572/Hormuz-the-rainbow-island-of-Iran Hormuz, the rainbow island of Iran] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200328161451/https://www.tehrantimes.com/news/417572/Hormuz-the-rainbow-island-of-Iran |date=2020-03-28 }}. ''Tehran Times'' (2017-10-14). Retrieved 2020-03-28.</ref>

The satellite images catching the concentric arrangement of the rocks show that Hormuz Island appears to be a so called salt diapir, composed of ancient seasalt deposists which due to lack of salt dissolving groundwater and rains and due to their plastic deformabilty can flow and squeeze just like ice and thus under the squeezing pressure of other sediments on top has managed to rise above the surface over many many thousands of years, and during that time has been eroded into different shapes. The geological age of the Hormuz island is about 600 million years, and its life out of the water is about 50 thousand years.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://hormuztour.com/%d8%aa%d9%81%d8%b1%db%8c%d8%ad%d8%a7%d8%aa-%d8%b3%d8%a7%d8%ad%d9%84%db%8c-%d8%ac%d8%b2%db%8c%d8%b1%d9%87-%d9%87%d8%b1%d9%85%d8%b2-%da%86%d9%86%d8%af-%d9%81%db%8c%d9%84%d9%85/ |title=دره مجسمه ها Statues Valley |website=هتل جزیره هرمز &#; Hotel in Hormuz island |access-date=Mar 31, 2020 |archive-date=August 12, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200812233131/https://hormuztour.com/%D8%AA%D9%81%D8%B1%DB%8C%D8%AD%D8%A7%D8%AA-%D8%B3%D8%A7%D8%AD%D9%84%DB%8C-%D8%AC%D8%B2%DB%8C%D8%B1%D9%87-%D9%87%D8%B1%D9%85%D8%B2-%DA%86%D9%86%D8%AF-%D9%81%DB%8C%D9%84%D9%85/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

==Attractions==
===Statues Valley===
With a few hundred meters walk to the beach, in a way that silver sands attracts attention, rocks can be seen in many different forms, each is likened to an animal, a sheep's head, poultry and many different Dragons.{{cn|date=February 2022}}

===Red Beach===
Hormuz Island has soil rich in red ferrious oxide soil, called “Gelack”. It is a valuable mineral for industrial purposes, and it used as a spice in local cuisine, such as sauces and jams.

The mountain being on the shoreline, makes the red beach and red sea waves an unusual sight. Visitors walking along the shore will encounter areas where sand glitters with metal compounds.<ref>{{Cite web |url=/ |title= Hormuz island red beach |website=هتل جزیره هرمز &#; Hotel in Hormuz island |access-date=Mar 31, 2020 |archive-date=August 12, 2020 |archive-url=https://hormuztour.com/tours-hostel-hotel-and-food-services-in-hormuz-island/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

===Mangrove forest===
Hormuz island has a forest of mangrove trees. The waterways and wild birds with its pristine nature attracts many tourists. Sea Forest has trees that live in the saltwater tidal area. Sometime most of them submerge in the sea water, but continue to survive. Iran’s southern coast is known for its aridity and salty sea water. there is a grassy area, that grows without the need for fresh water. In a story this mythical plant is grown from Adam’s tears.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://hormuztour.com |title=جنگل حرا mongrove forest |website=هتل جزیره هرمز &#; Hotel in Hormuz island |access-date=Mar 31, 2022 |archive-date=August 12, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200812233131/https://hormuztour.com/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

===Dr. Nadalian Museum===
[[File:The Museum and Gallery of Dr. Ahmad Nadalian in Hormoz Island 1.jpg|thumb|The Museum and Gallery of Dr. Ahmad Nadalian in Hormoz Island]]

The Museum of Dr Nadalian in Hormuz Island, also known as the Museum and Gallery of Ahmad Nadalian in Hormuz Island, shows the work of [[Ahmad Nadalian]] (born 1963<ref>{{cite web |title=About |website=Dr. Nadalian |date=31 August 2021 |url=https://nadalian.com/en/about/ |access-date=14 February 2022 |archive-date=14 February 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220214074311/https://nadalian.com/en/about/ |url-status=live }}</ref>), whose works have been shown in galleries internationally.<ref>{{cite web |title=The Museum and Gallery of Dr. Ahamd Nadalian in Hormuz Island |website=Dr. Nadalian |date=30 September 2021 |url=https://nadalian.com/en/the-museum-of-dr-nadalian-in-hormuz-island/ |access-date=14 February 2022 |archive-date=14 February 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220214075434/https://nadalian.com/en/the-museum-of-dr-nadalian-in-hormuz-island/ |url-status=live }}</ref> His [[environmental art]] projects include [[rock carving]]s, and not only his work, but also that of local indigenous women, bones of sea creatures are displayed in his museum,<ref >{{cite web |title=The Museum of Dr. Ahmad Nadalian in Hormuz |website=alaedin.travel |url=https://www.alaedin.travel/en/attractions/iran/hormuz/dr-nadalian-museum |language=la |access-date=14 February 2022 |archive-date=14 February 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220214074541/https://www.alaedin.travel/en/attractions/iran/hormuz/dr-nadalian-museum |url-status=live }}</ref> and dolls made of recycled materials.<ref>{{cite web |last=Rasaneh |first=Sirang |title=Dr. Ahmad Nadalian Museum & Gallery 2022 Tourist Attraction in Hormoz Island |website=Iran Tourism & Touring |date=12 June 1906 |url=https://www.itto.org/iran/attraction/ahmad-nadalian-museum-gallery-hormoz/ |access-date=14 February 2022 |archive-date=14 February 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220214075432/https://www.itto.org/iran/attraction/ahmad-nadalian-museum-gallery-hormoz/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

The museum was created in March 2009 as the Paradise Art Centre, being renamed in 2012 to its current name. Also at this time, its entrance was redesigned with inspiration from local architecture.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.riverart.net/ |title=WWW.RiverArt.Net- Environmental Works by A. Nadalian هنر رودخانه: آثار دكتر احمد نادعليان |website=www.riverart.net |access-date=Mar 31, 2020 |archive-date=March 1, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200301145652/http://www.riverart.net/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

==Gallery==
<gallery widths="180" heights="120" perrow="3">
File:Hormuz Island beach.jpg|Hormuz Island beach
File:Majara Residence.jpg|[[Majara Residence]]
File:Portuguese Castle (Hormuz).jpg|The [[Fort of Our Lady of the Conception]], Hormuz Island
File:Harahormoz.jpg|[[Hara forests]] at Hormuz Island
File:Beach of the Sculpture valley in Hormoz Island.jpg|The sea cliffs near the Valley of Statues of Hormuz Island
File:فرش خاکی - panoramio.jpg|Art made from ochre on the islands beaches
</gallery>

==References==
{{reflist}}

===Sources===
*.الكوخردى ، محمد ، بن يوسف، (كُوخِرد حَاضِرَة اِسلامِيةَ عَلي ضِفافِ نَهر مِهران) الطبعة الثالثة ،دبى: سنة 199۷ للميلاد Mohammed Kookherdi (1997) Kookherd, an Islamic civil at Mehran river, third edition: Dubai
*. کامله،القاسمی، بنت شیخ عبدالله، ''(تاریخ لنجة) '' مکتبة دبي للتوزیع، الامارات: الطبعة الثانية عام ۱۹۹۳ للمیلاد
* . الوحیدی الخنجی، حسین بن علی بن احمد، '' «تاریخ لنجه» ،'' الطبعة الثانية دبی: دار الأمة للنشر والتوزیع، ۱۹۸۸ للمیلاد
*. اطلس گیتاشناسی استان‌های ایران ''[https://web.archive.org/web/20070522192425/http://www.gitashenasi.com/En/Product/Index.cfm?I=9 Gitashenasi Province Atlas of Iran Atlas Gitashenasi Ostanhai Iran]'' {{dead|date=February 2022}}
*. دره مجسمه ها [http://sahelsorkh.ir/news_28636-utab Statue Valley Hormuz Island]'' {{Webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190813132743/http://sahelsorkh.ir/news_28636-utab |date=2019-08-13 }}

==Further reading==
*''Speak the Wind'' (Mack, 2021; photographs by [[Hoda Afshar]]; essay by [[Michael Taussig]]<ref>{{cite book |title=Speak the Wind |publisher=Mack |place=London |date=2021 |first1=Hoda |last1=Afshar |first2=Michael |last2=Taussig|author-link2=Michael Taussig |others=Photographs by Hoda Afhsar; essay by Michael Taussig |isbn=978-1-913620-18-9}}</ref>) This work documents the landscapes and people of the islands of Hormuz Island, [[Qeshm]], and [[Hengam Island|Hengam]], in the [[Persian Gulf]] off the south coast of Iran.<ref>{{cite web |last2=Afshar |first2=Hoda |title=Speak the Wind - Book review |first1=Daniel |last1=Boetker-Smith |website=LensCulture |url=https://www.lensculture.com/articles/hoda-afshar-speak-the-wind |access-date=14 February 2022 |others=Photographs by Hoda Afshar |archive-date=14 February 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220214072633/https://www.lensculture.com/articles/hoda-afshar-speak-the-wind |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last=Colberg |first=Jörg |title=Speak The Wind |website=Conscientious Photography Magazine |date=16 August 2021 |url=https://cphmag.com/speak-the-wind/ |access-date=14 February 2022 |archive-date=14 February 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220214072746/https://cphmag.com/speak-the-wind/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Afshar got to know some of the people there, travelling there frequently over the years, and they told her about the history of the place. She said that "their narrations led the project", and she explores "the idea of being possessed by history, and in this context, the history of slavery and cruelty”.<ref>{{cite web |last=Grieve |first=Michael |title=Hoda Afshar captures the wind and rituals of the islands in the Strait of Hormuz |website=1854 Photography |date=19 July 2021 |url=https://www.1854.photography/2021/07/hoda-afshar-speak-the-wind/ |access-date=14 February 2022 |archive-date=14 February 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220214072747/https://www.1854.photography/2021/07/hoda-afshar-speak-the-wind/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

==External links==
{{commons category|Hormuz Island}}
*[https://www.theglobetrottingdetective.com/hormuz-island-rainbow-island-iran/ Hormuz, The Bloody Island of Iran] The Globetrotting Detective.

{{Hormozgan Province}}
{{Iranian islands in the Persian Gulf}}

{{authority control}}

[[Category:Hormuz Island| ]]
[[Category:Islands of Iran]]
[[Category:Qeshm County]]
[[Category:Landforms of Hormozgan Province]]
[[Category:Tourist attractions in Hormozgan Province]]

Hormuz Island - Revision history

Ajay Kumar at 17:28, 28 August 2023