The island became an emergency stopover point for Portuguese ships travelling to Goa, Gujarat and nearby Kishm. The Portuguese constructed a fortress on the island to deter potential invaders, naming it the Fort of Our Lady of the Conception. During attempts to expand Portuguese influence into the Indian Ocean, the Portuguese duke Afonso de Albuquerque captured the island in 1507 and it was incorporated into the greater Portuguese Empire. In 1505 King Manuel I of Portugal led Portugal to establish a policy of expansion in Africa and western Asia. Portuguese Presence in the Persian Gulf and Red Sea. Ibn Battuta also visited the island, and New Hormuz. Hormuz was visited by Marco Polo, around 1290, while traveling by land, as described in his travelogue. As its competitors suffered from intermittent destruction, Hormuz remained a reliable and relatively safe harborage. Its location, however, gave the island a degree of security which let it grow to be a major trading port for several centuries. 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. The island is arid, and during the summer months the temperature can rise to over 43 ☌ (109 ☏). Slowly the name of the new town came to be used for the island as well. The ruler later made peace with the Ilkhans.Ī 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. 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. The principality paid tribute to the Mongol-ruled Ilkhanate and was an important source of income from maritime trade. The island, known as Organa (Όργανα) to the ancient Greeks and as Jarun in the Islamic period, acquired the name of "Hormuz" from the important 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. She added that these thick layers of salt, many kilometres below the land, are actually present across much of the Persian Gulf area. Since the salt is buoyant, over time, it has risen through cracks in the overlying rocks to reach the surface and form salt domes," said Dr Goodenough. "Over the last 500 million years, the salt layers were buried deeply by younger layers of volcanic sediment.
These layers gradually collided and interlayered with mineral-rich volcanic sediment in the area, causing the formation of the colourful landmass, according to BBC. Nearly every inch of Hormuz Island's 42 awe-invoking sq km imparts a story of its formation.Īccording to Dr Kathryn Goodenough, principal geologist at the British Geological Survey who has previously worked in Iran, hundreds of millions of years ago, shallow seas formed thick layers of salt around the margins of the Persian Gulf. Set 8km off Iran's coast amid the murky blue waters of the Persian Gulf, Hormuz is a teardrop-shaped shimmering salt dome embedded with layers of shale, clay and iron-rich volcanic rocks that glow in dazzling shades of red, yellow and orange due to the more than 70 minerals found here. Hormuz’s maritime history can be glimpsed by visiting a coastal Portuguese fort, and the island’s artistic energy can be seen in murals and other artwork that dot the island, as well as the museum and gallery of environmental artist Dr. Popular spots among visitors to the island include the Red Beach, Rainbow Valley, Salt Mountain, and Valley of Statues. Historically an important port, Hormuz is today a calm place, home to a small village, Iranian artists, and the natural wonders created by the island’s geography, which, in addition to the ochre, includes whitewashed vistas created by the saltiness of its low elevation. Degradation due to overuse of the ochre has resulted in actions by the Department of Environment to protect it. Reddish ochre on the island and its beaches, called Golak by natives, has been exploited for artistic and culinary purposes and also attracts tourists.
Located in the Strait of Hormuz, 8 kilometres (5 mi) off the Iranian coast, the island is part of Hormozgan Province. Hormuz Island, also spelled Hormoz, is an Iranian island in the Persian Gulf. Visiting this amazing island is a must which often, unfortunately, gets left off most travel itineraries. The beautiful Hormuz Island, known as the Rainbow Island is located in the Persian Gulf.
Some people may think that Iran only has forests, deserts, and mountains, but the vast land also has a group of islands in the southern part of the country in both the Persian Gulf and Oman Sea.