Bandar Abbas (previously called Gameron
or Qamerun) is the capital of Hormozagan
province, located in southern Iran.
Bandar Abbas Port is in the middle of
the Strait of Hormoz linking the Persian
Gulf to the Sea of Oman, and is located
500km to the south of Kerman connected
by excellent road and Railroad. It has
an international airport with regular
flights to other states of Persian Gulf.
Bandar Abbas was named after the Shah
Abbas I the Great of Safavid dynasty who
founded the port in 1623 after his naval
victory over the Portuguese.
During the Iran-Iraq War (1980-1988),
Bandar Abbas was developed as the
country's major commercial port to
replace Khorramshahr, which lies at the
northern end of the Persian Gulf and
which had been captured and occupied by
Iraqi forces.
Indian Temple in Bandar Abbas By the
1990s, about 75 percent of Iranian
imports through the Persian Gulf were
off-loaded at Bandar Abbas. Next to the
berths for international cargo ships
there are docks for local fishing
industry, a large shipyard for repairing
and building ships, and naval
facilities.
Bandar Abbas's major industries include
textile, fishing, oil refinery, aluminum
and steel. This city has mining products
like chromium, red oxide, salt, and
sulfur, which are mainly for export. A
major natural gas field surrounds the
offshore island of Hengam, and another
nearby island, Qeshm, has been developed
as a free trade zone.
As the provincial capital, Bandar Abbas
is also a local administrative center
for several central government agencies
and offices. The city is connected to
Tehran and the rest of the country by
air, rail, and road routes. Bandar Abbas
is a modern city with few public tourist
sites, although its bazaar is a popular
attraction for shoppers. The island of
Qeshm, across from Bandar Abbas in the
Strait of Hormoz, has several old
mosques, shrines, and cemeteries.
From 1793 to 1868, Iran leased Bandar
Abbas to Oman. Bandar Abbas was a small
fishing port of about 17,000 people in
1955, prior to initial plans to develop
it as a major harbor. By 2001, it had
grown into a major city. It has a
population of 360,280 (2001 estimate).
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