| Bandar-Abbas بندر عباس |
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| — City — | |
| Nickname(s): The Crab Port | |
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Bandar-Abbas
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| Coordinates: | |
| Country | Iran |
| Province | Hormozgan |
| County | Bandar-Abbas |
| Bakhsh | Central |
| Settled | prior to 600 B.C. |
| Elevation | 9 m (30 ft) |
| Population (2006) | |
| • Total | 367,508 |
| Time zone | IRST (UTC+3:30) |
| • Summer (DST) | IRDT (UTC+4:30) |
| Postal code | 79177 |
| Area code(s) | 0761 |
Bandar-Abbas (Persian: بندرعباس) or Bandar-e ‘Abbās (Persian: بندر عباس), also Romanized as Bandar ‘Abbās, Bandar ‘Abbāsī, and Bandar-e ‘Abbās; formerly known as Cambarão and Port Comorão to Portuguese traders, as Gombroon to English traders and as Gamrun or Gumrun to Dutch merchants)[1] is a port city and capital of Hormozgān Province on the southern coast of Iran, on the Persian Gulf. The city occupies a strategic position on the narrow Straits of Hormuz, and it is the location of the main base of the Iranian Navy. Bandar Abbas is the capital and also largest city of the province Hormozgān. At the 2006 census, its population was 367,508, in 89,404 families.[2]
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Bandar Abbas has always been a port, and as such its various names have all addressed this function. The most common name over time (Gameroon) has traditionally been said to derive from Persian gümrük, customhouse (from Late Greek kommerkion, from Latin commercium, "commerce"), but is now speculated to be from Persian kamrūn, shrimp (which in Portuguese is camarão, similar to the former Portuguese name).[3]
The earliest record of Bandar Abbas is during the reign of Darius the Great (between 586 and 522 B.C.). Darius's commander, Silacus, embarked from Bandar Abbas to India and the Red Sea
During Alexander's conquest of the Persian Empire, Bandar Abbas was known under the name of Hormirzad.
In the year 630 CE, Maharaja Derbar Raja of Gemeron was defeated in battle and escaped to Ceylon, and he was later blown off course by a storm to the remote shores of Kuala Sungai Qilah, Kedah (now Malaysia). The inhabitants of Kedah found him to be a valiant and intelligent person, and they made him the king of Kedah. In the year 634 CE, a new kingdom was formed in Kedah consisting of Persian royalty and native Malay of Hindu faith, the capital was Langkasuka. (see Kedah Sultanate and Early history of Kedah)
By the 16th century, Bandar Abbas was known as Gamrūn to the Persians. In 1565, a European navigator called it Bamdel Gombruc (that is, Bandar Gümrük, or "Customhouse Port"), citing this as the Persian and Turkish name.Bandar Abbas was conquered by the Portuguese in 1514,and was an important to protect their commerce in the in the gulf and India.[4][5] They named the city Comorão,due to the presence of lobsters and crabs on its shores.
In 1614, Comorão was taken by ‘Abbās the Great from the Portuguese and renamed Bandar-e ‘Abbās, or "Port of ‘Abbās". Backed by the English navy, ‘Abbās developed Bandar-e ‘Abbās (known to the English-speaking world as Gombraun) into a major port.
By 1622, the Portuguese and English names had been officially combined to form Combrù or Combu, although the inhabitants still called it Bandar-e ‘Abbās. Sir Thomas Herbert said the official English name was Gumbrown, but pronounced "gŏmrōōn". He wrote in 1630 that "some (but I commend them not) write it Gamrou, others Gomrow, and othersome Cummeroon."
By the 1670s, the city was known as 'Gameroon
From 1740 onward, control of the town was sold to various Arab rulers, and from c. 1780 it was controlled by Muscat (now a governorate of Oman). In 1868, during Oman's decline, the town reverted to Persian rule.
In the 1980s, the name "Gameron" was changed in favor of "Bandar Abbas", following similar movements with Iranian names (see Iran naming convention).
Bandar Abbas serves as a major shipping point for mostly imports, and has a long history of trade with India, particularly the port of Surat. Thousands of tourists visit the city and nearby islands including Qeshm and Hormuz every year.
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).
Bandar Abbas is situated on flat ground with an average altitude of 9 m (30 ft) above sea level. The nearest elevated areas are Mt. Geno, 17 km (11 mi) to the north, and Mt. Pooladi, 16 km (10 mi) to the northwest of the city. The closest river to Bandar Abbas is the River Shoor, which is rooted from Mt. Geno and pours into the Persian Gulf, 10 km (6 mi) east of the city.
Bandar Abbas has a hot and humid, but dry climate. Maximum temperature in summers can reach up to 49 °C (120 °F) while in winters the minimum temperature drops to about 5 °C (40 °F). The annual rainfall is around 251 mm (10 in) and the relative humidity is 66%.
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | June | July | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
| minimum average temperature °C (°F) | 12.1 (53.8) | 14.0 (57.2) | 17.5 (63.5) | 20.9 (69.6) | 24.7 (76.5) | 28.0 (82.4) | 30.3 (86.5) | 30.1 (86.2) | 27.7 (81.9) | 23.5 (74.3) | 18.0 (64.4) | 13.5 (56.3) |
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| maximum average temperature °C (°F) | 23.5 (74.3) | 24.4 (75.9) | 27.7 (81.9) | 31.6 (88.9) | 36.3 (97.3) | 38.4 (101.1) | 38.2 (100.8) | 37.7 (99.9) | 36.8 (98.2) | 35.0 (95.0) | 30.4 (86.7) | 25.5 (77.9) |
| rainfall mm (inches) | 39.7 (1.56) | 47.5 (1.87) | 34.8 (1.37) | 10.7 (0.42) | 4.8 (0.19) | 0.0 (0.00) | 0.6 (0.02) | 2.2 (0.09) | 0.8 (0.03) | 1.3 (0.05) | 5.0 (0.20) | 24.0 (0.94) |
| days of rain | 3.3 | 3.1 | 2.6 | 1.3 | 0.2 | 0 | 0.1 | 0.2 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 0.4 | 2.3 |
| Source : World Meteorological Organization | ||||||||||||
Bandar Abbas International Airport has capacity and facilities for landing large transport airplanes.
Bandar Abbas is accessible via the following highways:
Original Bandaris (residents of Bandar Abbas) speak Bandari (بندری), a dialect of Persian. Bandari has loanwords from various European languages (e.g. tawāl, "towel") and Arabic (e.g. atā [اتا], "to come").
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