Bandar Abbas

{{redirect-distinguish|Gameroon|Cameroon}}

Bandar Abbas has always been a port, and as such its various names have all reflected this function. The most common name over time was Gameroon, with various spellings. In Henry Yule's dictionary of Anglo-Indian jargon two etymologies are given; the first derived from gümrük, "customhouse" (from Late Greek kommerkion, from Latin commercium, "commerce"). The second, which Yule found much more convincing, comes from Persian kamrūn, "shrimp" (in Portuguese: camarão, similar to the former Portuguese name).{{cite web|url=https://dsal.uchicago.edu/cgi-bin/philologic/getobject.pl?c.1:1:38.hobson|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130728111245/http://dsal.uchicago.edu/cgi-bin/philologic/getobject.pl?c.1:1:38.hobson|url-status=dead|archive-date=2013-07-28|title=Hobson Jobson Dictionary}} Its current name derives from that of Abbas the Great{{cite web|url=http://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/bandar-e-abbasi|title=BANDAR-E ʿABBAS(I) i. The City – Encyclopaedia Iranica|last=electricpulp.com|website=iranicaonline.org}} ({{reign | 1588 | 1629}}) paired with bandar – "port", meaning "Port of Abbas".

{{see also|Timeline of Bandar Abbas}}

The earliest record of Bandar Abbas is during the reign of Darius the Great (between 522 and 486 BC). Darius's commander, Silacus, embarked from Bandar Abbas to India and the Red Sea. During Alexander's conquest of the Achaemenid Empire, Bandar Abbas was known under the name of Hormirzad.

File:Ormus -Hormuz- - Costumes des quatre parties du monde, gravés dans la manière de Luycken (1670).jpg

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 location to protect their commerce in the Persian Gulf and India.[http://www.itto.org/city/?cityid=29 Iran tourism and touring official website, Bandar Abbas][https://web.archive.org/web/20031018214325/http://www.salamiran.org/CT/provinces/bandar_abbas.html SalamIranProvince of Bandar Abbas] They named the city Comorão, due to the presence of lobsters and crabs on its shores. In 1614, Comorão was taken by Shah Abbas the Great from the Portuguese and renamed Bandar-e Abbas ("Port of Abbas"). Backed by the English Navy, Abbas developed the city (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 Abbas. 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."{{quote without source|date=October 2014}} By the 1670s, the city was known as Gameroon.

In 1622, Shah Abbas defeated Portuguese troops with the help of English troops and the Iranian commander Imam Quli Khan. In honour of this victory Gumbroon was renamed Bandar Abbas Port. In the current division of Bandar Abbas in Hormozgan province and one of the most important strategic and commercial centre is in the vicinity of the Persian Gulf and Oman Sea.

File:Gombroon·Persia·1704.jpgs in Bandar Abbas in 1704]]

{{clear left}}

In 1625, a combined Anglo-Dutch fleet attacked the Portuguese at Bandar Abbas and took control of the trade posts. Soon, the Dutch East India Company outcompeted its English counterpart and eventually, from 1654 onwards, was in complete control of the local spice and silk trade, due to multiple English ships being taken, and the Action of 29 January 1654. The Dutch remained in complete control until 1765.Donald Hawley: The Trucial States, Ardent Media, 1970, pp. 76.

File:AMH-7105-KB View of the city of Gamron.jpgBetween 1794 and 1868, Bandar Abbas was under the control of the Sultanate of Oman and Zanzibar through a lease agreement with Persia. The details of the original lease apparently differed between the Arabic and Persian versions. The Omanis controlled the coastal stretch of some 100 miles from Sadij to Khamir, and inland about 30 miles, as far as Shamil. They also controlled the islands of Hormuz and Qeshm. In 1823, the Persians attempted to oust the Omanis, but the sultan managed to keep his hold on Bandar through bribery and tribute of the governor of Shiraz. In 1845–1846, an army under the governor-general of Fars menaced Bandar to extort tribute, while another army under the governor of Kerman besieged Minab. The Omanis threatened to blockade Persia, but the British resident at Bushir convinced them to back down.Lawrence G. Potter, "The Consolidation of Iran's Frontier on the Persian Gulf in the Nineteenth Century", in Roxane Farmanfarmaian (ed.), War and Peace in Qajar Persia: Implications Past and Present (Routledge: 2008), pp. 125–48.File:Bandar Abbas 1862.jpg

The Persians recovered the city in 1854, while the sultan was in Zanzibar. Under British pressure following the Anglo-Persian War in 1856, Persia renewed Oman's lease on favourable terms. It was clarified that the leased territory belonged to the province of Fars and that the Persian flag would fly over Bandar Abbas. The rental rate was also increased. Under British pressure the agreement was renewed in 1868, but at a higher rate of rent and for a shorter duration. Two months after its renewal, the lease was cancelled by the Persian government, citing a clause which permitted its termination if the sultan of Oman were overthrown.

An earthquake in July 1902 damaged parts of the city, including the governor's house and the customs office, and nearby Qeshm Island.{{Cite news|newspaper=The Times|title=Latest intelligence – Earthquake shocks on the Persian Gulf|date=19 July 1902|page=7|issue=36824}}

Mohammad Reza Shah Pahlavi paid particular attention to Bandar Abbas as a strategic port and during his time the government invested huge amounts of capital in the infrastructure.{{Citation needed|date=March 2025}} Before initial plans to develop it as a major harbour, Bandar Abbas was a small fishing port with approximately 17,000 residents in 1955. By 2001, it had grown into a major city.{{Citation needed|date=March 2025}} It has a population of 450,000 (2011 estimate).

Bandar Abbas serves as a major shipping point, mostly for 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.

On 27 April, 2025, a powerful explosion at Iran's biggest port of Bandar Abbas occurred.{{Cite web |last=Desk |first=Reuters/ News |date=2025-04-27 |title=At least 28 dead, hundreds injured after massive explosion at Iran’s Bandar Abbas port |url=https://tribune.com.pk/story/2542548/iran-port-blast-death-toll-rises-to-18-over-800-injured |access-date=2025-04-27 |website=The Express Tribune |language=en}} The death toll was reported to be at least 28, with more than 700 people injured.

Original Bandaris (residents of Bandar Abbas) speak Bandari (بندری), a variety of Persian similar to neighbouring Achomi and Dialects of Fars, and distinct from New Persian.{{Cite web|title=BANDARI|url=https://iranicaonline.org/articles/bandari-the-dialect-spoken-by-the-native-population-of-bandar-abbas|url-status=live|access-date=27 September 2021|website=Encyclopædia Iranica|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110429171644/http://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/bandari-the-dialect-spoken-by-the-native-population-of-bandar-abbas|archive-date=2011-04-29}} Bandari has loanwords from various European languages (e.g. tawāl, "towel"), Persian and Balochi.{{Cite web|title=Persian Gulf, Governery of BandarAbbas - خلیج فارس، فرمانداری بندرعباس|url=http://www.pgba.ir/bandari.php|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200709081940/https://pgba.ir/bandari.php|archive-date=2020-07-09|access-date=2021-09-19|website=www.pgba.ir}}

{{bar box|title=Bandar Abbas linguistic composition{{Cite web|title=Language distribution: Hormozgan Province|url=http://iranatlas.net/index.html?module=module.language-distribution.hormozgan#eyJ0IjoieCIsImkiOiIxMGRhZGY1ZTQzMDc3M2RjZDJkZTIxMTlhMjcyY2RmZCIsInMiOjE2MzI3MzIzNDY5MjB9|url-status=live|access-date=27 September 2021|website=Iran Atlas|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210925062322/http://iranatlas.net/index.html?module=module.language-distribution.hormozgan|archive-date=2021-09-25}}|titlebar=#ddd|left1=language|right1=percent|float=|bars={{bar percent|Bandari Persian|brown|55}}

{{bar percent|Tehrani Persian|orange|30}}

{{bar percent|Koroshi|yellow|1}}

{{bar percent|Other|black|10}}}}

{{Historical populations

|title = Population history

|align =right

|clear =

|direction =

|percentages =

|state =

|type =

|shading =

|width =

|subbox =

|pop_name =

|year_name =

|percent_name =

|footnote =

|source = {{cite web |title=Cities with a population of 100,000 and more (1956-2006 census) |url=https://irandataportal.syr.edu/wp-content/uploads/13-cities-with-a-population-of-100-000-and-more-1335-1385-1956-2006-census-1.xlsx |website=irandataportal.syr.edu |publisher=Iran data portal |access-date=1 June 2025 |page=1 |format=XLS}}

|graph-pos =

|graph-width =

|graph-height =

|percol =

|cols =

|perrow =

|rows =

|1956 |17,710

|1966 |34,627

|1976 |87,981

|1986 |201,642

|1991 |249,504

|1996 |273,578

|2006 |367,508

|2011 |435,751

|2016 |526,648

}}

At the time of the 2006 National Census, the city's population was 367,508 in 89,404 households.{{cite report|title=Census of the Islamic Republic of Iran, 1385 (2006): Hormozgan Province|language=fa|publisher=The Statistical Center of Iran|website=amar.org.ir|url=http://www.amar.org.ir/DesktopModules/FTPManager/upload/upload2360/newjkh/newjkh/22.xls|access-date=25 September 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110920094743/http://www.amar.org.ir/DesktopModules/FTPManager/upload/upload2360/newjkh/newjkh/22.xls|format=Excel|archive-date=20 September 2011}} The following census in 2011 counted 435,751 people in 118,336 households.{{cite report|title=Census of the Islamic Republic of Iran, 1390 (2011): Hormozgan Province|language=fa|publisher=The Statistical Center of Iran|website=irandataportal.syr.edu|via=Iran Data Portal, Syracuse University|url=https://irandataportal.syr.edu/wp-content/uploads/Hormozgan.xls|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230117182750/https://irandataportal.syr.edu/wp-content/uploads/Hormozgan.xls|archive-date=17 January 2023|access-date=19 December 2022|format=Excel}} The 2016 census measured the population of the city to be 526,648 people in 152,682 households.{{cite report|title=Census of the Islamic Republic of Iran, 1395 (2016): Hormozgan Province|language=fa|publisher=The Statistical Center of Iran|website=amar.org.ir|url=https://www.amar.org.ir/Portals/0/census/1395/results/abadi/CN95_HouseholdPopulationVillage_22.xlsx|access-date=19 December 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220505014212/https://www.amar.org.ir/Portals/0/census/1395/results/abadi/CN95_HouseholdPopulationVillage_22.xlsx|format=Excel|archive-date=5 May 2022}}

The city of Bandar Abbas is an immigrant-friendly city that has hosted all Iranian ethnic groups. Most of the immigrants living in Bandar Abbas city chose individual migration at the beginning of their migration, in other words, after finding employment opportunities in Bandar Abbas city, most of the emigrants entered this city with the intention of taking up a job opportunity individually, but with the passage of time and the feeling of job security and providing housing, they have also moved their families to Bandar Abbas. Iranians from the regions of Azarbayejan, Kurdistan, Luristan, Baluchistan, Kerman, Yazd, Isfahan, Fars, Gilan and Mazanadaran all contribute to economy and trade of the city.{{citation|title=گروه های مهاجر شهر بندرعباس|journal=Noor|date=October 1395|volume=68|issue=68|url=https://www.noormags.ir/view/fa/articlepage/1137153|language=fa|access-date=9 April 2024|pages=133–144|last1=ظهیری‌نیا|first1=‌مصطفی}}

File:Bandar Abbas 2.jpg

Bandar Abbas is situated on flat ground with an average altitude of {{convert|9|m}} above sea level. The nearest elevated areas are Mt. Geno, {{convert|17|km}} to the north, and Mt. Pooladi, {{convert|16|km}} to the northwest of the city. The closest river to Bandar Abbas is the River Shoor, which rises on Mt. Geno and occasionally flows into the Persian Gulf, {{convert|10|km}} east of the city. South of the city is the island of Qeshm.{{citation needed|date=January 2023}}

Bandar Abbas has a hot desert climate (Köppen climate classification BWh). Maximum temperature in summers can reach {{convert|49|°C|°F}} while in winters the minimum temperature may drop to {{convert|5|°C|°F}}. The annual rainfall is around {{convert|170|mm|in}} and the average relative humidity is 65%.

In the summer, Bandar Abbas sees some of the highest average dew points of any city in the world, averaging {{convert|27|°C|°F}} and frequently exceeding {{convert|30|°C|°F}}. As a result, heat indices generally top {{convert|50|°C|°F}} for most days during the summer.{{cite web |url=http://www.wunderground.com/history/airport/OIKB/2015/7/6/MonthlyHistory.html?req_city=Bandar+Abbass+International&req_state=&req_statename=Iran&reqdb.zip=00000&reqdb.magic=3&reqdb.wmo=40875 |title=Weather History for Bandarabbass, Iran – 2015 - Weather Underground |website=wunderground.com}}{{cite web |url=http://www.wunderground.com/history/airport/OIKB/2014/7/6/MonthlyHistory.html?req_city=Bandar+Abbass+International&req_state=&req_statename=Iran&reqdb.zip=00000&reqdb.magic=3&reqdb.wmo=40875 |title=Weather History for Bandarabbass, Iran – 2014 - Weather Underground |website=wunderground.com}} This high average humidity causes summer diurnal ranges to be lower than in most desert climates, and is a result of onshore flow from the warm waters of the Persian Gulf.

{{Weather box

| location = Bandar Abbas (1991-2020, records 1957-2020)

| metric first = yes

| single line = yes

| collapsed =y

| Jan record high C = 32.0

| Feb record high C = 33.0

| Mar record high C = 39.0

| Apr record high C = 43.0

| May record high C = 47.0

| Jun record high C = 51.0

| Jul record high C = 48.0

| Aug record high C = 46.0

| Sep record high C = 45.0

| Oct record high C = 44.0

| Nov record high C = 38.0

| Dec record high C = 33.8

| Jan high C = 23.4

| Feb high C = 24.9

| Mar high C = 27.8

| Apr high C = 32.6

| May high C = 37.1

| Jun high C = 38.9

| Jul high C = 38.4

| Aug high C = 37.7

| Sep high C = 36.9

| Oct high C = 35.0

| Nov high C = 30.2

| Dec high C = 25.9

| year high C = 32.4

| Jan mean C = 17.5

| Feb mean C = 19.5

| Mar mean C = 22.5

| Apr mean C = 27.0

| May mean C = 31.3

| Jun mean C = 33.7

| Jul mean C = 34.3

| Aug mean C = 33.8

| Sep mean C = 32.2

| Oct mean C = 29.1

| Nov mean C = 23.8

| Dec mean C = 19.3

| Jan low C = 12.0

| Feb low C = 14.2

| Mar low C = 17.2

| Apr low C = 21.3

| May low C = 25.2

| Jun low C = 28.4

| Jul low C = 30.7

| Aug low C = 30.3

| Sep low C = 27.8

| Oct low C = 23.7

| Nov low C = 18.2

| Dec low C = 13.3

| year low C = 21.9

| Jan record low C = 3.0

| Feb record low C = 3.9

| Mar record low C = 6.8

| Apr record low C = 11.5

| May record low C = 17.0

| Jun record low C = 20.0

| Jul record low C = 24.0

| Aug record low C = 25.0

| Sep record low C = 20.5

| Oct record low C = 12.0

| Nov record low C = 6.0

| Dec record low C = 2.0

| precipitation colour = green

| Jan precipitation mm = 47.2

| Feb precipitation mm = 31.1

| Mar precipitation mm = 43.8

| Apr precipitation mm = 5.5

| May precipitation mm = 0.2

| Jun precipitation mm = 0.5

| Jul precipitation mm = 1.2

| Aug precipitation mm = 0.4

| Sep precipitation mm = 0.3

| Oct precipitation mm = 6.4

| Nov precipitation mm = 7.6

| Dec precipitation mm = 25.7

| Jan precipitation days = 3.2

| Feb precipitation days = 2.7

| Mar precipitation days = 3.2

| Apr precipitation days = 0.7

| May precipitation days = 0.1

| Jun precipitation days = 0.1

| Jul precipitation days = 0.1

| Aug precipitation days = 0.2

| Sep precipitation days = 0.0

| Oct precipitation days = 0.6

| Nov precipitation days = 0.7

| Dec precipitation days = 2.1

| unit precipitation days = 1.0 mm

| Jan sun = 228

| Feb sun = 211

| Mar sun = 231

| Apr sun = 264

| May sun = 315

| Jun sun = 304

| Jul sun = 277

| Aug sun = 277

| Sep sun = 268

| Oct sun = 282

| Nov sun = 250

| Dec sun = 237

| Jan humidity = 65

| Feb humidity = 67

| Mar humidity = 67

| Apr humidity = 62

| May humidity = 58

| Jun humidity = 61

| Jul humidity = 67

| Aug humidity = 69

| Sep humidity = 67

| Oct humidity = 65

| Nov humidity = 61

| Dec humidity = 60

|year humidity = 64.1

| source 1 = NOAA NCEI{{Cite web|url=https://www.nodc.noaa.gov/archive/arc0216/0253808/2.2/data/0-data/Region-2-WMO-Normals-9120/Iran/CSV/Bandarabbas_40875.csv|title=World Meteorological Organization Climate Normals for 1991-2020: Bandar Abbas|access-date=2 February 2024|website=ncei.noaa.gov|publisher=NOAA|format=CSV}}

| source 2 = IRIMO (records){{Cite FTP |url=ftp://ftp.atdd.noaa.gov/pub/GCOS/WMO-Normals/RA-II/IR/40875.TXT|server=National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration|title=Bandar Abbas 1961–1990|access-date=29 December 2012}}{{cite web|url=http://ogimet.com/cgi-bin/gsynres?ind=40875&ano=2021&mes=1&day=11&hora=18&min=0&ndays=30|title=40875: Bandarabbass (Iran)|author=|date=11 January 2021|website=ogimet.com|publisher=OGIMET|access-date=11 January 2021}}

| date = November 2011

}}

• Busan, South Korea.https://www.isna.ir/news/khalijefars-30291/بندرعباس-و-بوسان-کره-جنوبی-خواهر-خوانده-شدند/

File:Bandar Abbas night.jpgThe city is a producer of dates, citrus, tobacco and factory goods (such as canned tuna). Minerals such as yellowcake uranium from the Gchine (Gachin) mine is extracted by around 20 tonnes per year.{{Cite web|url=https://www.mindat.org/loc-301437.html|title=Gchine Uranium Mine (Gachin Uranium Mine; Bandar Abbas Uranium Mine), Bandar Abbas County, Hormozgan Province, Iran}} Bandar Abbas is the site of a Chinese-built cruise missile production facility for the manufacture and upgrade of Silkworm (CSS-N-2) cruise missiles.{{cite web|url=https://fas.org/nuke/guide/iran/facility/bandar_abbas.htm|title=Bandar Abbas N27°11' E56°16'|publisher=Federation of American Scientists|access-date=5 October 2014}}

Bandar Abbas exports transit goods, dates, citrus, tobacco, fishery. The city was formerly famous for its export of Iranian pottery, and was known in the west as "goombroon". "Goombroon ware" was the original porcelain imported to England from Goombroon in the early 20th century. It was later replaced by china ware imported from China. Kaolin was the mineral from which the porcelain was made.{{cite news |author= |date=2 May 2025 |title=Announcing the end of search and rescue operations in Shahid Rajaee Port |url=https://emroooz.ir/news/iran/bandarabbas/14636/%d8%a7%d8%b9%d9%84%d8%a7%d9%85-%d9%be%d8%a7%db%8c%d8%a7%d9%86-%d8%b9%d9%85%d9%84%db%8c%d8%a7%d8%aa-%d8%ac%d8%b3%d8%aa%d8%ac%d9%88-%d9%88-%d9%86%d8%ac%d8%a7%d8%aa-%d8%af%d8%b1-%d8%a8%d9%86%d8%af%d8%b1/ |access-date=5 October 2014 |newspaper=The Coast News |location=}}

File:Bandar Abbas International Airport 3.jpg

Bandar Abbas International Airport has capacity and facilities for handling large transport airplanes.

Bandar Abbas is accessible via the following highways:

• Bandar Abbas-Shiraz, {{convert|650|km}} to the northwest.

• 18px Bandar Abbas-Sirjan, {{convert|300|km}} to the north.
• Bandar Abbas-Kerman, {{convert|484|km}} to the north.
• Bandar Abbas-Zahedan, {{convert|722|km}} to the east.

Since 1993, Bandar Abbas has been the southern terminus of Islamic Republic of Iran Railways' main North–South corridor that links it to Yazd, Qom, Tehran and Qazvin to the north.{{Citation needed|date=August 2018}}

File:IA University. Bandar Abbas - panoramio.jpg

• Bandar Abbas University of Medical Sciences
• University of Hormozgan
• Islamic Azad University of Bandar Abbas
• Payame Noor University of Bandar Abbas
• Amir Kabir university of technology, Bandar Abbas Branch
• University of Applied Science and Technology, Bandar Abbas Branch

Aluminium Hormozgan is Bandar Abbas's main football team. The team was founded in 2006. In 2012 they were promoted to the Iran Pro League but after their first season there they were relegated back to the Azadegan League where they currently play. Bander Abbas also has a second less supported team, Shahrdari Bandar Abbas, which was founded in 2005 and is the municipality's team.{{Citation needed|date=August 2018}}

• 2005 Qeshm earthquake
• Bastak
• Bushehr
• Iran Air Flight 655
• ISOICO
• IRIS Bandar Abbas

{{clear}}

{{notelist}}

{{reflist}}

{{See also|Timeline of Bandar Abbas#Bibliography|l1=Bibliography of the history of Bandar Abbas}}

{{EB1911 poster|Bander Abbāsi}}

• {{commons category-inline}}
• [http://www.iranchamber.com/cities/bandar_abbas/bandar_abbas.php Bandar Abbas on Iran Chamber Society (www.iranchamber.com)]
• [https://web.archive.org/web/20071215024601/http://www.maroos.net/abbas.htm Bandar Abbas Port]
• [https://web.archive.org/web/20071024003217/http://www.hums.ac.ir/english/province/hormozgan%20english/bandar_abbas.htm www.hums.ac.ir/english/province/hormozgan english/bandar_abbas.htm]

{{Hormozgan Province|state=collapsed}}

{{Bandar Abbas County|state=collapsed}}

{{Provincial capitals of Iran}}

{{Dutch colonies|East India}}

{{Authority control}}

Category:Populated places in Bandar Abbas County

Category:Cities in Hormozgan province