Qeshm Travel Guide

Qeshm Island (In Persian Gulf)
By: Daniel T. Potts
Qeshm Island (per. Jazira-ye Qešm)is the largest island (ca. 122 km long, 18 km wide on average, 1,445 sq km) in the Persian Gulf, about 22 km south of Bandar-e 'Abbâs (q.v.). Separated from the mainland by the straits of Khurân (Clarence Strait), Qeshm runs virtually parallel to the Persian coast between Bandar-e 'Abbâs in the east and Bandar-(e) Lenga in the west (Sailing directions for the Persian Gulf, p. 123; Handbuch des Persischen Golfs, p. 155). 

The toponomy of the island has varied greatly over time. Nearchus referred to an island near the mouth of the Persian Gulf as Oaracta (e.g., Geog. 16.3.7; Pliny, Natural History 6.98), where, in Arrian's account, Nearchus was shown the tomb of Erythras (Goukowsky, p. 120), after whom the Erythraean Sea was thought to have been named (Arrian, Indica 27; cf. Oracta, Ooracta, Doracta). Portuguese sources refer to the island as Queiximi/ Queixome /Queixume (Tomaschek, p. 48; cf. Quesomo in Jean de Thevenot, and the Kichmichs of Sir John Chardin [Curzon, II, p. 410]), in which we easily recognize Qeshm. They also mention Broco/Boroch/Beroho/Brocto (Tomaschek, p. 48), which scholars have long (e.g., d'Anville, p. 149; Stein) identified with Greek Oaracta. (Curzon, II, p. 410, noted a village called "Brukth/Urukth" on Qeshm). 
The Akhbâr al-Sin wa'l-Hend (851 CE) mentions the island of Abarkâwân in the eastern Persian Gulf, between Sirâf and Muscat (Sauvaget, p. 7). This is identical to the island of Bani Kâwân, assigned by Abu Eshâq Estakhri to the district of Ardašir-khorra (q.v.; Estakhri, pp. 106-7), also known to Estakhri, Mas'udi and Ebn Hawqal as Lâft, (Schwarz, p. 82, n. 13). For Yâqut (Schwarz, p. 83) the isles of Kâwân and Lâft (or Lâfet) were one and the same; and L@âft survives as the name of the second largest town, historically, on Qeshm (Curzon, II, p. 411). According to Balâdori, Abarkâwân/Qeshm was reckoned part of Kermân, rather than Fârs, prior to the Islamic conquest, a point made plausible by the fact that when 'Othmân b. al-'As landed there at the beginning of the Islamic conquest, he encountered a margrave of Kermân (Schwarz, p. 83). Later lexicographers explained Abarkâwân as a corruption of Jazira-ye gâvân, (cow island); this is a folk etymology, which is reflected in Tabari's story of a commander in Khorasan who accused his soldiers of having ridden only cattle and donkeys on the isle of Banu Kâwân before he had turned them into competent cavalrymen (Schwarz, p. 83). Ebn Khordâdbeh identified the island of Banu Kâwân as a station between Kish and Hormuz on the sea-route to India and China and described its inhabitants as belonging to the 'Ebâdi sect (Sprenger, p. 79; Schwarz, p. 83). 
In 1301, the ruler of Hormuz, Bahâ'-al-Din Ayâz, moved his court and a large portion of his population to Qeshm following a Tartar attack (Piacentini, p. 112; Wilson, p. 104). From this period onward the island was an important dependency of the Kingdom of Hormuz, often providing drinking water to Hormuz itself (Steensgaard, pp. 195, 297). When the king of Hormuz, QotÂb-al-Din Tahamtan III Firuz Shah, abdicated in favor of his son, Saif-al-Din (1417-1436) in 1417, he retired to Qeshm (Piacentini, p. 99). Qeshm's status as a major Hormuzi mercantile center is shown by the fact that, in late September1552, the Turkish commander Piri Re'is raided it, seizing "a great quantity of goods, of gold and silver, and of cash ... the richest prize that could be found in all the world," according to a contemporary account (Özbaran, p. 81; Ökte, p. 157). 
In January 1619, Ruy Freire de Andrade left Lisbon for the Persian Gulf with orders to disperse the English, who had established a factory at Jâsk in 1616 (Boxer, p. 58), and to put pressure on the Persians, in part by dislodging the Persian garrison on Qeshm and building a Portuguese fort there (Boxer, p. 71; Slot, p. 107; Steensgaard, p. 312). Two thousand Portuguese soldiers, supported by 1,000 Hormuzi troops, landed on 7 May 1621. They drove off the Persians; and over the next five and a half months, they constructed a strong fort (Boxer, p. 72). Beginning in the winter of 1621/22, however, Emâm-qoli Khan of Shiraz for nine months blockaded the Portuguese garrison (but not their flotilla), under the command of Ruy Freire, in their recently constructed fort on Qeshm. His intention was to cut off water and supplies for Hormuz, the real object of the attack (Wilson, p. 144). The timely arrival at Jâsk on 24 December 1621 of an English East India Company squadron, due to collect silk for export, provided Emâm-qoli Khan with willing partners to assist in the expulsion of the Portuguese, in return for sole English custody over the castle of Hormuz, among other things (Boxer, p. 74). On 2 February 1622 five English guns were landed; and after fruitless negotiations between Ruy Freire and Edward Monnox, the English bombarded the fort. The garrison surrendered; Ruy Freire was sent off as prisoner in the Lion to Surat; and a Persian force was installed on the island (Boxer, pp. 77-78). The Arctic navigator, William Baffin, was killed in this action (Wilson, p. 146). 
Turning their attention to Hormuz, the Persians offered the Portuguese commander there Qeshm in return for 500,000 patacas and the port of Jolfâr on the Arabian coast; but the offer was rejected, and within a few months Hormuz itself was lost to the Persian and English forces (Slot, p. 116). The Persian position on Qeshm, however, was tenuous. During the winter of 1629/30 the island was raided by a large Portuguese force; and Portuguese trade revived, so much so that the Persians agreed to pay tribute to the Portuguese in return for continued use of Qeshm (Slot, p. 134). The death of Shah 'Abbâs, however, followed by the execution of Emâm-qoli Khan, put an end to these payments (Boxer, p. 144). Meanwhile, the Dutch were experiencing difficulties negotiating a trade agreement with the Persians, and in 1645 they attacked the Persian garrison on Qeshm (Wilson, p. 164; Slot, p. 151). Although unable to take the fort, the Dutch nevertheless succeeded in pressuring the Shah; and their trading position improved markedly. As late as 1673 however, the Portuguese continued to press their claims for tribute from the Persians for use of Qeshm (Slot, p. 204). Nevertheless, Qeshm would once again fall prey to the Dutch. As their trade in the late 1670s and early 1680s became increasingly unprofitable under existing conditions, the Dutch sent a squadron to Bandar-e 'Abbâs under Casembroot, who in 1683 captured Qeshm and its Persian garrison (Slot, p. 207). 
Meanwhile, the expansion of Oman led to war with Persia. Dutch records attest to Omani attacks on Qeshm in 1712 and 1717, when the island was overrun (Slot, pp. 235, 237). Even the Portuguese, assisting the Persians in 1719, could not nullify the burgeoning Omani naval power (Slot, p. 243). A treaty between Oman and Persia stipulated the return of Qeshm to Persian control in return for a berth on the island for use as a naval repair yard (Slot, p. 244). 
About this time, Sheikh Rašid, an Arab sheikh based at Bâsidu in western Qeshm, began to exert his influence by making Bâsidu an attractive center for trade and attempting to secure the office of š "governor of the port" in several of the mainland Persian ports (Slot, p. 252). By 1726, however, English traders accused Arab vessels cruising off Qeshm of attacking English shipping; they began boycotting Bâsidu even as they asserted the right to control all sea trade in the region (Slot, p. 262). The following year, Afghan forces pushed south to Bandar-e 'Abbâs, but Sheikh Rašid successfully negotiated peace, in return for hefty tribute, with the Afghan šahbandar Sayyed 'Ali (Slot, p. 263). Shortly thereafter, Sheikh Rašid was imprisoned by Zabardast Khan, the Afghan general, and Bâsidu was sacked. A sizable payment secured his release in February 1728; and now the English, having quarreled with Sayyed 'Ali, threatened to abandon Bandar-e 'Abbâs in favor of Bâsidu (Slot, p. 264). It was the Portuguese, however, who reappeared in 1729, seizing the customs house at Bâsidu and ransacking Sheikh Rašid's belongings, but by the following year the Portuguese were gone. Sheikh Rašid returned to Bâsidu, and the English remained in control of Qeshm (Slot, p. 266). Anxious to assist the Afghans at the expense of their Dutch trading rivals, the English willingly landed an Afghan force on Qeshm (Slot, p. 268). Early in 1729 an uprising was staged against the Afghans by the local population, and the English and Dutch failed to come to any agreement over the fate of Qeshm. In the end, Sheikh ˆabona, a pro-Afghan Arab living in eastern Qeshm, seized control of the island, decapitated some of the rebels, and sent the heads to Bandar-e 'Abbâs (Slot, p. 271). Afghan defeats in Persia created instability, however; and later in the same year 'Abd-Allâh b. Mas'ud, wakil of Muscat, raided Qeshm (Slot, p. 271). Meanwhile, Sheikh Rašid of Bâsidu supported the restoration of Shah Tahmâsp II; but when the Afghans were eventually routed, Rašid found himself blamed by Tahmâsp-qoli Khan's (Nâder Shah) English and Dutch allies for the escape of the Afghan forces to Arabia. The English arrested him, and the Dutch seized his ship; but intervention by Mirzâ Taqi, ex-governor of Shiraz and aide to Tahmâsp-qoli Khan, effected his release and return to Bâsidu (Slot, pp. 280-81). 
In 1741, as part of his wars on Oman, Nadir Shah order his governor in Bandar-e 'Abbâs to restore the fort on Qeshm (Slot, p. 315); but in 1755, eight years after Nâder Shah's assassination, his naval commander, Mollâ 'Ali-ˆah, supported by Qawâsem Arabs from the other side of the Persian Gulf, seized Qeshm from the Ma'in tribe, who then controlled it (Al-Qasimi, 1986, p. 26). Lâft was taken by the Sheikh of Ras al-Khaimah in 1756 (Slot, p. 25); and Qeshm effectively fell under Qawâsem control, strengthened in 1777 by the marriage of the Qawâsim Sheikh Saqr b. Rašid to the daughter of the Banu Ma'in chief (Al-Qasimi, 1986, p. 26). In 1793, however, Sayyed Soltân, the Imam of Muscat, occupied Qeshm and Hormuz (Badger, p. lvi), and struck a deal with the Persians which gave him control over Bandar-e 'Abbâs and its dependencies from Jâsk to Bandar-e Lenga (Oppenheim, p. 343). When the East India Company representative, John Malcolm, arrived in 1800 on a mission to bolster English trade in the region (Al-Rashid, p. 48; Al-Qasimi, 1986, p. 38), he found Qeshm under the control of a local Sheikh named Mollâ Hosayn, who paid tribute to the Imam of Muscat (cf. Kinneir, p. 14). Malcolm's report to the Earl of Mornington, dated 26 February 1800, singled out Qeshm as the ideal location for a trading base (Al-Qasimi, 1994, p. 14). Suspicions that the Banu Ma'in were in league with Muscat's enemies, the Qawâsem, led to an attack on Qeshm in 1806 by the Omanis, by now staunch allies of the English, and the restoration of the tributary relationship (Al-Qasimi, 1986, pp. 84-85). In spite of a treaty, Mollâ Hosayn was seized by Omani forces in 1807; and the East India Company's ship Alert sent to take possession of Qeshm. A Qawâsem counter-action led by Sheikh Soltân b. Saqr, however, succeeded in commandeering the fort on Qeshm and resisting the English assault (Al-Qasimi, 1986, p. 85). A year later John Malcolm entered into fruitless negotiations with Fath-'Ali Shah, seeking control of Qeshm, Hengâm, and Khârg for the East India Company. In 1809-10, as a reaction to the seizure of the Minerva in 1808 (Al-Qasimi, 1986, pp. 92 ff.), the Bombay Marine sailed to Qeshm in HMS Chiffonne on the pretext of expelling the Qawâsem 'pirates' (Horsburgh, p. 257). The inhabitants surrendered peacefully, and the island reverted to the Imam of Muscat (Wilson, p. 205). Ten years later Qeshm was the rendezvous point for a joint force, composed of the Bombay Marine, under the command of Major-General Sir William Grant Keir, and Sayyed Sa'id, the Sultan of Muscat (Wilson, p. 207), that effectively put an end to Arab competition in the Persian Gulf trade. As a result of the General Treaty of Peace signed on 8 January 1820, Bâsidu, called Bassadore in English accounts of the time (e.g., Danvers, p. 404) became the base of operations for the Bombay Marine (renamed the Indian Navy in 1830) in the Persian Gulf (Curzon, II, p. 411; Wilson, p. 208) until 1863 (Tuson, p. 8); and a hospital and other facilities were erected there (Whitelock, p. 178; Lorimer, IIA, p. 267). A detachment of sepoys was stationed at Bâsidu until 1879 (Curzon, II, p. 412), but by the late 19th century the British presence was reduced to a coal depot supervised by a Native Agent "responsible for the flag" (Lorimer, IIA, p. 267). In 1911/1912 the coaling depot was moved from Bâsidu to Henjâm (Tuson, 1979, p. 9). The population at the time was overwhelmingly Arab and was governed by a local sheikh, who was subordinate to the Persian authorities (Lorimer, IIB, p. 1558). 
The natural resources of Qeshm include salt (the purest in the Persian Gulf [Pilgrim, p. 129]), naphtha, and firewood. In the 1860s Qeshm exported blocks of salt to Muscat for re-export to Calcutta and east Africa; supplied "the whole circuit of the Persian Gulf with firewood"; and was still farmed on behalf of the Sultan of Muscat (Pelly, p. 266). It was no longer a major trading station, however, and went unmentioned in an official Dutch report on Persian Gulf trade in 1886 (Keun de Hoogerwoerd). In 1935 the British coaling station was abandoned at the request of Reza Shah (Kelly, p. 183). 
In 1989 the Qeshm Free Area Authority was established with the goal of attracting substantial infrastructure investment to expand industrial, banking and tourist facilities. With a population of around 85,000, Qeshm now has four designated industrial areas, half a dozen large towns, and over 50 villages. Qeshm is located in the midst of two of Iran's largest natural gas fields.

http://www.iranchamber.com/geography/articles/qeshm.php

I. INTRODUCTION

Qeshm (Persian: قشم - pronounced kē´shm or Jazireh-e-qeshm; Arabic: Jazirat At-tawilah, meaning "long island") is an island situated in the Strait of Hormuz off the south coast of Iran (Persia) and east of the Persian Gulf (26°50′N 56°0′E). It has an area of over 1295 km². Clarence Strait separates mainland Iran from Qeshm Island. The surface is mostly rocky and barren. It is Iran's largest and the Persian Gulf's largest island, Qeshm is almost 100 kilometres long. Explorer William Baffin was mortally wounded on Qeshm in 1622 AD during a battle against Portuguese forces. Qeshm island is also a free trade zone, which has made the island very important due to international trade.

II. BACKGROUND

Historically, Qeshm island dates back far into the pre-Islamic era. Names as Qeshm, Keshm, Kish and Tunb mark the lengthy stay of Elamites in the area several centuries before Christ's birth. It is, apparently, the island called Alexandria or Aracia by Ptolemy (Book 6, Chap. IV), in the 2nd century CE and as Alexandria by Ammianus Marcellinus (xxiii.6.42) in the 4th century. On account of its strategic geopolitical situation, near the mouth of the Persian Gulf it has been frequently attacked by invaders including Elamites, Omavids, Abbasids as well as the Portuguese and British, whose ravages are still evident. According to historical records, Qeshm Island has been famous as a trade and navigation centre. Its economy flourished during Dialameh and Al-e-Bouyeh eras, as trade vessels sailed between it and China, India and Africa.

III. ATTRACTIONS

Qeshm island is famous for its wide range of ecotourist attractions such as the Hara marine forests. According to environmentalists, about 1.5% of the world birds and 25% of Iran's native birds annually migrate to Hara forests which is the first national geo park.

An ancient Portuguese castle, historic mosques, Seyyed Mozaffar and Bibi Maryam shrines, various ponds and mangrove forests are among the tourism attractions in the island, which sits across the azure waters of the Persian Gulf. Several domes, salty caves, the preserved area in Shibderaz Village where turtles hatch as well as numerous ports and wharfs are among the tourist potentials of the island.

Fishing is a leading occupation practiced by the inhabitants of the island. On what little cultivated land there is, dates and melons are grown. Salt is mined on the south-eastern coast. The population of Qeshm Island is about 200,000. Nowadays, Qeshm attracts thousands of tourists every year due to natural beauties and modern malls. There are nice hotels and motels in the island. Hara Sea-Forest is a natural feature of tropical and subtropical forests and is one of the most beautiful attractions of Qeshm island.

Qeshm is also considered a supposed site of the Garden of Eden according to Cassells Bible.

IV. IRAN AIR FLIGHT 655

On July 3, 1988, an Iran Air Airbus A300 (Iran Air Flight 655) was shot down by a United States Navy guided missile cruiser USS Vincennes just south of the island, resulting in 290 civilian fatalities. The wreckage splashed down 2.5 kilometres off Qeshm's southern coast.

V. HARA FORESTS

The Hara forests is the common name for mangrove forests on the southern coast of Iran, particularly on and near the island of Qeshm in the Persian Gulf. Dominated by the species "Avicenna marina", known locally as the "Hara" or "Harra" tree, the forests represent an important ecological resource. The "Hara Protected Area" on Qeshm and the nearly mainland is a biosphere reserve where commercial use is restricted to fishing (mainly shrimp), tourist boat trips, and limited mangrove cutting for animal feed.

A. Hara Tree Characteristics

The hara tree, "Avicenna marina", grows to heights of three to eight metres and has bright green leaves and twigs. The tree is a salt-water plant that is often submerged at high tide. It usually blossoms and bears fruit from mid-July to August, with yellow flowers and a sweet almond-like fruit. The seeds fall into the water, where wave action takes them to more stationary parts of the sea. The hara seeds become fixed in the soil layers of the sea and grow. The area on the north shore of Qeshm and the neighbouring mainland is particularly suited to the growth of the plant, and large mangrove forests have developed.

The long, narrow, oval leaves of the tree have nutritious value for livestock roughly equivalent to barley and alfalfa. The roots of the tree are knee-form, aerial, sponge-like and usually external. There is a filtration property in the hara tree's bark which allows the plant to absorb sweet water while salt is eliminated.

B. Forest Extent and Significance

The hara forest on Qeshm and the opposite mainland covers an area of approximately 20 km by 20 km, with many tidal channels. The traditional stock breeders of Qeshm Island used the leaves of the hara tree for feeding livestock. In 1972 the Hara Protected Area was established to preserve suitable conditions for the growth and maintenance of the forests.

The area is a major habitat for migratory birds in the cold season, and for reptiles, fish, and varieties of arthropoda and bivalves. Green (or hooked) turtles and venomous aquatic snakes are also indigenous to the forests. Bird life includes herons, flamingos, pelicans, and angler eagles. Another important feature of these forests is the appropriate and suitable seabed conditions for the ovulation of fish in the Persian Gulf.

VI. LĀFT TOWN

Laft is a historical and ancient city which is dated to more than 2000 years ago. The natural view and scene of Laft is covered with green and verdant tropical trees, tall palm gardens, beside attractive and dazzling beauty of the sea and floating Hara forests that draw the newcomer's attention. The architectural style of the houses of Laft are very amazing and attractive. The most obvious architectural features of the houses is their various windbreaks (windtowers) that are in different size. The people of Laft constructed (and now are still remaining) them for making the inner space of the building cool in summers. The buildings of Laft are constructing near each other with winding and narrow alleys. These buildings are located at gardens and Palm gardens which are doubled the beauty and magnificence of the coastal complex of Laft .Beside the admirable nature of the Laft Complex, there are some Historical monuments that are valuable such as Naderi Castle (square shaped castle with four towers), two rounded dome-like reservoirs, burial ground which some of its inscriptions are dated to 1000 years ago, the Shrines ofSeyyed Hassan Mansur, Sheikh Tousi, and Sheikh Andarabi. Behind the Laft castle, in the crater near the castle, based on the Leap year in Iran (each 4 years, one day is added to the total days of the year), 366 Tala (Golden) wells were dug for gathering the rainwater. Some Historians believe that these wells are related to Achaemenian and Sassanian dynasties. At Laft harbour, there is a dock which is related to Median, Achaemenian, and Sassanian dynasties. This dock is about 130 m long and the main seabed thick of about 7m. The walls at the dock are about 3m that are made up bevelled stones. Across from Laft and Khamir harbours, there is a very small Island which is named Sheikh Andarabi. Some parts of this small Island are covered with water at the high tide time. The distance between Laft harbour and Sheikh Andarabi Island can be covered with a speedboat in less than 5 minutes. At the north margin of Sheikh Andarabi Island, the surface of the land is lower than other parts of the Island and there are lots of Hara trees. At the southeast margin of the Island there is a famous dome which is popular as the Shrine of Sheikh Andarabi or Qadamgah-e Sheikh (footprint of Sheikh). At the low tide, the size of the island is expanded, and at the high tide, the size of it becomes less than before, because the seawater covers the majority parts of the Island. Nowadays, nobody lives there, and fishermen and sailors are still respecting this island.

http://travels.sfsepehr.com/qeshm.html

Qeshm Island- NASA

Qeshm Island - NASA (June 19, 2001)

Qeshm Island - NASA (December 14, 1998)

Qeshm Island - NASA (Octber 21, 1995)

Qeshm Island - NASA (Octber 21, 1995)

Qeshm Island - NASA (1993)

Qeshm Island, Channel - NASA (1993)

Qeshm Island, Channel - NASA (1993)

Source: Gateway to Astronaut Photography of Earth at NASA Johnson Space Center.