"Gameroon" redirects here; not to be confused withCameroon.
Bandar Abbas has always been a port, and as such its various names have all reflected this function. The most common name over time wasGameroon, with various spellings. InHenry Yule'sdictionary of Anglo-Indian jargon two etymologies are given; the first derived fromgümrük, "customhouse" (from Late Greekkommerkion, from Latincommercium, "commerce"). The second, which Yule found much more convincing, comes from Persiankamrūn, "shrimp" (in Portuguese:camarão, similar to the former Portuguese name).[6] Its current name derives from that ofAbbas the Great[7] (r. 1588–1629) paired withbandar – "port", meaning "Port of Abbas".
The earliest record of Bandar Abbas is during the reign ofDarius the Great, the King of Kings of theAchaemenid Empire (between 522 and 486 BC). Darius's commander, Silacus, embarked from Bandar Abbas toIndia and theRed Sea.
DuringAlexander III of Macedon's conquest of the Achaemenid Empire, Bandar Abbas was known under the name ofHormirzad.
By the 16th century, Bandar Abbas was known asGamrūn to thePersians. In 1565, a European navigator called itBamdel Gombruc (that is,Bandar Gümrük, or "Customhouse Port"), citing this as the Persian andTurkish name. Bandar Abbas was conquered by the Portuguese in 1514, and was an important location to protect their commerce in thePersian Gulf andIndia.[8][9] They named the city Comorão, due to the presence of lobsters and crabs on its shores. In 1614, Comorão was taken by ShahAbbas the Great from the Portuguese and renamedBandar-e Abbas ("Port of Abbas"). Backed by theEnglish Navy, Abbas developed the city (known to the English-speaking world asGombraun) into a major port. By 1622, the Portuguese and English names had been officially combined to formCombrù orCombu, although the inhabitants still called it Bandar-e Abbas. SirThomas Herbert said the official English name wasGumbrown, but pronounced [gŏmrōōn]. He wrote in 1630 that "some (but I commend them not) write itGamrou, othersGomrow, and othersomeCummeroon."[This quote needs a citation] By the 1670s, the city was known asGameroon.
In 1622, Shah Abbas defeated Portuguese troops with the help ofEnglish troops and the Iranian commanderImam Quli Khan. In honour of this victory Gumbroon was renamed Bandar Abbas Port. In the current division of Bandar Abbas inHormozgan province and one of the most important strategic and commercial centre is in the vicinity of thePersian Gulf andOman Sea.
English and Dutchtrading posts in Bandar Abbas in 1704
In 1625, a combined Anglo-Dutch fleet attacked the Portuguese at Bandar Abbas and took control of the trade posts. Soon, theDutch 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 theAction of 29 January 1654. The Dutch remained in complete control until 1765.[10]
Between 1794 and 1868, Bandar Abbas was under the control of theSultanate 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 fromSadij toKhamir, and inland about 30 miles, as far asShamil. They also controlled the islands ofHormuz andQeshm. 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 ofShiraz. In 1845–1846, an army under the governor-general ofFars menaced Bandar to extort tribute, while another army under the governor ofKerman besiegedMinab. The Omanis threatened to blockade Persia, but theBritish resident at Bushir convinced them to back down.[11]
"Gombroon, or Bender-Abbas", illustration from 1862
The Persians recovered the city in 1854, while the sultan was in Zanzibar. Under British pressure following theAnglo-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.[11]
An earthquake in July 1902 damaged parts of the city, including the governor's house and the customs office, and nearbyQeshm Island.[12]
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 its infrastructure.[citation needed] 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] It has a population of 450,000 (2011 estimate).[13]
Bandar Abbas serves as a major shipping point, mostly for imports, and has a long history of trade with India, particularly the port ofSurat.
On 21 June, 2025 during theIran-Israel War the Israeli air force conducted airstrikes on the port aiming at drone storage sites and a weapons facility.[15]
At the time of the 2006 NationalCensus, the city's population was 367,508 in 89,404 households.[22] The following census in 2011 counted 435,751 people in 118,336 households.[13] The 2016 census measured the population of the city to be 526,648 people in 152,682 households.[3]
The city of Bandar Abbas has hosted allIranian ethnic groups. Most immigrants living in Bandar Abbas entered the city with the intention of taking up a job opportunity individually, but with the passage of time moved their families to Bandar Abbas. Iranians from the regions ofAzarbayejan,Kurdistan,Luristan,Baluchistan,Kerman,Yazd,Isfahan,Fars,Gilan andMazanadaran contribute to economy of the city.[23]
Bandar Abbas is situated on flat ground with an average altitude of 9 metres (30 ft)above sea level. The nearest elevated areas are Mt. Geno, 17 kilometres (11 mi) to the north, and Mt. Pooladi, 16 kilometres (9.9 mi) 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 thePersian Gulf, 10 kilometres (6.2 mi) east of the city. South of the city is the island of Qeshm.[citation needed]
Bandar Abbas has ahot desert climate (Köppen climate classificationBWh). Maximum temperature in summers can reach 49 °C (120 °F) while in winters the minimum temperature may drop to 5 °C (41 °F). The annual rainfall is around 170 millimetres (6.7 in) and the averagerelative humidity is 65%.
In the summer, Bandar Abbas sees some of the highest averagedew points of any city in the world, averaging 27 °C (81 °F) and frequently exceeding 30 °C (86 °F). As a result,heat indices generally top 50 °C (122 °F) for most days during the summer.[24][25] 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.
Climate data for Bandar Abbas (1991-2020, records 1957-2020)
Minerals such asyellowcake uranium from the Gchine (Gachin) mine in Bandar Abbas is extracted by around 20 tonnes per year.[30] Bandar Abbas is the site of a Chinese-builtcruise missile production facility for the manufacture and upgrade of Silkworm (CSS-N-2) cruise missiles.[31]
Bandar Abbas produces and exports transit goods, dates, citrus, tobacco, and fishery such as canned tuna. The city was formerly famous for its export of Iranian pottery, and was known in the west as "goombroon". "Goombroon ware" was the originalporcelain imported to England from Goombroon in the early 20th century. It was later replaced bychina ware imported from China.Kaolin was the mineral from which the porcelain was made.[32]
Aluminium Hormozgan is Bandar Abbas's main football team. The team was founded in 2006. In 2012 they were promoted to theIran Pro League but after their first season there they were relegated back to theAzadegan 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]
^Alsoromanized asBandar-e 'Abbās (Port of Abbas). Bandar Abbas has been romanized asBandar 'Abbās and asBandar 'Abbāsī. It has also been referred to asJaroon by the Arabs andCameron by the English. Bandar Abbas was formerly known asCambarão andPorto Comorão by Portuguese traders, asGombroon by English traders and asGamrun orGumrun by Dutch merchants[4]
^Bandar Abbas can be found atGEOnet Names Server, atthis link, by opening the Advanced Search box, entering "-3055107" in the "Unique Feature Id" form, and clicking on "Search Database".
^Donald Hawley: The Trucial States, Ardent Media, 1970, pp. 76.
^abLawrence 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.
^"Latest intelligence – Earthquake shocks on the Persian Gulf".The Times. No. 36824. 19 July 1902. p. 7.
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