File:Welcoming Castellan!.jpg

Our 4th day started with a small trip to <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hrmoz_Island">Hormoz island</a> - a small and beautiful island very close to <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bandar_Abbas">BandarAbbas</a>.

We started our Hormoz journey with viewing Portuguese castle, which is one of most famous ancient buildings of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hormozg%c4%81n_Province">Hormozgan province</a>.

The Portuguese castle in <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hrmoz_Island">Hormoz island</a> is one of the greatest monuments near <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bandar_Abbas">BandarAbbas</a>. It was built in 1507 on order of admiral Alfonso Albokurk, Portuguese commander of the region. They built the castle using local people as slaves and the building process lasted 30 years.

As you can see on geotagged map (zoom to highest level), the castle is built at furthermost point of northern cape of Hormoz island - the most strategic location of the region, to guarantee the Portuguese rulership of the strait and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bandar_Abbas">BandarAbbas</a> port.

The castle includes a large sweet water reservoir (the most in need part at such hot weather and salty water!), some depots, lots of barracks with arc shaped roofs, a big prison including some nested rooms, a very beautiful church built of corals, some great hall, a bunch of forts, and a luxe commander seat.

Finally this castle conquered and captured by Iranian soldiers under commandment of Imam Gholi Khan in 1622, in <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Safavid_dynasty">Safavid era</a>.

Let's enter the castle, here is the inner gate of castle opening to the main yard.

This shot is related to my day by day itinerary of our journey to Hormozgan, during <a href="http://upcoming.yahoo.com/event/418807/">7th Iranian Flickr Gathering: Hormozgan</a>.