Old Hormuz The earliest period of the history of the kings of Hormuz starts with the emigration of
Muhammad Diramku from Oman to the Iranian coast in the 11th century and lasted until the transfer of the capital to
Hormuz island at the turn of the 14th century. During this period Hormuz enjoyed a long period of autonomy under the suzerainty of kings of Iran from the foundation of the kingdom in the 11th century to the coming of the Portuguese. Notable events of this period include power struggles between the numerous emirs of Hormuz and the surrounding region and the sustaining of the economic status of Hormuz. In the medieval period, the kingdom was well known as an international emporium controlling both sides of the
Persian Gulf and much of the coastal area of the
Arabian Sea. These shifts in power marked the end of the [Persian] Gulf's heyday, but the island ports of Qays and then the mainland port of Hormoz (at first tributary to Persia) became renowned entrepôts. The Hurmuzî rulers developed Qalhat on the Omani coast in order to control both sides of the entrance to the Persian Gulf. Later, in 1300, the Hurmuzî merchants cast off Persian overlordship, and reorganized their entrepot on the island also called Hurmuz and there amassed legendary wealth. The relationship between the Nabâhina and the Hurmuzîs is obscure".
New Hormuz The start of the reign of Emir Rukn Al-Din Mahmud Qalhati (r. 1249–1286) saw the beginning of a new period in the history of Hormuz. This period was generally characterised as seeing Hormuz cutting dependence ties with
Kerman and the
Salghurids (located in
Fars) and instead projecting power to the direction of
Bahrain and
Oman. At the time of the
Ilkhanid competition with the
Chaghatais, the old city of Hormuz, also known as Nabands and Dewankhana, was abandoned by its inhabitants. Instead, in 1301, the inhabitants, led by the king Baha ud-Din Ayaz and his wife Bibi Maryam, moved to the neighbouring island of Jerun. In the early 15th century, Hormuz was one the kingdoms that was visited by the Chinese expeditionary fleet commanded by Admiral
Zheng He during the
Ming treasure voyages and was the final destination of the fleet during the fourth voyage.
Ma Huan, an interpreter serving in the crew, described Hormuz society in a positive light in the
Yingya Shenglan, writing for example about the people that "the limbs and faces of the people are refined and fair [...] and they are stalwart and fine-looking; their clothing and hats are handsome, distinctive and elegant." In the fighting for Bahrain, most of the combat was carried out by Portuguese troops, while the Hormuzi admiral,
Reis Xarafo, looked on.The Portuguese ruled Bahrain through a series of Hormuzi governors. However, the
Sunni Hormuzi were not popular with Bahrain's
Shia population which suffered religious disadvantages, prompting rebellion. In one case, the Hormuzi governor was
crucified by rebels, and Portuguese rule came to an end in 1602 after the Hormuzi governor, who was a relative of the Hormuzi king, started executing members of Bahrain's leading families. The kings of Hormuz under Portuguese rule were reduced to vassals of the Portuguese empire in India, mostly controlled from Goa. The archive of correspondence between the kings and local rulers of Hormuz, and some of its governors and people, and the kings of Portugal, contain the details of the kingdom's disintegration and the independence of its various parts. They show the attempts by rulers such as
Kamal ud-Din Rashed trying to gain separate favour with the Portuguese in order to guarantee their own power. This reflects in the gradual independence of
Muscat, previously a dependency of Hormuz, and its rise as one of the successor states to Hormuz. After the Portuguese made several abortive attempts to seize control of Basra, the
Safavid ruler
Abbas I of Persia conquered the kingdom in 1622 with the help of the English, and expelled the Portuguese from the rest of the
Persian Gulf, with the exception of
Muscat. The Portuguese returned to the
Persian Gulf in the following year as allies of
Afrasiyab (the
Pasha of Basra) against the Persians. Afrasiyab was formerly an
Ottoman vassal but had been effectively independent since 1612. They never returned to Hormuz. In the mid-17th century it was captured by the
Imam of Oman, but was subsequently recaptured by Persians. Today, it is part of the
Iranian province of
Hormozgan. ==Population and administration ==