Close to the Arab World and, through the Sea of Oman, open to the oceans of Asia, Bandar _ e  Abbas is the natural maritime outlet for Iran. On the beach of the Village of Tiab, some 100 km farther east, Porcelain shards of great antiquity may be found, showing that the Chinese had known this sea route. Its significant today is enhanced by the modern docks. Cargoes of all nationalities call at the port to unload cement and cereals, motor vehicles and machinery.

Another Local tradition, which is bound to disappear within a very few years, are the masks worn by some old women. They are fairly hideous, semi - rigid contraptions, surrounding eyes and cheek - bones and covering the nose. They remind one of the facial armor worn by the Greek soldiers of Antiquity. But although this coastal area must have witnessed the homeward march of Alexander's exhausted columns, it would be too bold perhaps to trace these masks back to Alexander's soldiers! The Iranians maintain that no religious taboo explains the wearing of these masks: rather is it a fashion which originates from the period of the Portuguese occupation when ladies wished to walk about unrecognized or simply to protect their complexion from the scorching sun.

A few hundred yard out at sea scores of fishing barges and small Arab sailing boats, with tall prows and forecastles reminiscent of another age, seem to be looking on indifferently. Their somber silhouettes resemble the outlines of a fortress on the island of Qeshm after which they have been named. A considerable part of the local population lives on the proceeds of its fishing activities. They still employ the traditional net, but soon modern methods of preservation and transport will permit Iranian coastal fishing to be extended and brought up - to date. The drying sheds worked by wood smoke which the Danes installed a long time ago are now shown in the curing plants as mere museum pieces. Meanwhile the animal life of those warm seas, not yet overly polluted despite the presence of oil - tankers, is being studied in specialized laboratories. The great damp heat does not start before May and becomes unbearable only between June and September. The beaches are covered with silky sand, cleansed by fairly ample tides. Their gentle slope provides a safe playground for children.