The castle of the Portuguese

The Portuguese castle is located to the north of the island and close to the coasts. The castle was built in 1507 by order of the well-known navigator Alfonse de Albuquerque who occupied the islands at the entrance of the Persian Gulf, thus taking the artery that connected India and Europe. The Portuguese succeeded in holding this maritime passage in their hands for 110 years and to do so they built castles and fortresses that today are found not only in Qeshm but also in other Iranian islands. The castle in Qeshm covers an area of ​​over 2 thousand square meters and is made of limestone and was fortified and rebuilt over a century for well 4 times. The castle has 4 towers and there are cannons and catapults and a large warehouse that served to keep the ammunition. This fortress has two walls and in the four corners is equipped with guard towers. In 1623 this castle and the other Portuguese fortresses in the Persian Gulf were conquered by the Safavid rulers who have since dominated the Iranian rule over the Strait of Hormuz.