Some 750m to the north of the harbour is the famous Portuguese Sea Fort, probably the most impressive and ambitious colonial fortress built in Iran. Centuries of neglect have seen much of the original structure crumble into the sea, but the thick, muscular-looking walls and rusting cannons give it a haunting beauty.
From the port, walk along the waterfront until you reach the fort’s walls then continue to walk with them to your left. When they stop, turn left and walk past a row of abandoned ship-building structures until you come to the castle entrance on the tip of the cape.
The archway opens onto a wide courtyard facing the sea. On the right as you enter is the ancient armoury. In the middle of the courtyard is a subterranean church that has some splendid vaulted ceilings. Before following the path marked by stones up onto the ramparts, you can visit the ground-floor room of the watchtower if the door is open. Higher up is another door to the submerged ‘water supply’, a surprisingly deep and impressive cistern circled by an elevated interior walkway. The crumbling upper levels of the castle offer fine views back over the village to the starkly beautiful mountains, all surrounded by the blue Gulf waters; it’s a nice spot to sit, soak up the silence and let your mind wander back a few hundred years.
Officially there is an US$0.20 entrance fee, but in four trips we’ve yet to find anyone to take our money. Beware the local urchins selling a motley array of souvenirs at the entrance – they’ve been known to throw stones at visitors who don’t buy their wares.
