TEHRAN - Archaeological investigations in southern Iran have uncovered evidence suggesting that the Parthian Empire established a strategic naval base near the Strait of Hormuz around 2,000 years ago, highlighting Iran's historical role in monitoring one of the world's most important maritime trade routes, a local archaeologist said.

Hossein Hosseinzadeh-Shahabi, an author and archaeologist from Hormozgan province, said recent excavations and field studies in Minab county have revealed remains of a Parthian-era fortress that appears to have served as a naval installation overseeing maritime traffic through the Strait of Hormuz.

According to Hosseinzadeh-Shahabi, the findings shed new light on Iran's role in securing and supervising commercial shipping routes linked to the ancient Silk Road, one of the most significant trade networks connecting the East and West during antiquity.

He said the Silk Road consisted of both overland and maritime routes. The land corridor stretched from China across the Iranian Plateau and through the ancient city of Rhagae or Ray, near present-day Tehran, before continuing toward Mesopotamia, Anatolia and the Roman Empire. At the same time, maritime trade routes connected China and India to the Persian Gulf, enabling goods to reach western markets.

The newly identified archaeological remains are located in the Nakhl-e Ebrahimi area of Minab, a county in Iran's southern Hormozgan province. Archaeologists have also documented an ancient inlet known as Kahur Langar-e Chini Creek, extending from the Tiyab region of Minab toward the fortress site.
Hosseinzadeh-Shahabi said the combination of archaeological excavations, comparative studies and field surveys suggests that the fortress performed a function beyond that of a conventional settlement.

"The evidence indicates that the site served as a strategic naval base used for equipping and dispatching Iranian fleets to the Strait of Hormuz," he said.

Researchers believe the installation was established to monitor maritime routes and supervise commercial vessels operating along the Maritime Silk Road. These ships transported goods from major production centers in Asia, particularly China and India, to markets farther west.

The findings, Hosseinzadeh-Shahabi said, demonstrate that Iranian authorities understood the geopolitical and economic significance of the Strait of Hormuz nearly two millennia ago and developed infrastructure aimed at maintaining oversight of a critical trade corridor.

He noted that the Roman Empire, one of Iran's principal economic and political rivals during the period, sought to establish more direct access to eastern sources of silk, spices and precious stones without relying on routes passing through Iranian territory.

In that context, the establishment of naval facilities and the monitoring of strategic waterways formed part of a broader policy intended to safeguard Iran's economic interests and preserve its position within international trade networks, the archaeologist said.

The discoveries in Minab contribute to a growing body of evidence regarding Iran's maritime history and commercial activities during the Parthian period, which lasted from approximately 247 BC to CE 224.
The findings provide deeper insight into the historical importance of the Strait of Hormuz, which has long served as a key junction for regional and international trade. The waterway remains one of the world's most strategically significant maritime passages, linking the Persian Gulf to global shipping routes. Moreover, it offers new perspectives on the role of ancient Iran in managing and protecting trade flows through the region, while highlighting the long-standing geopolitical significance of the Strait of Hormuz in global commerce.
AM