Brian Ulrich Informed Comment
During the past seven months, the world has seen the significance of the Strait of Hormuz, a crucial chokepoint not only for oil, but natural gas, fertilizer, food for the Gulf states, and other industrial materials. That strait actually takes its name from a city and kingdom which once dominated the strait and the trade between the Persian Gulf and wider Indian Ocean. The history of that Kingdom of Hormuz can help us understand elements of what is happening now and what may come next.
A port called Harmozeia was known to the Greeks in the days of Alexander the Great. In the early Islamic centuries, from the conquests of the 600’s and with increasing mentions after 1000, the port city of Hormuz at or near modern Minab, the same place where on the first day of the current war, the United States struck a girls’ elementary school, killing 120 students and dozens of others.
During the 1200s, Hormuz was frequently threatened by Central Asian nomads who entered Iran as part of the Mongol conquests led by the successors of Genghis Khan. Because of this, around 1300, the ruler of Hormuz moved the city to the island which bears the name “Hormuz” today. This island location gave it a wide natural moat which protected it from political turmoil on the mainland.
Also during the 1200s, Hormuz began taking territory along the coast of what is now Oman. Today, negotiating passage through the Strait can involve passing through Omani rather than Iranian waters. Hormuz, however, came to control both sides, with a significant second city at Qalhat, today an archaeological site outside of the modern Omani port of Sur. This allowed it to monopolize passage between the Persian Gulf and the rest of the Indian Ocean world.
At its height, Hormuz had a population of 50,000, and was known as a wealthy trade emporium with merchants from throughout much of the Eastern Hemisphere and any product one might desire. It maintained its dominance with its navy, and sought to restrict ship-building materials to potential rivals….
https://scheerpost.com/2026/10/10/the-strait-of-hormuz-in-world-history-the-present-crisis
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