TEHRAN -- A team of archaeologists has recently rediscovered Old Hormuz Port, which was lost for 700 years, the Persian service of CHN reported on Wednesday.

Team director Siamak Sarlak said that archaeological studies led to the discovery of evidence of Old Hormuz in the region, some 11 kilometers from Minab, adding, “The region contains several connected sites which stretch to the beach in Hormozgan Province.

“Many believed that modern Minab was the same Old Hormuz which was invaded 700 yeas ago by the Mongols and replaced Old Hormuz after its commercial decline. But geological studies indicate that Minab has had the same location for 10,000 years and was never located near the beach, whereas Old Hormuz was famous for the commercial trade of its port.”

According to Sarlak, expert studies show that the northern part of Minab was used by the merchants of Old Hormuz during summertime, since it enjoyed a good climate, but the central part of Old Hormuz was near the Strait of Hormoz.

The old travelogues described Hormuz as a port with brisk trade, and the descriptions of the merchants of those days do not match the city of Minab, Sarlak said.

Some of the major characteristics of Old Hormuz Port were its direct trade links with the Persian Gulf and the Oman Sea, the fact that ships easily came and went, and its trade exchanges with commercial centers like Venice, eastern North Africa, the southern part of the Persian Gulf, and Indochina.

Old Hormuz lost its status after the Mongol invasion when the local rulers abandoned the port and transferred their headquarters to present-day Hormoz.

“Of course, Old Hormuz continued its trade activities until the Qajar era, but could never regain its former status,” Sarlak said in conclusion.