Hengam Island
Hengam Island is one of Iran’s islands in the Persian Gulf, with small settlements with an area of about 50 square kilometers, located in the south of Qeshm Island in Hormozgan province, and it has salt, soil and lead mines.
The fame of Hanga is mostly due to its natural and amazing attractions. One of these attractions is the presence of dolphins in the waters near the coast of this island. Also, having edible red soil and the presence of special plant and animal species in this area and special carved stones that have been shaped into interesting shapes by nature are among the other wonders of this island. It is about 2 kilometers away from Qeshm beach.
Nake
Hangama in ancient Persian means time, time and time. This word consists of two parts “Hen” and “Gam”. In the past, the name of this island was more commonly known as Hanjam or Hanyam.
History of Hemgan Island
Due to its important geographical location in the middle of the Persian Gulf and near the Strait of Hormuz and Qeshm Island, this island has great strategic and military importance and has always been occupied by many people throughout history. For this reason, the history of the island is mostly related to the occupations of many governments.
In the same way, the Portuguese occupied the island during the Safavid era and the British during the Qajar era. Of course, the British government always acknowledged the Iranian government’s ownership of the region, but in practice, the presence of the military at the region prevented the Iranian government from exercising its sovereignty over this part of its country. In addition to the British military presence at the time, the Arab sheikhs of the Bani Falasi tribe and the Sunni religion were also present at the time and ruled over this island.
The Sultan of Muscat also had a claim on the island and while visiting this island, he tried to dominate it. In the meantime, the British government, although its military presence at the time was authorized by the Iranian government and acknowledged the sovereignty of the Iranian government at the time, but it implicitly supported the disobedience of Sheikh Hemga towards the Iranian government and the interventions of the Sultan of Muscat at the time. The British government tried in various ways to stand against the Iranian government’s sovereignty.
Such a situation remained until 1307, until some time after the beginning of Reza Shah’s reign and in May 1307, the Iranian government tried to exercise sovereignty over Hemga Island. On the 20th of Ordibehesht1307, three Iranian military ships named: Gilan, Azarbaijan and Pahlavi, under the command of Sakhloi Bandar Abbas, set out to capture Hamgam and liberate this island from British military occupation.
On the 19th of Aban, 1311, the British Embassy in Tehran sent a note to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Iran asking the Iranian government to abandon the demand for the evacuation of the British soldiers and ships from Hamga Island. Of course, this request will not be effective and the British military will be forced to leave the island and the sovereignty of the Iranian government will be fully applied to this island.
Geography of Hemgan Island
Island view
This island is two kilometers southeast of Qeshm Island and is nine kilometers long and six kilometers wide. It has an area of 33.6 square kilometers and is in the shape of an incomplete cone located on the southern shores of Qeshm Island. Its distance to Bandar Abbas is about 43 nautical miles and to Qeshm city is about 29 nautical miles. This island has low limestone heights and its highest point is Mount Knox with a height of 106 meters. Its longest diameter is 9 km from “Old Hemga Village” to “New Hemga Village”.
Political divisions
In terms of the political divisions of Hormozgan province, Hemaga Island is part of the Shahab section of Qeshm County and as one of the villages of this city, with the center of the new Hemaga Village. There are three settlements on the island: New time (Mashi), old time and Qeel (Qeel). The new one is located in the northern part of the island and has a beach market and a restaurant. The facilities of the island, including the wharf, police station, fresh water factory, post office and school are also located in the new area.
In contrast to the new village of Hemga, the other two villages, Qil and Old Hemga, do not have large populations and are located in the southern part of Hemga. Qeel is located between the old and new times and in a hollow, which causes a lot of water to collect in this village, which is why it is called Qeel. In the old days, which is the southernmost village of the island, it has lost its population and prosperity, and today there are few people living there who are engaged in fishing.
Anthropology
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About 50 years ago, a group of Arabs lived in the village of Ghail and Hemgan, all of whom migrated to the UAE. Also, the old ruler of Hemgan was Sheikh Ahmed bin Obaid Al Sharara Al Falasi, who is the uncle of Sheikh Saeed Bin Maktoum Al Maktoum Al Falasi, the former ruler of Dubai. Due to many differences and harsh conditions, a group of original natives who had a Gulf Arabic accent migrated from this island. And they were engaged in fishing, animal husbandry and pearl fishing
The economic activity in Hengama Island, which most of the inhabitants have been engaged in for a long time, has been fishing, and now selling oysters, producing handicrafts, and serving tourists in local restaurants and ecotourism accommodations are also among the activities of the island’s people. Breeding fish and shrimp in cages is also one of the aquaculture activities of Hamgam Island.
transportation
Every day, boats are moving between Shibdraz and Kendaloi Qeshm, between this island and Hamgam. Shibdaraz has the shortest distance from Hemaga Island and is the place where tourists come and go to Hemaga Island. Transportation on the island is not very advanced and most of the local residents use private cars to transport passengers.
Attractions
The wildlife of Hemga Island, especially dolphins, jabirs, eagle-nosed turtles, and Egyptian tortoises, are among the attractions of this island. The silver beach of the island, which has become this color due to the presence of some shiny minerals, is also one of the other attractions of the island. At some times of the year, at night, the coast of the island turns phosphorescent blue due to the presence of phytoplankton.
The shipwreck of the Portuguese is also an attraction related to the Safavid era. The new traditional market of Hemga is also a place to sell handicrafts, local oils, spices and pickles of the natives of Hemga. There are stones of a mother and daughter near the village of Qil. According to local legends, when a mother and daughter run away from oppressors and do not get caught, they ask God for help, and God also stones them to stay safe from oppression.
