The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1882-07-14
Ornlus.

A visit TO the site of the city of
Ormus, on the Persian Gulf, and famed
in song snd story as once the possessor
OF fabulous wealth. was to US one of
considerable interest, for we had, in
expectation of the visit, taken the trou-
BILE to learn something about its early
history. No written account of the
origin and rise of Ormus is now extant,
and but little is known of the story Of
its fall. Even in the matter of its age,
authorities differ more than q thousand
years. The Greek historians give the
date as early as 800 B. c., while others
claim it was not founded until the fourth
century A. ID. However this may be,
it is certain that at one time the site of
one Of the richest cities of the east, sit
uated at the mouth of the Persian Gulf,
the great thoroughfare through which
most of the trade between the Levant
and the Indies then passed, it may be
said to have once commanded the COM
merce Of the eastern world. No vessel
was permitted to enter or pass out of
the gull, which here narrows to thirty
miles, without paying tribute to the
city of Ormus. By this means, aided,
it is said. by practical cruises of its
people against the neighboring coasts
of Persia and Arabia, it became the
most important port in the Orient, and
rose TO the highest rank as a city.
About four hundred years ago it fell
captive to the then enterprisipg Portu-
gese, who built strong stone fort upon
the island, and otherwise strengthened
tho IN, mort a mr. poot. n rau coDp raf N Lav,
by the Persians, assisted by an English
feet, and since that time has gradually
fallen into state of ruins. But, aside
from the ruined city, which covers only
the level part of the island, three or
four square miles Of surface.
Ormus Is a place Of peculiar
interest. 1t contains about twelve
square miles, and, as we approach from
seward, presented mass of sharp,
conical hills, from one hundrd to six
hundred feet high, all covered with an
almost unbroken crust of crystallized
salt, which glittered in the morning
sunlight like cones of polished silver.
Our Captain was kind enough to delay
his steamer while we paid visit to the
ruins. We went ashore soon after SUM-
rise, and were thus enabled to spend
two or thee hours on the island before
the heat became oppressive. 1t was
hard to realize, as we wander over the
site of the city, that its now deserted
and scarcely traceable streets were once
thronged with human life, and that its
leveled buildings had been occupied by
people who could justly boast Of their
wealth and enlightenment, and of the
magnifcence of their capital. The old
fort-new in comparison with the city
proper-is still in a tolerable state of
preservation, but not single building
of the city itself remains standing.
Numerous piles of ruins, remains of
aqueducts, towers, etc., and few stone
pillars half buried in the debris, give
some indication of the city's former
greatness. In the suburbs of the city
we came across q number of tombs dug
in the earth and covered with substan-
tial stone arches. The inscriptions
showed them to have been built by the
Portuguese nearly four hundred years
agO.-COr. Cicd1O Times.