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My trusty fixer, Amin, found a tuk tuk driver and within an hour we’d rented a house with courtyard just back from the ocean – for less than $20 a night.
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Pressures of city life and prying eyes of authority have developed an outdoor culture among Iranians, actually dating back to the Shah’s oppressive regime. They come to explore the island – camp, swim and relax.
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Most arrivals were young adventurous couples or mixed groups of friends that commonly travel around the country. I was curious to see how an island mind-set transposes itself on revolutionary Iran. Fishing remains the main source of income across the Persian Gulf islands, and people here maintain a traditional, humble lifestyle. The freshness of salt fused air, beauty of the sunsets and hypnotic rhythm of lapping waves can’t fail to create calmness.
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We couldn’t be further – physically or mentally – from the gridlock and pollution of Tehran. There are no roads on Hormuz Island, making tuk tuks ideal for chugging along the ferrous red tracks that wind through the colourful rock formations. The weekend was approaching so business was brisk, with Iranians squeezing themselves and their belongings into tuk tuks and heading off to stay in local houses for a couple of nights.
#Rainbow island iran why drivers#
Equally unexpected was the sound-clash of Iranian dance tunes as drivers competed for customers by showing off their on-board sound systems. I was the sole westerner among a hundred of so Iranians taking the thrice daily ferry to this hidden paradise, which at times seems to operate beyond the grasp of their regime.Ī homely surprise awaited as I was greeted from the pier by a parade of pimped-up Chinese tuk tuks, gently touting for business. Their subliminal Islamic guidance, this time, is juxtaposed upon the palm fringed beaches of Hormuz – the ‘Rainbow Island’ – one of the southernmost outposts of Iran. The form and unusual colors of the domed settlement make it an incredible piece of architecture, but the contextual and cultural meaning behind the build make it even more appropriate for the unique Hormuz Island.Despite being five miles from the Iranian mainland the ubiquitous frowns of Khomeini and Khamenei – the Supreme Leaders – still bear down on us from a sign as we disembark the local ferry. By using this simple construction process, locals are able to build their own accommodations and ultimately learn a new skill. Presence in Hormuz achieves the last principle by using a construction technique called “ SuperAdobe.” This variation of the rammed earth technique, which is another significant measure of keeping the build contextual, was first developed by Iranian American architect Nader Khalili. These include an economical building process to avoid financially straining the client empowering local craftsmanship by utilizing more of the construction budget on labor, as opposed to building materials a flexible proposal that can easily adapt to new scenarios and the use of building materials and labor from local Iran to benefit the community and reduce cost. They claim that there are four main built principles necessary to create social change. “In a country where the state struggles with political disputes outside its borders,” ZAV Architects continues, “every architectural project becomes a proposal for internal governing alternatives, asking basic questions: what are the limits of architecture and how can it suggest a political alternative for communal life? How can it attain social agency?” The architects further questioned the way architecture can provide agency to its users.