The Kingdom of Ormus, located within the Persian Gulf and extending as far as the Strait of Hormuz, had been established by Arab princes in the tenth century who in 1262 come under the suzerainty of Il-Khanid Persia.

The kingdom receives its name from the fortified port city which serves as its capital, one of the most important ports in the Middle East as it controls sea lanes through the Persian Gulf to India and East Africa.

This port is probably located on the island of Hormoz, which is located near the modern city of Bandar-e Abbas.

The city-state of Ormus controls the slave market from Africa and Arabia to Khorasan in Persia.