One of the reasons of my trip to Iran was to meet the masked women. I have heard that bandari (literally “people of the port”) females around the Persian Gulf wear a mask to cover the eyes and the face giving them a mysterious look. Even I had been informed that they are a close group and difficult to portray I couldn't resist to visit the place. I stayed in Qeshm, Hengam and Hormuz islands and in Minab city for the Thursday market and after a while and spending time there I got in touch with many friendly and open bandari women who explain to me about the tradition of wearing a mask. The function is double, on one side it has a religious meaning but also it is used is to get protection from the sun that is very strong in the area. They explain that local people can recognize which village the women come from or which ethnic belongs to because of the shape and the color of the masks. Even less bandari women wear it everyday, still many of them continuos with a tradition that goes back in time for centuries.