Kish Island

Iranian resort island in the Persian Gulf

Not to be confused with Qeshm Island.

Place in Hormozgān Province, Iran

Kish Island

جزیره‌ی کیش

Kish

Clockwise from top:
Marjan beach, Harireh old city, Morvarid Bazaar, Dariush Grand Hotel, Greek Ship, Toranj Marine Hotel

Nickname:

Pearl of the Persian Gulf

Kish Island

Show map of Iran

Kish Island

Show map of Persian Gulf

Coordinates: 26°32′N 53°58′E﻿ / ﻿26.533°N 53.967°E﻿ / 26.533; 53.967
Country| Iran
Province| Hormozgān Province
Government

• Type| Iran
• Head of Free-Trade Zone| Gholam-Hossein Muzaffari
Area

• Land| 91.5 km2 (35.3 sq mi)
Population

(2016)

• Total| 39,853
Time zone| UTC+3:30 (IRST)
Website| Kish Free Zone Organization
Hormozgan Province

Kish (Persian: کیش listenⓘ, historically known as Qeys[1]) is a 91.5-square-kilometre (35.3 sq mi) resort island in Bandar Lengeh County, Hormozgan Province, off the southern coast of Iran in the Persian Gulf. Owing to its free trade zone status, the island is touted as a consumer's paradise, with numerous malls, shopping centers, tourist attractions, and resort hotels.[2] It has an estimated population of around 140,000 residents and about 12 million visitors annually.[3]

Kish Island is one of the most-visited vacation destinations in the Middle East, after Dubai and Sharm el-Sheikh. Tourists from many countries for which Iran typically requires a visa are exempt from obtaining a visa for entering Kish Free Zone. For those travelers, travel permits, valid for 14 days, are issued on arrival by Kish officials.

## History[edit]

See also: History of Iran

Kish Island has been mentioned in history variously as Kamtina, Arakia (Ancient Greek: Αρακία), Arakata, and Ghiss. Kish Island's strategic geographic location served as a way-station and link for the ancient Assyrian and Elamite civilizations when their sailboats navigated from Susa through the Karun River into the Persian Gulf along the southern coastline, passing Kish, Qeshm, and Hormoz islands. When these civilizations vanished, Kish Island's advantageous position was lost and for a period it was subjected to turmoil and the tyranny of local potentates and other vendors. With the establishment of the Achaemenid dynasty, the Persian Gulf was profoundly affected. Kish was, in particular, economically and politically linked with the civilization of the Medes and Persians when they were at the height of their power.

In the shadow of the empire, the islands in the Gulf became prosperous, navigation in the Persian Gulf was expanded, and better vessels were used to carry passengers and goods. Navigational aids, including lighthouses, were set up to facilitate navigation in the Persian Gulf.

In 325 BC, Alexander the Great commissioned Nearchus to set off on an expeditionary voyage to the Sea of Oman and the Persian Gulf. Nearchus's writings on Arakata contain the first known mention of Kish Island in antiquity.[1] When Marco Polo visited the Imperial court in China, he commented on the Emperor's wife's pearls; he was told that they were from Kish.[2]

Throughout much of its history, it was ruled by Arab merchants, when it was known as Qeys.[4]

In the 1970s, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, the last Shah of Iran, turned the island into a luxury resort for the international elite and a tourism hotspot, complete with a Grand Casino (renamed as the Shayan International Hotel after the Iranian Revolution). Kish Airport was designed to handle the Concorde. After the Islamic Revolution, Kish Island became a duty-free shopping center.

In March 2007, the retired FBI agent turned private eye Robert A. Levinson disappeared on Kish Island where he was meeting with an American fugitive known as Dawud Salahuddin.[5] In 2019, the singer Joss Stone was deported from the island by the Iranian customs. Iranian officials claimed the British singer did not have the proper documentation to enter the country, but Joss Stone claimed the Iranian authorities were afraid a woman singer would perform a public show in the country.[6]

## Geography[edit]

See also: Geography of Iran

Kish Island, Persian Gulf

Kish is located in the Persian Gulf, 19 km (12 mi) from mainland Iran, and has an area of approximately 91 km2 (35 sq mi) with an outer boundary of 40 km (25 mi) and a nearly elliptical shape. Along Kish's coast are coral reefs and many other small islands. The island is positioned along the 1,359 km (844 mi) long Iranian coastline north of the Persian Gulf, at the first quarter from the Hormuz entrance to the Persian Gulf. The island is 15.45 km (9.60 mi) wide from its west coast to its east coast (the distance between Mariam Complex and Hoor field). Its maximum width extending from the southern shorelines to the northern shorelines is 7.5 km (4.7 mi) (the distance between Gomrok Port and the lighthouse). The island's surface is flat, lacking mountains or even high hills. Kish International Airport is built in the center on an elevated area 35–40 m (115–131 ft) above sea level. Its highest surface inclination extends from the airport to the shores near Shayan hotel.

### Climate, nature, and geobotany[edit]

Kish is located on a narrow strip of tropical vegetation in the Northern Hemisphere, with the Persian plateau to the north and the Arabian Peninsula to the south.

Kish's environment

### Weather[edit]

Kish has a very dry semi-equatorial climate. Over an 8-year span, the median annual rainfall in Kish was 145 mm (5.7 in) (54% in winter, 28% in autumn, and 14% in summer) and the median annual temperature was 26.6 °C (79.9 °F). The relative atmospheric humidity in Kish makes it like a sea island except in cold seasons. The humidity is approximately 60% for most of the year. In the months from October to April, Kish's weather is mild, ranging from 18 °C (64 °F) to 25 °C (77 °F). The statistical data in the Kish free zone's archives shows that the island's temperature varies from very hot to moderately hot, accompanied by relatively high humidity, often interspersed by heavy rains of short durations in certain seasons. With the exception of some southeastern coastal areas and a few other islands in the Persian Gulf, Kish Island has the most sunny hours in the region, roughly 3,100 hours per year. Based on climatological classification and general weather conditions, Kish's proximity to the Tropic of Cancer and its exposure to high tropical pressure systems, as well as its position amidst hot and shallow waters, means the island tends to be hot and humid most of the year.[7]

Climate data for Kish Island (1991–2020)

Month  | Jan  | Feb  | Mar  | Apr  | May  | Jun  | Jul  | Aug  | Sep  | Oct  | Nov  | Dec  | Year
Record high °C (°F)  | 28.2
(82.8)  | 31.0
(87.8)  | 36.0
(96.8)  | 41.6
(106.9)  | 44.0
(111.2)  | 46.2
(115.2)  | 46.2
(115.2)  | 44.5
(112.1)  | 41.6
(106.9)  | 40.0
(104.0)  | 35.4
(95.7)  | 32.0
(89.6)  | 46.2
(115.2)
Mean daily maximum °C (°F)  | 22.8
(73.0)  | 23.8
(74.8)  | 26.5
(79.7)  | 31.3
(88.3)  | 35.6
(96.1)  | 37.2
(99.0)  | 38.0
(100.4)  | 38.0
(100.4)  | 36.5
(97.7)  | 34.2
(93.6)  | 29.7
(85.5)  | 25.2
(77.4)  | 31.6
(88.9)
Daily mean °C (°F)  | 19.2
(66.6)  | 20.0
(68.0)  | 22.3
(72.1)  | 26.1
(79.0)  | 29.9
(85.8)  | 32.0
(89.6)  | 33.6
(92.5)  | 34.0
(93.2)  | 32.4
(90.3)  | 29.8
(85.6)  | 25.5
(77.9)  | 21.4
(70.5)  | 27.2
(81.0)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F)  | 16.5
(61.7)  | 17.1
(62.8)  | 19.1
(66.4)  | 22.4
(72.3)  | 25.7
(78.3)  | 28.0
(82.4)  | 30.3
(86.5)  | 30.9
(87.6)  | 29.1
(84.4)  | 26.3
(79.3)  | 22.3
(72.1)  | 18.6
(65.5)  | 23.9
(75.0)
Record low °C (°F)  | 9.0
(48.2)  | 9.8
(49.6)  | 12.2
(54.0)  | 16.4
(61.5)  | 19.0
(66.2)  | 24.0
(75.2)  | 24.8
(76.6)  | 27.3
(81.1)  | 23.9
(75.0)  | 18.0
(64.4)  | 15.8
(60.4)  | 12.0
(53.6)  | 9.0
(48.2)
Average precipitation mm (inches)  | 34.0
(1.34)  | 21.7
(0.85)  | 26.2
(1.03)  | 5.7
(0.22)  | 0.4
(0.02)  | 0.3
(0.01)  | 1.9
(0.07)  | 0.1
(0.00)  | 0.2
(0.01)  | 2.4
(0.09)  | 23.1
(0.91)  | 42.5
(1.67)  | 158.5
(6.24)
Average precipitation days (≥ 1.0 mm) | 3.1  | 2.2  | 2.8  | 0.9  | 0.1  | 0.1  | 0.1  | 0.0  | 0.0  | 0.2  | 1.6  | 2.9  | 14.0
Average relative humidity (%)  | 65.0  | 67.0  | 68.0  | 64.0  | 63.0  | 69.0  | 70.0  | 71.0  | 72.0  | 66.0  | 60.0  | 64.0  | 66.6
Average dew point °C (°F)  | 12.2
(54.0)  | 13.3
(55.9)  | 15.7
(60.3)  | 18.0
(64.4)  | 21.2
(70.2)  | 25.1
(77.2)  | 27.0
(80.6)  | 27.7
(81.9)  | 26.3
(79.3)  | 22.4
(72.3)  | 16.7
(62.1)  | 13.9
(57.0)  | 20.0
(68.0)
Mean monthly sunshine hours | 234.0  | 221.0  | 237.0  | 255.0  | 319.0  | 317.0  | 295.0  | 292.0  | 284.0  | 292.0  | 253.0  | 238.0  | 3,237
Source: NOAA[8]

### Tourist attractions[edit]

See also: Tourism in Iran

The Greek Ship

Though Kish is a small island, it has numerous tourist attractions.

Kish map Toranj Marine Hotel

The Greek Ship is the wreck of a 1943 cargo steamship, the Koula F, on a beach on Kish's southwest coast.[9] She was originally a British ship, Empire Trumpet, and was built in Scotland.[9] In 1966, she ran aground and all attempts to salvage her failed.[9] When Koula F's crew abandoned her, they set her on fire,[citation needed] and all that remains is her steel hull.

Dariush Grand Hotel in Kish

## Economy[edit]

See also: Economy of Iran, Communications in Iran, and Foreign Direct Investment in Iran

Since the mid-1990s, the Iranian government has embarked on an aggressive promotional and developmental campaign to position Kish as a rival to Dubai and to Doha. The campaign has included massive construction projects and programs designed to attract foreign investment and trade. Within the area of the Kish Free Zone, as it is known, the standard laws of the Islamic Republic of Iran are far more relaxed than on the mainland. This has resulted in significant increases in mostly domestic tourism, as well as the abundance of international trade on the island. Kish's population includes significant numbers of both Muslims and Christians. In 2009, the total foreign trade of the Kish Free Zone was approximately $9.2 billion per annum.[10] Fifteen percent of all imports to Iran are through Kish.[11]

Investment incentives in the Kish free trade zone include:

* 15 years tax-exemption;
* no entry visa requirement;
* 100% foreign ownership possible;
* flexible monetary & banking services;
* extended legal guarantees & protection.

Besides the existing Iranian Oil Bourse, a new exchange, the Kish Stock Exchange was inaugurated in 2010 to facilitate foreign investment and monetary activities.[12]

## Education[edit]

See also: Education in Iran

Kish Island Bird Garden, 2014

Sharif University of Technology-International Campus-Kish was established in 1995.[13] Kish International Campus, University of Tehran was established in 2007.[14]

The importance of public education from the lowest to the highest levels as a main element in the steady development of Kish is now being paid special attention. Some of the most important activities include supporting and expanding existing educational centres, creating new educational centres, using new technology in developing educational activities, exploiting creditable national and international educational experiences, creating the foundations for all social classes to benefit from educational possibilities, developing applied sciences regionally, and promoting university education levels through holding courses with creditable universities at home and abroad.

To promote the quality and quantity of education, KFZO, the Kish Free Zone Organization, has created educational spaces by building new schools and giving priority to technical and vocational courses. These facilities have been located so as to make them easily accessible, especially for the local population. They include:

* Kish Institute of Arts and Sciences (teaching foreign languages);
* Kish Institute of Graph-Rayaneh (teaching computing);
* Parto Institute (teaching English);
* Sadaf Cultural Centre;
* Mir Mohana Cultural Centre;
* Sana'ei Cultural Centre;[15] and
* Kish Institute of Science and Technology.

In 2005, Kish had over 4658 square metres of educational space, a 40% increase compared to the beginning of 2001. With this as well as the better living conditions of families in Kish, the number of students at each level is on the increase.

## Transportation[edit]

Kish Air

The connection with Kish is carried out either by sea or by air through Kish airport and Kish port. Kish International Airport serves as the entry point for tourists who come to Kish Island.

## Sports[edit]

See also: Sport in Iran

Scuba diving on Kish Island FIVB Beach Volleyball World Tour at Kish Island

Kish Island hosts numerous international sporting events, including the Fajr International Squash Championship, which is part of the Professional Squash Association's annual tour.

Kish also holds Iran's Traditional and Heroic Games Contests, annually attracting over 17 countries worldwide. As part of the Flower of the East project, Kish will have an 18-hole championship golf course based on PGA standards and a 9-hole course for beginners.

Kish is home to a multi-purpose Olympic stadium seating 1,200 spectators which caters for 11 sports, including volleyball, basketball, handball, futsal, gymnastics, wrestling, taekwondo, judo, karate and chess. All of these are supervised by professional and international coaches.

The island attracts top national football teams and clubs who often use Kish as a summer training camp, taking advantage of its high quality facilities, good weather and tranquil environment. The island itself has a professional football team, Kish Air FC, which plays in the Hormozgan Provincial League.

The Kish Karting Track is one of the largest in Southwest Asia and one of the first of its kind in Iran.

A great array of water sports are also offered in Kish, including snorkeling and scuba diving, jet skiing, water skiing, parasailing, windsurfing, and fishing, as well as sailing and cruising on jet boats, sea skiffs, pedal boats, and banana boats, among many kinds of watercraft. Recently, Ocean Water Park, the first Iranian-themed and outdoor water park, was officially opened at Kish Island; it offers 14 water rides, four swimming pools, and other attractions.

Kish Island has three international standard volleyball courts and hosted the 2006 Asian Beach Volleyball Championship.

Kish was host to an officially sanctioned FIVB beach volleyball event, the Kish Island Open 2016, which ran from February 15 to 17. Qualification rounds at the 2017 FIVB Beach Volleyball World Tour event took place on Kish from 15 to 18 February.[16]

## Major Kish Island projects[edit]

### International Oil Bourse[edit]

The International Oil Bourse is a commodity exchange which opened on February 17, 2008.

### Ocean Water Park[edit]

Ocean Water Park

Ocean Water Park is a 5.6-hectare (14-acre) water park.

Kish Dolphinarium

### Kish Dolphin Park[edit]

The Dolphin Park is a 70-hectare (170-acre) park located at the southeast corner of Kish Island. It is surrounded by over 22,000 palm trees and includes a dolphinarium, butterfly garden, silkworm compound, bird garden, artificial rain forest, volcanic mountain, orchid garden, and cactus garden. The dolphinarium includes the largest man-made pool on the island and it exhibits dolphins, sea lions, and white whales.[17]

The Bird Garden in the park is home to more than 57 species of birds and other animals from around the world, including pelicans, ostriches, blue-and-yellow macaws, storks, toco toucans, turacos, swans, African penguins, and marsh crocodiles.[18]

### Kish Aquarium[edit]

The Art Center on the island includes an aquarium that displays marine species unique to the Persian Gulf.[19]

## Gallery[edit]

* Azad University of Kish

* Sunset on Kish Island

* Pardis Market

* Harireh Old city

* A hotel in Kish Island

* There are bike paths all over the Kish Island

* Sarah Residence in Kish Island

* Sea side

* Kish Island

* A street of Kish Island

* Kish Island Qanat

* Kish birds

* A shopping mall in Kish

* Beach of Kish

* Traditional dance

* Kish in Nowruz

## Twin towns – sister cities[edit]

* Langkawi, Malaysia (since 2009)[citation needed]
* Dubai, United Arab Emirates (since 2002)

## See also[edit]

* Iran portal

* Bandar Lengeh
* Chabahar free trade-industrial zone, another free trade zone in Iran
* Economy of Iran
* Flower of the East, a proposed luxury hotel development on Kish Island
* Foreign Direct Investment in Iran
* Iran airshow, a semi-regular international airshow held on Kish Island
* Kish Air, a domestic airline serving Kish Island

## Notes[edit]

1. ^ "Publications". 1955.
2. ^ Brian Nicholson and Sundeep Sahay (2003). Building Iran's Software Industry: An Assessment of Plans and Prospects sing the Software Export Success Model (PDF). Institute for Development Policy and Management, University of Manchester, UK. ISBN 1904143377.
3. ^ www.sirang.com, Sirang Rasaneh. "Kish Island, Hormozgan province - ITTO". itto.org | Iran Tourism & Touring. Retrieved 2022-09-28.
4. ^ Traditional Architecture of the Arabian Gulf: Building on Desert Tides. WIT Press. 10 June 2008. ISBN 9781845641351.
5. ^ Meier, Barry (2011-12-09). "Video Revives Mystery of Missing Former F.B.I. Agent". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2022-01-20.
6. ^ "British Singer Joss Stone Says She's Been 'Deported' From Iran". RadioFreeEurope/RadioLiberty. 4 July 2019. Retrieved 2022-01-20.
7. ^ "Kish Free Zone Organization – سازمان منطقه آزاد کیش". Kish.ir. Archived from the original on 2011-01-17. Retrieved 2010-04-19.
8. ^ "World Meteorological Organization Climate Normals for 1991-2020 — Kish Island". National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Retrieved January 1, 2024.
9. ^ a b c Cameron, Stuart; Robinson, George; Stewart, Gavin. "SS Empire Trumpet". Clydebuilt Ships Database. Archived from the original on 19 December 2011. Retrieved 10 April 2013.`{{cite web}}`: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
10. ^ Iran Daily – Domestic Economy – 01/24/09[dead link]
11. ^ "News Headlines". Cnbc.com. 2009-02-26. Retrieved 2012-03-07.
12. ^ "Fars News Agency :: New Stock Exchange Kicks off Work in Southern Iran". English.farsnews.com. 2010-12-24. Archived from the original on 2012-03-14. Retrieved 2012-03-07.
13. ^ "About SUTIC-Sharif University of Technology International Campus - Kish Island- WELCOME TO THE INTERNATIONAL CAMPUS OF SHARIF UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY". kish.ac.ir. Retrieved 2022-09-11.
14. ^ ""Kish International Campus"". Archived from the original on 2012-06-17. Retrieved 2012-07-05.
15. ^ "Kish Free Zone Organization – سازمان منطقه آزاد کیش". Kish.ir. Archived from the original on 2009-01-14. Retrieved 2010-04-19.
16. ^ "Home - Kish Island".
17. ^ "Dolphin Park Complex". kish.ir. Kish Free Zone Organization. Archived from the original on 23 September 2010. Retrieved 2 October 2010.
18. ^ "Bird Garden". kish.ir. Kish Free Zone Organization. Archived from the original on 18 July 2011. Retrieved 2 October 2010.
19. ^ "Aquarium". kish.ir. Kish Free Zone Organization. Archived from the original on 18 July 2011. Retrieved 2 October 2010.

## External links[edit]

Wikivoyage has a travel guide for Kish Island.

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Kish Island.

* Iran Free Zones official website
* Kish Free Zone Organization
* Iran's Official Universal Tourism Portal
* Information and Pictures of Kish (in Persian)
* Hamid-Reza Hosseini, Findings of Kish in Persian
* More pictures of Kish Island

* v
* t
* e

Hormozgan Province, Iran

Capital|

* Bandar Abbas

Counties and cities|

| Abumusa County|

* Abu Musa

|

Bandar Abbas County|

* Bandar Abbas
* Fin

Bandar Lengeh County|

* Bandar Charak
* Bandar Lengeh
* Kish
* Kong

Bashagard County|

* Sardasht

Bastak County|

* Bastak
* Jenah
* Kukherd

Hajjiabad County|

* Fareghan
* Hajjiabad

Jask County|

* Jask

Khamir County|

* Bandar Khamir
* Ruydar

Minab County|

* Hasht Bandi
* Minab
* Senderk
* Sirik

Parsian County|

* Parsian

Qeshm County|

* Dargahan
* Hormuz
* Qeshm
* Suza

Rudan County|

* Rudan
* Ziarat-e Ali

Sights|

* Boz Dam
* Caravanserai of Bastak
* Castle of Aamaj
* Castle of Siba
* Dariush Grand Hotel
* Dasak Mountain
* Fort of Our Lady of the Conception
* Geno Biosphere Reserve
* Hara forests of Qeshm
* Harireh
* Hindu Temple, Bandar Abbas
* The Historic Bath of Siba
* Khe Aab Mountain
* Kish Island
* Greek Ship
* Lashtan Castle, Bandar Lengeh
* Mehran River
* Nakh Mountain
* Paraw Kukherd
* Portuguese Castle, Qeshm Island
* Takhti Stadium
* Terenah
* Zeer Mountain

populated places|

* List of cities, towns and villages in Hormozgan Province

See also|

* Greater and Lesser Tunbs
* Hendurabi
* Hengam Island
* Hormuz Island
* Larak Island
* Lavan Island
* Shidvar Island
* Sirri Island
* Strait of Hormuz

* v
* t
* e

Iranian islands in the Persian Gulf

* Abbasak Island
* Abu Musa Island
* Buneh Island
* Dara Island
* Farsi Island
* Forur Bozorg Island
* Forur Koochak Island
* Forurgan Island
* Germ Island
* Greater and Lesser Tunbs
* Hendurabi Island
* Hengam Island
* Hormuz Island
* Jonobi Island
* Kharg Island
* Kish Island
* Larak Island
* Lavan Island
* Nakhiloo Island
* Ommolkorm Island
* Qabre Nakhoda Island
* Qeshm Island
* Rostam Island
* Shif Island
* Shidvar Island
* Sirri Island
* Shomali Island
* Smaller Bent Island

* Islands portal

* v
* t
* e

Kish Island topics

* History
* Geography
* Government
* Culture

* Strait of Hormuz
* Nearchus
* Sharif University of Technology International Campus – Kish Island

* Towns
* Buildings
* Places
* Structures

* Harireh
* Dariush Grand Hotel
* Greek Ship
* Kish Dolphin Park

* Economy
* Trade
* Commerce

* Kish Free Zone
* Iranian oil bourse
* Kish Stock Exchange
* Visa run
* Kish Gas Field

Transport

* Kish International Airport
* Kish Air

Sister cities

* Dubai
* Langkawi

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