There is no
clear information on the history of Kish in the
pre-Islamic era. The only reliable source is the
memoirs of Greek sailor Niarkus. In 325 BC,
Alexander the Great commissioned Niarkus to set
off an expedition voyage into the Sea of Oman
and the Persian Gulf. Niarkus's writings
indicate that he visited Araracta in the 4th
century BC. His descriptions of Araracta
precisely match with the characteristics of
Kish.
Niarkus
writes, "There are several parks and abundant
palm groves on the island."
The glorious
development of Kish began after a horrible
earthquake rocked Siraf in the 4th century AH.
After being razed to the ground in the powerful
quake, Siraf lost grandeur and Kish came to the
centre stage. During the Ghaznevid, Seljuqi,
Kharazmshahid and Mongol eras, Kish was a major
trade centre of the Persian Gulf.
Many great
tourists and historians such as Qazvini,
Fazlollah ben Abdollah-e Shirazi, Ebne Batuteh
and Hamdollah Mostoufi have spoken of the
grandeur, development and beauties of Kish.
According to historical documents, in the
Ilkhanid era, the name of Kish was always
followed by Dolat Khaneh and associated with
such big names as Baghdad, Shiraz, Bahrain and
India. The ruins of Harireh, north of the
island, speak of the historical magnificence of
Kish.In 885 AH (1506 AD), Alfons Albukerk, the
Portuguese colonialist adventurer, leading a
naval fleet Of 14 frigates, expedited the
Persian Gulf and the Sea of Oman. A year later,
he captured the islands of Hormuz and Gombroon,
an event which pushed Kish to the backstage.
The
Portuguese colonialists believed the Hormuz
island, as the outlet of the Persian Gulf, was
much more important than other islands such as
Kish. They also held Hormuz could serve as a
powerful stronghold against the invasion of
aggressors. After the return of the ownership of
Hormuz and the other Persian Gulf islets to,
Iran in the third decade of the 17th century AD,
all the Persian Gulf islands including Kish lost
grandeur and Bandar Abbas, a newly established
port town came to the spotlight. In the meantime
English, Dutch and French commercial
colonialists were stationed all over Bandar
Abbas. At this time, Kish was a semi-abandoned
island, almost the residence of pirates. In the
Qajarid era, Naseredin Shah offered Kish to
Qavaam ol-Molk Shirazi, one of the influential
landowners of Fars. Qavaam also sold Kish to
Mohammad Reza Khan Bandar Abbasi, the then
governor of Lengeh.
Until the
Pahlavi era, Kish fell to different sellers and
buyers. Yet, in 1340 (1961), the government of
Dr. Manuchehr Eghbal, bought the island from the
heirs of Mohammad Reza Khan Setvat ol-Mamaalek
Bastaki for nine million rials. In 1349 (1970),
Iranian-American expert delegations visited
Kish, designating it as a geographically
strategic spot for international trade and
tourism. The Kish Development Organization
(KDO), founded in Mehr 1351 (October 1972), drew
up a costly plan to develop Kish like Hawaii in
the North Pacific Ocean or the islands of South
Mediterranean Sea. With the victory of the
Islamic revolution, the Kish development plan,
almost completed by then, was halted. In Esfand
1358 (March 1980), the Iranian Revolutionary
Council passed a law, offering customs duty
exemptions to the island, raising hopes of
economic prosperity for the deprived southern
areas. For good reasons, The law did not come
into effect. In Tir 1368(July 1989), the council
of ministers approved the Kish special
industrial trade zone. Three years later, the
Kish Free Trade Zone organization was set up,
giving a new spirit to development of Kish.
Geographical Position
Kish Island measuring 91.5 kilometers in area is
situated 18 kilometers south of Iran's southern
coast and about 300 kilometers away from the
port city of Bandar Abbas.
Kish is almost elliptical with an east-west
length of 13 kilometers , and a 7 kilometer
width running north-south . the Island's highest
point is its eastern part which rises about 45
meters above the sea level. And , its relative
heigh is 32 meters which means only 13 meters
difference from its highest point
Kish, as one of the most important tourist
centers of Islamic Republic of Iran, enjoys the
highest per capita of hotel accommodation in the
country.
Kish Free Zone Organization with the cooperation
and investment of the private sector has
developed over 40 operational accommodation
centers & complexes including five star hotels,
motels, inns, hotel apartments and guesthouses
catering to a wide range of tourist taste and
budget.
A number of independent hotels, such as Shayan,
Ana, Flamingo, Tamasha, Jaam-e-Jam, Sadaf,
Maryam, etc., offer accommodation ranging from
5-star luxurious to simple no-frills economical
room and board. Kish's comprehensive development
plan has been geared toward tourism activities
and the major portion of the land and resources
have been allocated to tourism industry.
In addition to the existing facilities, many
more are under construction such as the
beach-front five star hotel "Taban" and the
luxurious five star hotel "Dariush" with the
Persepolis motive in architecture and an
exceptional view of the Persian Gulf, promising
to be one of the finest hotels in the country.
Kish's top hotels cater the best, offering a
perfect combination of business and leisure
facilities.Attractive service and outstanding
cuisine can be expected and most of the
restaurants entertain the guests with live
music.
In the year 2000 the polulation of Kish was
16501. The investigation into places of birth
shows that 1400 people were born in Kish and the
rest born in various other places of the country
who mainly traveled to the island in the last
ten years. After finding out the laws of Kish
Free Zone Administration and development of Kish
Free Zone Organization, building construction,
marketing and touring increased on the island
and as a result immigration of experts,
investors and young workers coming to the island
seriously grew. The population of Kish went from
8047 in 1996 to 16501 in 2000 (that means more
than 100% population increase in 4 years) shows
how Kish has had the power to attract and keep
immigrants in the last years.
99.88% of the population of Kish are Muslims and
the rest other religions. At the last population
count in Kish, the rate of education of the
older residence (7 years and up) was 93%, older
ladies 94%, older men 92%. Rate of uneducated
people in Kish is approximately half of the
Countries city areas. The measure of activity
for men is 89% and ladies 19%.
Kish Island is surrounded by soft golden
beaches, palm trees and crystal clear waters, in
a place where time moves imperceptibly. The
island offers relaxation combined with adventure
in a destination that is unspoiled by
commercialization, with its refreshing natural
beauty and the unsophisticated life style of its
people still very much intact.
Kish Island has a calm sea and beautiful coast .
The coast in the northeast , west and south
wings is made of rock where the sea is also wavy
due to the wings blowing from the sea. Kish soil
made of coral with a silvery color dazzlingly
shining under the sunlight . Such specification
may not be seen in many other coasts in the
world covered with gray sand .The sea water in
Kish island is bright and clear in a way that
the bottom of the sea can be easily seen from a
very far distance . Kish coast is one of the
least dangerous coasts in the world.
Coast of Kish
Since there is no dangerous shark in the sea ,
people can enjoy the water without any danger
threatening them . It should be noted that the
sharks which are some times seen in the Kish
coasts , feed on small fishes and are therefore
no threat to people swimming there . Kish coast
is one of the exceptional coasts suitable for
aquatics both in winter and summer .
Kish Island is a resort island lapped by the
sheltered waters of coral-edged lagoons, home to
many of the world's spices of reef fish.
Snorkeling in the Kish Island is amongst the
best in the world, whilst scuba diving offers an
even more spectacular insight of life beneath in
waters.
Kish Island lies like a pearl across the
turquoise waters of the Persian Gulf and is a
heaven of peace and tranquility fringed by sandy
beaches and coral reefs vivid with colorful
fish.
For the diving enthusiasts the island has its
own PADI/SSI Dive Center.
A variety of other water sports are also
available. Jet-skiing, sailing, fishing,
parasailing, reef walking, coral viewing,
boating and water skiing are just a few popular
ways to spend the time and enjoy yourself during
your visit to the Island.
These are just few reasons that have turned Kish
Island into a popular holiday destination in the
region. All together, Kish Island offers a
stunning variety of cultures, scenery, sports,
duty-free shopping and entertainment.
Hotels provide every comfort, shops offer an
enormous variety of goods, and superb food is
served in establishments ranging from country
inn to elegant restaurants.
It is not surprising that Kish Island attracts
visitors from all over Middle East, and
increasingly nowadays, from other countries
around the world. The Sunshine Island has a
climate that allows visitors to enjoy its
attractions to the full and Kish really does
have something for everyone, no matter what they
may seek from a holiday.
No entry visa to Kish
Foreign nationals need no visa at the authorized
arrival and departure points of Kish Island.
At Kish international airport the officials will
just stamp your passport , which allows you to
stay up to 14 days on the Island.
