Kish Island

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This article is about the Iranian island. For other uses, see Kish.

Kish

Kish (Persian: کیش) is an Iranian island and city in the Persian Gulf, and is part of the Hormozgan province. Due to its status as a free trade zone, it is touted as a consumer's paradise, with numerous malls, shopping centres, tourist attractions, and resort hotels. It has an estimated population of 20,000 residents and about 1.5 million people visit the island annually. The area of the island is 91 km². Kish Island is the purported to be the third most visited western-oriented cities in the Middle East, after Sharm El Sheik and Dubai.^{[citation needed]}

1 Geography and climate
2 History
3 Economy
4 Major Kish Island Projects
5 References
6 See also
7 External links

Kish is located in the Persian Gulf and has an area of around 91 km². Along Kish's coast are coral reefs and many other small islands. The climate of Kish is mild in the winter and hot and humid in the summer.

Kish Island's ex-Casino

Kish Island has been mentioned in history variously as Kamtina, Arakia, Arakata, and Ghiss. 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 on Arakata is 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 pearls, he was told that they were from Kish.^[2] In the 1970s the last Shah of Iran turned the island into a luxury resort for the international elite complete with a Grand Casino (now known as the Shayan International Hotel) and an airport designed to handle the Concorde. After the Islamic Revolution, Kish Island became a duty-free shopping center.

Since the mid-1990s the Iranian government has embarked on an aggressive promotional and developmental campaign to tailor Kish as a rival to Dubai but mainly a big rival to Doha. Steps taken in order to accomplish this include launching 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, which has resulted in significant increases in mostly domestic tourist population over the years, as well as in international trade on the island. However, alcohol is not available on the island, just like the rest of Iran. It has been suggested that this is a significant barrier for the development of Kish because an alcohol free island is not favourable by western tourists. The population of the island includes significant numbers of both Muslims and Christians.

Tropical Kish Island

The Greek Ship

The Dariush Grand Hotel

Falling Waters Gulf Club Flower of the East

Plans have been made to build an International Oil Bourse trading oil in petroeuros in the Kish Free Trade Zone, with an expected opening date during March 2006. During an international energy exhibition held on Kish running from November 15 to 18, 2005, the vice-president of the Kish Free Zone Organization (KFZO), AbdoRahman Nadimi Boushehri, referred to the planned International Oil Bourse, which will also deal in gas and petrochemicals, without specifying its expected starting date. ^[3]

see full article Dariush Grand Hotel

Dariush, a $125 million five star hotel with over 200 guest rooms is located near the eastern sandy beaches of the island. The hotel was built to be a reminder of Persepolis, a symbol of the glory and splendor of the ancient Iranian civilization. The hotel was designed and developed by the European-Iranian entrepreneur and hotel tycoon, Mr. Hossein Sabet, who owns and manages several tourist attractions and hotels in the Canary islands. The hotel was completed in 2003 and was managed by the Scandinavian-based Rezidor Hotel Group group until 2006.

In 1999, a project to build an underground complex was begun by 300 artists and excavation workers. After deep excavations rigid coral ceilings were discovered, and this was included in the final design. Once completed, the city will include restaurants, tourist resorts and underground therapeutic mud pools.

Main article: Flower of the East

The Flower of the East complex is a massive 1.7 billion Euro tourist attraction began in 2004 and is expected to be completed by 2009. The project, will includes a 7-star and two 5-star hotels, three residential areas, villas and apartment complexes, coffee shops, luxury showrooms and stores, sports facilities and marina. The project is managed by the German firm Dress and Sommer.

There are currently three 5 star hotels and one international five star hotel on the island: the Shayan International Hotel, the Eram Hotel and the Dariush Grand Hotel; although the latter is the only five star hotel that can be deemed luxurious by international standards.

The Dolphin Park is 10,000 square metres large and is located at the south east corner of Kish Island. The Dolphin Park is surrounded by over 12,000 palm trees. The park includes a Dolphinarium, Butterfly Garden, Silk worm Compound, Exotic Bird Garden, Artificial Rain Forest, Volcanic Mountain, The World Of Orchids and Cactus Garden.