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Old page wikitext, before the edit (old_wikitext ) | '{{advert|date=May 2018}}
{{refimprove|date=May 2018}}
{{about|the Iranian island|other uses|Kish (disambiguation)}}
{{Infobox settlement
<!-- Basic info ---------------->
|official_name = Kish Island
|other_name = Kish
|native_name = جزیرهی کیش
|nickname = Pearl of the Persian Gulf
|image_skyline = {{Photomontage
| photo1a = Kish beach 05.jpg
| photo2a = 9.harireh.jpg
| photo2b = Kish Island amir1.jpg
| photo3a = Dariush Grand Hotel - 2.jpg
| photo3b = Greek Ship of kish amir.jpg
| size = 280
| spacing = 2
| color = transparent
| border = 0
}}
|image_caption = '''Clockwise from top:'''<br> Marjan beach, [[Harireh]] old city, Morvarid Bazaar, [[Dariush Grand Hotel]], [[Greek Ship]]
|settlement_type = <!--For Town or Village (Leave blank for the default City)-->
|motto =
|pushpin_map = Iran
|pushpin_label_position = <!-- the position of the pushpin label: left, right, top, bottom, none -->
|pushpin_map_caption =
|pushpin_mapsize =
<!-- Location ------------------>
|subdivision_type = Country
|subdivision_name = [[Iran]]
|subdivision_type1 = [[Provinces of Iran|Province]]
|subdivision_name1 = [[Hormozgān Province]]
|subdivision_type2 =
|subdivision_name2 =
|subdivision_type3 =
|subdivision_name3 =
|subdivision_type4 =
|subdivision_name4 =
<!-- Politics ----------------->
|government_footnotes =
|government_type =
|leader_title = Head of [[Free-Trade Zone]]
|image_seal =
|leader_name = Mohammad Ibrahim Ansari Lari
|leader_title1 =
|leader_name1 =
|established_title = <!-- Settled -->
|established_date =
|established_title2 = <!-- Incorporated (town) -->
|established_date2 =
|established_title3 = <!-- Incorporated (city) -->
|established_date3 =
<!-- Area --------------------->
|area_magnitude =
|unit_pref = <!--Enter: Imperial, if Imperial (metric) is desired-->
|area_footnotes =
|area_total_km2 =
|area_land_km2 = 91.5
|area_water_km2 =
|area_total_sq_mi =
|area_land_sq_mi = 35.3
|area_water_sq_mi =
|area_water_percent =
|area_urban_km2 =
|area_urban_sq_mi =
|area_metro_km2 =
|area_metro_sq_mi =
|area_blank1_title =
|area_blank1_km2 =
|area_blank1_sq_mi =
<!-- Population ----------------------->
|population_as_of = 2010
|population_footnotes =
|population_note =
|population_total = 22650
|population_density_km2 =
|population_density_sq_mi =
|population_metro = 26000
|population_density_metro_km2 =
|population_density_metro_sq_mi =
|population_urban =
|population_density_urban_km2 =
|population_density_urban_sq_mi =
|population_blank1_title =
|population_blank1 =
|population_density_blank1_km2 =
|population_density_blank1_sq_mi=
<!-- General information --------------->
|timezone = [[Iran Standard Time|IRST]]
|utc_offset = +3:30
|timezone_DST =
|utc_offset_DST =
|coordinates = {{coord|26|32|N|53|58|E|region:IR|display=inline,title}}
|elevation_footnotes =
|elevation_m =
|elevation_ft =
<!-- Area/postal codes & others -------->
|postal_code_type = <!-- enter ZIP code, Postcode, Post code, Postal code... -->
|postal_code =
|area_code =
|blank_name =
|blank_info =
|blank1_name =
|blank1_info =
|website = [http://www.kish.ir Kish Free Zone Organization]<br />[http://www.hormozgan.ir Hormozgan Province]
|footnotes =
}}
'''Kish''' ({{lang-fa|کیش}} (Kīsh) {{audio|Kish pronounce.ogg|listen}}) is a {{convert|91.5|km2|mi2|1|sing=on}} resort island in [[Bandar Lengeh County]], [[Hormozgān 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 centres, tourist attractions, and resort hotels.<ref>{{cite book|url=http://unpan1.un.org/intradoc/groups/public/documents/NISPAcee/UNPAN015616.pdf|title=Building Iran's Software Industry: An Assessment of Plans and Prospects sing the Software Export Success Model |isbn=1904143377|year=2003|publisher=Institute for Development Policy and Management, University of Manchester, UK|author=Brian Nicholson and Sundeep Sahay}}</ref> It has an estimated population of 26,000 residents and about 1 million visitors annually.<ref name="presstv.com">{{cite web |url=http://www.presstv.com/detail.aspx?id=29180§ionid=351020108 |title=Iran builds 1st solar hotel on Kish |publisher=Press TV |date=2007-10-30 |accessdate=2010-04-19 |deadurl=yes |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20101223104407/http://www.presstv.com/detail.aspx?id=29180§ionid=351020108 |archivedate=2010-12-23 |df= }}</ref>
Kish Island is the third most-visited vacation destination in [[Southwest Asia]], after [[Dubai]] and [[Sharm el-Sheikh]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://presstv.com/Program/142594.html |title=Press TV |publisher=Press TV |date=2010-12-06 |accessdate=2012-03-07 |deadurl=yes |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20120118203843/http://presstv.com/Program/142594.html |archivedate=January 18, 2012 }}</ref>{{clarify|reason=Dubai is in the UAE, so it's unclear whether 2 or 3 places are being mentioned.|date=December 2013}} Tourists from many—but not all—foreign nationals who are not from countries for which Iran typically requires a visa wishing to enter Kish Free Zone from legal ports are [[Visa policy of Iran|exempt from having to obtain a visa]]. For those travelers, upon-arrival travel permits are stamped valid for 14 days by Kish officials.
== History ==
{{see also| History of Iran}}
Kish Island has been mentioned in history variously as Kamtina, Arakia ({{lang-grc|Αρακία}}), Arakata, and Ghiss.
Kish Island's strategic geographic location served as a way-station and link for the ancient [[Assyria]]n and [[Elamites|Elamite]] civilizations when their primitive sailboats navigated from [[Susa]] through the [[Karun River]] into the Persian Gulf along the southern coastline, passing Kish, [[Qeshm]], and [[Hormuz Island|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]], [[Persian people|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 [[lighthouse]]s, 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.{{ref label|kishhistory|1|a}} 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.{{ref label|kishhistory|2|a}}
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 shop]]ping center.
Kish Island is the last known location of [[Robert Levinson]], a "former F.B.I. agent turned private investigator" who disappeared there on 9 March 2007.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2016/06/03/insider/a-reporter-is-an-unlikely-keeper-of-secrets-in-the-case-of-a-missing-cia-consultant.html|title=A Reporter Is an Unlikely Keeper of Secrets in the Case of a Missing C.I.A. Consultant|last=Meier|first=Barry|date=3 June 2016|work=The New York Times|access-date=14 January 2018|department=Times Insider}}</ref>
== Geography ==
{{see also| Geography of Iran}}
[[File:Kish-island-Persian-Gulf.jpg|thumb|Kish Island, Persian Gulf.]]
Kish is located in the Persian Gulf, {{convert|19|km|abbr=on}} from mainland Iran, and has an area of approximately {{convert|91|km2|abbr=on}} with an outer boundary of {{convert|40|km|abbr=on}} and a nearly elliptical shape. Along Kish's coast are [[coral reefs]] and many other small islands. The island is positioned along the {{convert|1359|km|abbr=on}} long Iranian coastline north of the Persian Gulf, at the first quarter from the Hormuz entrance to the Persian Gulf. The island is {{convert|15.45|km|abbr=on}} 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 {{convert|7.5|km|abbr=on}} (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 {{convert|35|-|40|m|abbr=on}} above sea level. Its highest surface inclination extends from the airport to the shores near Shayan hotel.
===Climate, nature, and geobotany===
Kish, like the other [[Persian Gulf]] Islands, especially the islands in the [[Strait of Hormuz]], 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. In addition to its special geographic and climatic attributes, Kish, like other nearby islands, such as [[Forur]], [[Hendurabi]], [[Shatuar]], and [[Lavan Island|Lavan]], and even [[Qeshm]], is under the sway of the semi-equatorial climate dominating this band of vegetation.
[[File:Jhcfjuhfuvfjhyf.jpg|thumb|Kish's environment.]]
===Weather===
Kish has a very dry semi-equatorial climate. Over an 8 year span, the median annual rainfall in Kish was {{convert|145|mm|abbr=on}} (54% in winter, 28% in autumn, and 14% in summer) and the median annual temperature was {{convert|26.6|°C}}. 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 {{convert|18|°C}} to {{convert|25|°C}}. The statistical data in the Kish [[Free trade zone|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.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.kish.ir/HomePage.aspx?TabID=4734&Site=DouranPortal&Lang=en-US |title=Kish Free Zone Organization – سازمان منطقه آزاد کیش |publisher=Kish.ir |date= |accessdate=2010-04-19 |deadurl=yes |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110117001702/http://kish.ir/HomePage.aspx?TabID=4734&Site=DouranPortal&Lang=en-US |archivedate=2011-01-17 |df= }}</ref>
===Tourist attractions===
{{see also| Tourism in Iran}}
[[File:The Greek Ship.jpg|thumb|left|The [[Greek Ship]].]]
Though Kish is a small island, it has numerous tourist attractions.
[[File:Kish map.png|300px|thumbnail|right|Kish map]]
The Greek Ship is the wreck of a 1943 cargo [[steamship]], the ''Koula F'', on a beach on Kish's southwest coast.<ref name=Clyde>{{cite web |url= http://www.clydesite.co.uk/clydebuilt/viewship.asp?id=19858 |last1=Cameron |first1=Stuart |last2=Robinson |first2=George |last3=Stewart |first3=Gavin |title=SS Empire Trumpet |work=Clydebuilt Ships Database |year= |accessdate=10 April 2013}}</ref> She was originally a British ship, ''Empire Trumpet'', and was built in Scotland.<ref name=Clyde/> In 1966, she ran aground and all attempts to salvage her failed.<ref name=Clyde/> When ''Koula F''{{'}}s crew abandoned her, they set her on fire,{{citation needed|date=April 2013}} and all that remains is her steel hull.
Another attraction is the ancient underground [[aqueduct (water supply)|aqueduct]], also called the 'Underground City', which is partly open for tourists. It was built about 1,000 years ago for transportation and water supply across the different parts of the island.
Other attractions include the beaches, which have a bluish tint, and the long shoreline that sees many tourists visit during the winter season. The water is so clear that fish can be seen swimming in the sea all year long.
[[File:Dariush(Darius) Grand Hotel - panoramio.jpg|thumb|[[Dariush Grand Hotel]] in Kish]]
== Economy ==
{{See also|Economy of Iran|Communications in Iran|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.<ref>[http://www.nitc.co.ir/iran-daily/1387/3324/html/economy.htm Iran Daily – Domestic Economy – 01/24/09] {{dead link|date=November 2016}}</ref> Fifteen percent of all imports to Iran are through Kish.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.cnbc.com/id/15840232?video=1685918752&play=1 |title=News Headlines |publisher=Cnbc.com |date=2009-02-26 |accessdate=2012-03-07}}</ref>
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 Direct Investment in Iran|foreign investment]] and monetary activities.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://english.farsnews.com/newstext.php?nn=8910030737 |title=Fars News Agency :: New Stock Exchange Kicks off Work in Southern Iran |publisher=English.farsnews.com |date=2010-12-24 |accessdate=2012-03-07 |deadurl=yes |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20120314145403/http://english.farsnews.com/newstext.php?nn=8910030737 |archivedate=2012-03-14 |df= }}</ref>
== Education ==
{{see also|Education in Iran}}
[[File:Kish Island Bird Garden, Persian Gulf, 2014.jpg|thumb|left|Kish Island Bird Garden, 2014]]
Kish is home to [[Kish University]], founded in 1996, which now has 360 students.
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;<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.kish.ir/HomePage.aspx?TabID=4772&Site=DouranPortal&Lang=en-US|title=Kish Free Zone Organization – سازمان منطقه آزاد کیش|date=|publisher=Kish.ir|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20090114063326/http://www.kish.ir/HomePage.aspx?TabID=4772&Site=DouranPortal&Lang=en-US|archivedate=2009-01-14|deadurl=yes|accessdate=2010-04-19|df=}}</ref> 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.
== Sports ==
{{see also| Sport in Iran}}
[[File:Scuba Diving Kish Island Iran.JPG|thumb|Scuba diving on Kish Island.]]
[[File:Personal Water Craft.jpg|thumb|Jet skiing 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.<ref>[http://worldtour.2017.fivb.com/en/432]</ref>
== Major Kish Island projects ==
===International Oil Bourse===
The [[International Oil Bourse]] is a commodity exchange which opened on February 17, 2008.
===Ocean Water Park===
[[Ocean Water Park]] is a 5.6 hectare water park; it is the first Iranian themed water park and outdoor water park located at Kish Island. It was opened in January 2017 and currently has 13 rides, four swimming pools and a spa in addition to numerous restaurants, non-alcoholic bars, coffee shops, and shopping areas.
===Kish Hidden Pearl===
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. These were incorporated into the final design. Once completed, the project will include restaurants, tourist resorts, and underground therapeutic mud pools.
[[File:Kish Island Dolphin park.jpg|thumb|right|Kish Dolphinarium.]]
===Kish Dolphin Park===
The Dolphin Park is a {{Convert|70|ha|acre|sing=on}} park located at the southeast corner of Kish Island. It is surrounded by over 22,000 palm trees and includes a [[dolphinarium]], [[Butterfly gardening|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 [[dolphin]]s, [[sea lion]]s, and [[Beluga whale|white whales]].<ref name="dolphinarium"/>
The Bird Garden in the park is home to more than 57 species of birds and other animals from around the world, including [[pelican]]s, [[ostrich]]es, [[blue-and-yellow macaw]]s, [[stork]]s, [[toco toucan]]s, [[turaco]]s, [[swan]]s, [[African penguin]]s, and [[marsh crocodile]]s.<ref name="bird garden"/>
===Kish Aquarium===
The Art Center on the island includes an aquarium that displays marine species unique to the Persian Gulf.<ref name="aquarium"/>
==Gallery==
{{Clear}}
<gallery mode=packed>
File:Kish in Norouz holidays 03.jpg|A beach in Kish Island
File:Azad University, Kish International Branch.jpg|[[Azad University]] of Kish
File:Kish Island in Norouz 06.jpg|Sunset on Kish Island
File:Inside_pardis_market.JPG|Pardis Market
File:Abanbar_in_kish_island.JPG|A water cooling storage building (Abanbar)
File:Kish Island amir2.jpg|A hotel in Kish Island
File:Kish Island amir4.jpg|There are bike paths all over the Kish Island
File:Sarah Residence in the Kish Island Campus.JPG|Sarah Residence in Kish Island
File:Kish sea sides 1.jpg|Sea side
File:Dariush Grand Hotel - 3.jpg|Dariush hotel
File:Kish in Norouz holidays 02.jpg|A street of Kish Island
File:Kish Islan Qanat.jpg|Kish Island Qanat
File:Kish Island in Norouz 10.jpg|Kish birds
File:Kish Island in Norouz 13.jpg|A shopping mall in Kish
File:Kish Island in Norouz 14.jpg|Beach of Kish
File:Kish Island in Norouz 20.jpg|Traditional dance
File:Kish in Norouz holidays 04.jpg|Kish in [[Nowruz]]
</gallery>
==Twin towns – sister cities==
* {{flagicon|MAS}} [[Langkawi]], [[Malaysia]] <small>''(since 2009)''</small><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.presstv.com/detail.aspx?id=103847§ionid=351020108 |title=Iran, Malaysian islands are 'twinned' |publisher=Presstv.com |date=2009-08-18 |accessdate=2010-04-19 |deadurl=yes |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20100204230127/http://presstv.com/detail.aspx?id=103847§ionid=351020108 |archivedate=February 4, 2010 }}</ref>{{better citation needed|date=February 2016}}
== See also ==
{{Portal|Iran}}
* [[Bandar Lengeh]]
* [[Chabahar free trade-industrial zone]], another [[free trade zone]] in Iran
* [[Economy of Iran]]
* [[Flower of the East]], a [[hotel rating|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
* [[Robert Levinson]], a former [[Federal Bureau of Investigation|FBI]] agent who disappeared on Kish Island
== Notes ==
{{Reflist |refs=
<ref name="dolphinarium">
{{cite web
|url=http://www.kish.ir/HomePage.aspx?TabID=4474&Site=DouranPortal&Lang=en-US
|title=Dolphin Park Complex
|work=kish.ir
|publisher=Kish Free Zone Organization
|accessdate=2 October 2010
|deadurl=yes
|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20100923154805/http://www.kish.ir/HomePage.aspx?TabID=4474&Site=DouranPortal&Lang=en-US
|archivedate=23 September 2010
|df=
}}
</ref>
<ref name="bird garden">
{{cite web
|url=http://www.kish.ir/HomePage.aspx?TabID=4475&Site=DouranPortal&Lang=en-US
|title=Bird Garden
|work=kish.ir
|publisher=Kish Free Zone Organization
|accessdate=2 October 2010
|deadurl=yes
|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110718111504/http://www.kish.ir/HomePage.aspx?TabID=4475&Site=DouranPortal&Lang=en-US
|archivedate=18 July 2011
|df=
}}
</ref>
<ref name="aquarium">
{{cite web
|url=http://www.kish.ir/HomePage.aspx?TabID=4479&Site=DouranPortal&Lang=en-US
|title=Aquarium
|work=kish.ir
|publisher=Kish Free Zone Organization
|accessdate=2 October 2010
|deadurl=yes
|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110718111531/http://www.kish.ir/HomePage.aspx?TabID=4479&Site=DouranPortal&Lang=en-US
|archivedate=18 July 2011
|df=
}}
</ref>
}}
== External links ==
{{Wikivoyage}}
{{Commons category|Kish Island}}
* [http://www.freezones.ir/ Iran Free Zones official website]
* [http://www.kish.ir Kish Free Zone Organization]
* [http://tourismiran.ir Iran's Official Universal Tourism Portal]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20081018185946/http://www.anobanini.ir/travel/fa/hormozgan/cat-116/ Information and Pictures of Kish] (in Persian)
* [http://www.jadidonline.com/story/13122008/frnk/harireh Hamid-Reza Hosseini, ''Findings of Kish'' in Persian]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20160108080933/http://knullen.com/gallery3/index.php/Kish-Islan---Iran-The-Consumer-s-aradise More pictures of Kish Island]
;Videos
*[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g03HpC6925s Kish Island] – [[PressTV]] (2010)
{{Hormozgan Province}}
{{Iranian islands in the Persian Gulf}}
{{Kish Island topics}}
[[Category:Bandar Lengeh County]]
[[Category:Economy of Iran]]
[[Category:Islands of Iran]]
[[Category:Islands of the Persian Gulf]]
[[Category:Kish Island| ]]
[[Category:Landforms of Hormozgan Province]]
[[Category:Special economic zones]]
[[Category:Tourist attractions in Hormozgan Province]]
[[Category:Tourist attractions in Iran]]' |
New page wikitext, after the edit (new_wikitext ) | '{{about|the Iranian island|other uses|Kish (disambiguation)}}
{{Infobox settlement
<!-- Basic info ---------------->
|official_name = Kish Island
|other_name = Kish
|native_name = جزیرهی کیش
|nickname = Pearl of the Persian Gulf
|image_skyline = {{Photomontage
| photo1a = Kish beach 05.jpg
| photo2a = 9.harireh.jpg
| photo2b = Kish Island amir1.jpg
| photo3a = Dariush Grand Hotel - 2.jpg
| photo3b = Greek Ship of kish amir.jpg
| size = 280
| spacing = 2
| color = transparent
| border = 0
}}
|image_caption = '''Clockwise from top:'''<br> Marjan beach, [[Harireh]] old city, Morvarid Bazaar, [[Dariush Grand Hotel]], [[Greek Ship]]
|settlement_type = <!--For Town or Village (Leave blank for the default City)-->
|motto =
|pushpin_map = Iran
|pushpin_label_position = <!-- the position of the pushpin label: left, right, top, bottom, none -->
|pushpin_map_caption =
|pushpin_mapsize =
<!-- Location ------------------>
|subdivision_type = Country
|subdivision_name = [[Iran]]
|subdivision_type1 = [[Provinces of Iran|Province]]
|subdivision_name1 = [[Hormozgān Province]]
|subdivision_type2 =
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<!-- Politics ----------------->
|government_footnotes =
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|leader_title = Head of [[Free-Trade Zone]]
|image_seal =
|leader_name = Mohammad Ibrahim Ansari Lari
|leader_title1 =
|leader_name1 =
|established_title = <!-- Settled -->
|established_date =
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|area_land_km2 = 91.5
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|area_land_sq_mi = 35.3
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|population_as_of = 2010
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|population_total = 22650
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|population_metro = 26000
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<!-- General information --------------->
|timezone = [[Iran Standard Time|IRST]]
|utc_offset = +3:30
|timezone_DST =
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|coordinates = {{coord|26|32|N|53|58|E|region:IR|display=inline,title}}
|elevation_footnotes =
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|postal_code_type = <!-- enter ZIP code, Postcode, Post code, Postal code... -->
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|website = [http://www.kish.ir Kish Free Zone Organization]<br />[http://www.hormozgan.ir Hormozgan Province]
|footnotes =
}}
'''Kish''' ({{lang-fa|کیش}} (Kīsh) {{audio|Kish pronounce.ogg|listen}}) is a {{convert|91.5|km2|mi2|1|sing=on}} resort island in [[Bandar Lengeh County]], [[Hormozgān 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 centres, tourist attractions, and resort hotels.<ref>{{cite book|url=http://unpan1.un.org/intradoc/groups/public/documents/NISPAcee/UNPAN015616.pdf|title=Building Iran's Software Industry: An Assessment of Plans and Prospects sing the Software Export Success Model |isbn=1904143377|year=2003|publisher=Institute for Development Policy and Management, University of Manchester, UK|author=Brian Nicholson and Sundeep Sahay}}</ref> It has an estimated population of 26,000 residents and about 1 million visitors annually.<ref name="presstv.com">{{cite web |url=http://www.presstv.com/detail.aspx?id=29180§ionid=351020108 |title=Iran builds 1st solar hotel on Kish |publisher=Press TV |date=2007-10-30 |accessdate=2010-04-19 |deadurl=yes |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20101223104407/http://www.presstv.com/detail.aspx?id=29180§ionid=351020108 |archivedate=2010-12-23 |df= }}</ref>
Kish Island is the third most-visited vacation destination in [[Southwest Asia]], after [[Dubai]] and [[Sharm el-Sheikh]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://presstv.com/Program/142594.html |title=Press TV |publisher=Press TV |date=2010-12-06 |accessdate=2012-03-07 |deadurl=yes |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20120118203843/http://presstv.com/Program/142594.html |archivedate=January 18, 2012 }}</ref>{{clarify|reason=Dubai is in the UAE, so it's unclear whether 2 or 3 places are being mentioned.|date=December 2013}} Tourists from many—but not all—foreign nationals who are not from countries for which Iran typically requires a visa wishing to enter Kish Free Zone from legal ports are [[Visa policy of Iran|exempt from having to obtain a visa]]. For those travelers, upon-arrival travel permits are stamped valid for 14 days by Kish officials.
== History ==
{{see also| History of Iran}}
Kish Island has been mentioned in history variously as Kamtina, Arakia ({{lang-grc|Αρακία}}), Arakata, and Ghiss.
Kish Island's strategic geographic location served as a way-station and link for the ancient [[Assyria]]n and [[Elamites|Elamite]] civilizations when their primitive sailboats navigated from [[Susa]] through the [[Karun River]] into the Persian Gulf along the southern coastline, passing Kish, [[Qeshm]], and [[Hormuz Island|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]], [[Persian people|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 [[lighthouse]]s, 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.{{ref label|kishhistory|1|a}} 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.{{ref label|kishhistory|2|a}}
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 shop]]ping center.
Kish Island is the last known location of [[Robert Levinson]], a "former F.B.I. agent turned private investigator" who disappeared there on 9 March 2007.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2016/06/03/insider/a-reporter-is-an-unlikely-keeper-of-secrets-in-the-case-of-a-missing-cia-consultant.html|title=A Reporter Is an Unlikely Keeper of Secrets in the Case of a Missing C.I.A. Consultant|last=Meier|first=Barry|date=3 June 2016|work=The New York Times|access-date=14 January 2018|department=Times Insider}}</ref>
== Geography ==
{{see also| Geography of Iran}}
[[File:Kish-island-Persian-Gulf.jpg|thumb|Kish Island, Persian Gulf.]]
Kish is located in the Persian Gulf, {{convert|19|km|abbr=on}} from mainland Iran, and has an area of approximately {{convert|91|km2|abbr=on}} with an outer boundary of {{convert|40|km|abbr=on}} and a nearly elliptical shape. Along Kish's coast are [[coral reefs]] and many other small islands. The island is positioned along the {{convert|1359|km|abbr=on}} long Iranian coastline north of the Persian Gulf, at the first quarter from the Hormuz entrance to the Persian Gulf. The island is {{convert|15.45|km|abbr=on}} 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 {{convert|7.5|km|abbr=on}} (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 {{convert|35|-|40|m|abbr=on}} above sea level. Its highest surface inclination extends from the airport to the shores near Shayan hotel.
===Climate, nature, and geobotany===
Kish, like the other [[Persian Gulf]] Islands, especially the islands in the [[Strait of Hormuz]], 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. In addition to its special geographic and climatic attributes, Kish, like other nearby islands, such as [[Forur]], [[Hendurabi]], [[Shatuar]], and [[Lavan Island|Lavan]], and even [[Qeshm]], is under the sway of the semi-equatorial climate dominating this band of vegetation.
[[File:Jhcfjuhfuvfjhyf.jpg|thumb|Kish's environment.]]
===Weather===
Kish has a very dry semi-equatorial climate. Over an 8 year span, the median annual rainfall in Kish was {{convert|145|mm|abbr=on}} (54% in winter, 28% in autumn, and 14% in summer) and the median annual temperature was {{convert|26.6|°C}}. 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 {{convert|18|°C}} to {{convert|25|°C}}. The statistical data in the Kish [[Free trade zone|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.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.kish.ir/HomePage.aspx?TabID=4734&Site=DouranPortal&Lang=en-US |title=Kish Free Zone Organization – سازمان منطقه آزاد کیش |publisher=Kish.ir |date= |accessdate=2010-04-19 |deadurl=yes |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110117001702/http://kish.ir/HomePage.aspx?TabID=4734&Site=DouranPortal&Lang=en-US |archivedate=2011-01-17 |df= }}</ref>
===Tourist attractions===
{{see also| Tourism in Iran}}
[[File:The Greek Ship.jpg|thumb|left|The [[Greek Ship]].]]
Though Kish is a small island, it has numerous tourist attractions.
[[File:Kish map.png|300px|thumbnail|right|Kish map]]
The Greek Ship is the wreck of a 1943 cargo [[steamship]], the ''Koula F'', on a beach on Kish's southwest coast.<ref name=Clyde>{{cite web |url= http://www.clydesite.co.uk/clydebuilt/viewship.asp?id=19858 |last1=Cameron |first1=Stuart |last2=Robinson |first2=George |last3=Stewart |first3=Gavin |title=SS Empire Trumpet |work=Clydebuilt Ships Database |year= |accessdate=10 April 2013}}</ref> She was originally a British ship, ''Empire Trumpet'', and was built in Scotland.<ref name=Clyde/> In 1966, she ran aground and all attempts to salvage her failed.<ref name=Clyde/> When ''Koula F''{{'}}s crew abandoned her, they set her on fire,{{citation needed|date=April 2013}} and all that remains is her steel hull.
Another attraction is the ancient underground [[aqueduct (water supply)|aqueduct]], also called the 'Underground City', which is partly open for tourists. It was built about 1,000 years ago for transportation and water supply across the different parts of the island.
Other attractions include the beaches, which have a bluish tint, and the long shoreline that sees many tourists visit during the winter season. The water is so clear that fish can be seen swimming in the sea all year long.
[[File:Dariush(Darius) Grand Hotel - panoramio.jpg|thumb|[[Dariush Grand Hotel]] in Kish]]
== Economy ==
{{See also|Economy of Iran|Communications in Iran|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.<ref>[http://www.nitc.co.ir/iran-daily/1387/3324/html/economy.htm Iran Daily – Domestic Economy – 01/24/09] {{dead link|date=November 2016}}</ref> Fifteen percent of all imports to Iran are through Kish.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.cnbc.com/id/15840232?video=1685918752&play=1 |title=News Headlines |publisher=Cnbc.com |date=2009-02-26 |accessdate=2012-03-07}}</ref>
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 Direct Investment in Iran|foreign investment]] and monetary activities.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://english.farsnews.com/newstext.php?nn=8910030737 |title=Fars News Agency :: New Stock Exchange Kicks off Work in Southern Iran |publisher=English.farsnews.com |date=2010-12-24 |accessdate=2012-03-07 |deadurl=yes |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20120314145403/http://english.farsnews.com/newstext.php?nn=8910030737 |archivedate=2012-03-14 |df= }}</ref>
== Education ==
{{see also|Education in Iran}}
[[File:Kish Island Bird Garden, Persian Gulf, 2014.jpg|thumb|left|Kish Island Bird Garden, 2014]]
Kish is home to [[Kish University]], founded in 1996, which now has 360 students.
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;<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.kish.ir/HomePage.aspx?TabID=4772&Site=DouranPortal&Lang=en-US|title=Kish Free Zone Organization – سازمان منطقه آزاد کیش|date=|publisher=Kish.ir|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20090114063326/http://www.kish.ir/HomePage.aspx?TabID=4772&Site=DouranPortal&Lang=en-US|archivedate=2009-01-14|deadurl=yes|accessdate=2010-04-19|df=}}</ref> 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 ==
[[File:McDonnell Douglas MD-82 'EP-LCL' Kish Air (21710460889).jpg|thumb|[[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 the hundreds of thousands of tourists who come to Kish Island. The airport grants 14-day visa-free entry foreign citizens who enter from a foreign country under a different scheme from that of mainland Iran.
== Sports ==
{{see also| Sport in Iran}}
[[File:Scuba Diving Kish Island Iran.JPG|thumb|Scuba diving on Kish Island.]]
[[File:Personal Water Craft.jpg|thumb|Jet skiing 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.<ref>[http://worldtour.2017.fivb.com/en/432]</ref>
== Major Kish Island projects ==
===International Oil Bourse===
The [[International Oil Bourse]] is a commodity exchange which opened on February 17, 2008.
===Ocean Water Park===
[[Ocean Water Park]] is a 5.6 hectare water park; it is the first Iranian themed water park and outdoor water park located at Kish Island. It was opened in January 2017 and currently has 13 rides, four swimming pools and a spa in addition to numerous restaurants, non-alcoholic bars, coffee shops, and shopping areas.
===Kish Hidden Pearl===
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. These were incorporated into the final design. Once completed, the project will include restaurants, tourist resorts, and underground therapeutic mud pools.
[[File:Kish Island Dolphin park.jpg|thumb|right|Kish Dolphinarium.]]
===Kish Dolphin Park===
The Dolphin Park is a {{Convert|70|ha|acre|sing=on}} park located at the southeast corner of Kish Island. It is surrounded by over 22,000 palm trees and includes a [[dolphinarium]], [[Butterfly gardening|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 [[dolphin]]s, [[sea lion]]s, and [[Beluga whale|white whales]].<ref name="dolphinarium"/>
The Bird Garden in the park is home to more than 57 species of birds and other animals from around the world, including [[pelican]]s, [[ostrich]]es, [[blue-and-yellow macaw]]s, [[stork]]s, [[toco toucan]]s, [[turaco]]s, [[swan]]s, [[African penguin]]s, and [[marsh crocodile]]s.<ref name="bird garden"/>
===Kish Aquarium===
The Art Center on the island includes an aquarium that displays marine species unique to the Persian Gulf.<ref name="aquarium"/>
==Gallery==
{{Clear}}
<gallery mode=packed>
File:Kish in Norouz holidays 03.jpg|A beach in Kish Island
File:Azad University, Kish International Branch.jpg|[[Azad University]] of Kish
File:Kish Island in Norouz 06.jpg|Sunset on Kish Island
File:Inside_pardis_market.JPG|Pardis Market
File:Hamam-Shahre-Harireh.jpg|[[Harireh]] Old city
File:Kish Island amir2.jpg|A hotel in Kish Island
File:Kish Island amir4.jpg|There are bike paths all over the Kish Island
File:Sarah Residence in the Kish Island Campus.JPG|Sarah Residence in Kish Island
File:Kish sea sides 1.jpg|Sea side
File:Kish istland photography.jpg|Kish Island
File:Kish in Norouz holidays 02.jpg|A street of Kish Island
File:Kish Islan Qanat.jpg|Kish Island Qanat
File:Kish Island in Norouz 10.jpg|Kish birds
File:Kish Island in Norouz 13.jpg|A shopping mall in Kish
File:Kish Island in Norouz 14.jpg|Beach of Kish
File:Kish Island in Norouz 20.jpg|Traditional dance
File:Kish in Norouz holidays 04.jpg|Kish in [[Nowruz]]
</gallery>
==Twin towns – sister cities==
* {{flagicon|MAS}} [[Langkawi]], [[Malaysia]] <small>''(since 2009)''</small><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.presstv.com/detail.aspx?id=103847§ionid=351020108 |title=Iran, Malaysian islands are 'twinned' |publisher=Presstv.com |date=2009-08-18 |accessdate=2010-04-19 |deadurl=yes |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20100204230127/http://presstv.com/detail.aspx?id=103847§ionid=351020108 |archivedate=February 4, 2010 }}</ref>{{better citation needed|date=February 2016}}
* {{flagicon|UAE}} [[Dubai]], [[United Arab Emirates]] <small>''(since 2002)''</small>
== See also ==
{{Portal|Iran}}
* [[Bandar Lengeh]]
* [[Chabahar free trade-industrial zone]], another [[free trade zone]] in Iran
* [[Economy of Iran]]
* [[Flower of the East]], a [[hotel rating|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
* [[Robert Levinson]], a former [[Federal Bureau of Investigation|FBI]] agent who disappeared on Kish Island
== Notes ==
{{Reflist |refs=
<ref name="dolphinarium">
{{cite web
|url=http://www.kish.ir/HomePage.aspx?TabID=4474&Site=DouranPortal&Lang=en-US
|title=Dolphin Park Complex
|work=kish.ir
|publisher=Kish Free Zone Organization
|accessdate=2 October 2010
|deadurl=yes
|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20100923154805/http://www.kish.ir/HomePage.aspx?TabID=4474&Site=DouranPortal&Lang=en-US
|archivedate=23 September 2010
|df=
}}
</ref>
<ref name="bird garden">
{{cite web
|url=http://www.kish.ir/HomePage.aspx?TabID=4475&Site=DouranPortal&Lang=en-US
|title=Bird Garden
|work=kish.ir
|publisher=Kish Free Zone Organization
|accessdate=2 October 2010
|deadurl=yes
|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110718111504/http://www.kish.ir/HomePage.aspx?TabID=4475&Site=DouranPortal&Lang=en-US
|archivedate=18 July 2011
|df=
}}
</ref>
<ref name="aquarium">
{{cite web
|url=http://www.kish.ir/HomePage.aspx?TabID=4479&Site=DouranPortal&Lang=en-US
|title=Aquarium
|work=kish.ir
|publisher=Kish Free Zone Organization
|accessdate=2 October 2010
|deadurl=yes
|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110718111531/http://www.kish.ir/HomePage.aspx?TabID=4479&Site=DouranPortal&Lang=en-US
|archivedate=18 July 2011
|df=
}}
</ref>
}}
== External links ==
{{Wikivoyage}}
{{Commons category|Kish Island}}
* [http://www.freezones.ir/ Iran Free Zones official website]
* [http://www.kish.ir Kish Free Zone Organization]
* [http://tourismiran.ir Iran's Official Universal Tourism Portal]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20081018185946/http://www.anobanini.ir/travel/fa/hormozgan/cat-116/ Information and Pictures of Kish] (in Persian)
* [http://www.jadidonline.com/story/13122008/frnk/harireh Hamid-Reza Hosseini, ''Findings of Kish'' in Persian]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20160108080933/http://knullen.com/gallery3/index.php/Kish-Islan---Iran-The-Consumer-s-aradise More pictures of Kish Island]
;Videos
*[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g03HpC6925s Kish Island] – [[PressTV]] (2010)
{{Hormozgan Province}}
{{Iranian islands in the Persian Gulf}}
{{Kish Island topics}}
[[Category:Bandar Lengeh County]]
[[Category:Economy of Iran]]
[[Category:Islands of Iran]]
[[Category:Islands of the Persian Gulf]]
[[Category:Kish Island| ]]
[[Category:Landforms of Hormozgan Province]]
[[Category:Special economic zones]]
[[Category:Tourist attractions in Hormozgan Province]]
[[Category:Tourist attractions in Iran]]' |
Unified diff of changes made by edit (edit_diff ) | '@@ -1,4 +1,2 @@
-{{advert|date=May 2018}}
-{{refimprove|date=May 2018}}
{{about|the Iranian island|other uses|Kish (disambiguation)}}
{{Infobox settlement
@@ -115,5 +113,4 @@
Kish Island has been mentioned in history variously as Kamtina, Arakia ({{lang-grc|Αρακία}}), Arakata, and Ghiss.
-
Kish Island's strategic geographic location served as a way-station and link for the ancient [[Assyria]]n and [[Elamites|Elamite]] civilizations when their primitive sailboats navigated from [[Susa]] through the [[Karun River]] into the Persian Gulf along the southern coastline, passing Kish, [[Qeshm]], and [[Hormuz Island|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]], [[Persian people|Persians]] when they were at the height of their power.
@@ -122,5 +119,5 @@
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.{{ref label|kishhistory|1|a}} 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.{{ref label|kishhistory|2|a}}
-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 shop]]ping center.
+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 shop]]ping center.
Kish Island is the last known location of [[Robert Levinson]], a "former F.B.I. agent turned private investigator" who disappeared there on 9 March 2007.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2016/06/03/insider/a-reporter-is-an-unlikely-keeper-of-secrets-in-the-case-of-a-missing-cia-consultant.html|title=A Reporter Is an Unlikely Keeper of Secrets in the Case of a Missing C.I.A. Consultant|last=Meier|first=Barry|date=3 June 2016|work=The New York Times|access-date=14 January 2018|department=Times Insider}}</ref>
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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 ==
+[[File:McDonnell Douglas MD-82 'EP-LCL' Kish Air (21710460889).jpg|thumb|[[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 the hundreds of thousands of tourists who come to Kish Island. The airport grants 14-day visa-free entry foreign citizens who enter from a foreign country under a different scheme from that of mainland Iran.
== Sports ==
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File:Kish Island in Norouz 06.jpg|Sunset on Kish Island
File:Inside_pardis_market.JPG|Pardis Market
-File:Abanbar_in_kish_island.JPG|A water cooling storage building (Abanbar)
+File:Hamam-Shahre-Harireh.jpg|[[Harireh]] Old city
File:Kish Island amir2.jpg|A hotel in Kish Island
File:Kish Island amir4.jpg|There are bike paths all over the Kish Island
File:Sarah Residence in the Kish Island Campus.JPG|Sarah Residence in Kish Island
File:Kish sea sides 1.jpg|Sea side
-File:Dariush Grand Hotel - 3.jpg|Dariush hotel
+File:Kish istland photography.jpg|Kish Island
File:Kish in Norouz holidays 02.jpg|A street of Kish Island
File:Kish Islan Qanat.jpg|Kish Island Qanat
@@ -249,4 +251,5 @@
==Twin towns – sister cities==
* {{flagicon|MAS}} [[Langkawi]], [[Malaysia]] <small>''(since 2009)''</small><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.presstv.com/detail.aspx?id=103847§ionid=351020108 |title=Iran, Malaysian islands are 'twinned' |publisher=Presstv.com |date=2009-08-18 |accessdate=2010-04-19 |deadurl=yes |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20100204230127/http://presstv.com/detail.aspx?id=103847§ionid=351020108 |archivedate=February 4, 2010 }}</ref>{{better citation needed|date=February 2016}}
+* {{flagicon|UAE}} [[Dubai]], [[United Arab Emirates]] <small>''(since 2002)''</small>
== See also ==
' |