Kish (island)

Kish
Waters	Persian Gulf
Geographical location	26 ° 32 ' N , 53 ° 58' E Coordinates: 26 ° 32 ' N , 53 ° 58' E
length	15.45 km
width	7.5 km
surface	91.5 km²
Highest elevation	45 m above sea level NHN
Residents	20,667 ; 226 inhabitants / km²
main place	Kish

Kish ( Persian کيش, in antiquity a. a. ancient Greek Ἀρακία Arakia ) is an Iranian island in the province of Hormozgan in the Persian Gulf . It has an area of around 90 km² and is about 20 km from the mainland. The island has about 20,000 inhabitants.

The island

The island of Kisch became known as the vacation island of Reza Shah Pahlavi . Today the island is mainly a free trade zone and a holiday area with many hotels and shops. It is one of the luxury resorts and holiday destinations of the Iranians, but there is a strict alcohol ban on the island . Women are only allowed to swim in areas of the beach that are cordoned off with high corrugated iron fences and where men are strictly prohibited from staying. There are also separate beach areas for men to swim in.

The Iranian Oil Exchange is located on the island .

Citizens of the European Union can enter from Dubai without a visa . A visa for Iran is required to travel to Iran.

Attractions

The island's sights include the ancient old town, underground water cisterns ( qannat ) and the luxury hotel, which also hosted the Shah.

On the south-west coast you can see the Greek ship , the wreck of a ship built in Scotland in 1943 and stranded here in 1966.

There are coral reefs on the quieter, mainland-facing coast . There you can wade 200–300 m into the sea, as the water is no deeper than a meter at this distance. At the harbor there is a glass-bottom ship that goes out to the coral banks.

By 2010, the Flower of the East holiday complex with a 7-star hotel that would compete with the Burj al Arab in Dubai was to be built on an area of 220 hectares . The facility should also have a golf course . German companies should be significantly involved in this project. The realization of the project was canceled in 2007.

economy

On October 26, 2015, the President of the Iranian Central Bank, Walliolah Sejf, announced that it would abolish cash in Kish as part of a pilot project and replace it with electronic means of payment.

climate

The climate in Kish is warm. In summer temperatures reach 40 to 52 ° C.

Sports

In January 2008, Kisch was the venue for the Epee and Saber Fencing World Cup. There was also an ATP Challenger Tour tennis tournament there in 2004 .