Kish Island
Kish is a 91.5-square-kilometre (35.3 mi2) resort island in Bandar Lengeh County, Hormozgan Province, off the southern coast of Iran in the Persian Gulf. The island’s population center is the city of Kish. Owing to its free trade zone status, the island is marketed as a consumers’ paradise, offering shopping centers, tourist attractions, and resort hotels.It has an estimated population of around 55,205 residents and about 12 million visitors annually.
History
Kish Island has been referred to by various names throughout history, including Kamtina, Arakia (Ancient Greek: Ἀρακία), Arakata, and Ghiss.
According to Iranian linguist Zana Vahdat, a former historical name of the island was Dowlatkhaneh, a name commonly used during the period of the Atabegs of Fars.
In 325 BC, Alexander the Great commissioned his admiral Nearchus to explore the Persian Gulf and the Sea of Oman. Nearchus’s writings on Arakata contain the earliest known mention of Kish Island in antiquity.Later, Marco Polo noted in accounts of his travels to the Chinese Imperial Court that the pearls worn by the empress originated from Kish.
Dolphin Park
Kish is the most celebrated tourist island in Persian Gulf and is constantly visited all the time of the year. One of its many features is the Dolphin Park. It is located about seven kilometers of the pier and Maryam bowling complex, three kilometers of Marjan (Coral) Bazaar, in the southeast of the island. This park is the first dolphinarium in Iran. It was opened in 1384 SH in an area of one hundred hectares.
Dolphin Park has many shows, and in addition to the dolphinarium, it includes bird garden, a circus, laser show, saltwater aquarium, and landscape area. This complex is designed to entertain both children and adults. All the sites of shows can be reached with a little walking. There are also buses to transport visitors between the bird garden and the dolphinarium.
The dolphins are very charming animals and they put on exciting shows with the help of their coaches. Watching them swim around and dive can be a very memorable experience. Other animals such as sea lions, walruses, and penguins are living in the complex, too. The pools of the park have been filled by the water from the sea, and the animals are living in an environment similar to their natural habitats.
