For over 50 years, the blue waters of the Persian Gulf in Kish island have a guest. Greek Ship or Khoula F was a cargo steamship that has been beached in Kish Island. Over the years, she became of the most picturesque spots of the island. Let’s read more about this mysterious ship.

The Greek Ship was built in 1943 by the British and its original name was Empire Trumpet. Over her long life, this ship has numbers of British, Iranian, and Greek owners. They changed her name frequently. The last owner of this ship was Greek, which explains its current name. Naturalist, Persian Cyrus, Hamedan, and Koula F are some of her former names.

With an area of 673 square meters and more than 7000 tons weight, the Greek Ship ran aground in 1966. No one exactly knows what caused its wreck, but some people say it was beached intentionally by its captain because of its large amount of insurance by the British Company.

After its wreck, any try to refloat the ship was unsuccessful, and the ship started to rust and break ever since.

Want to visit a different attraction is the beautiful Kish Island? Then, visit The Ancient Town of Harireh. This historical attraction is located on the north of the island and it was the center of civilization more than 800 years ago.

Kish Island is famous for its beautiful coasts and shopping malls. But it is also rich in term of historical attraction. One of these places is The Ancient Town of Harireh. This place, which is also registered as one of the national treasury of Iran, is more than 800 years old. With an area of more than 120 hectares, this city consists of an old public bathroom, a mosque, an aristocratic building, an aqueduct, and a punty workshop.

Historians believe that the Ancient Town of Harireh was built after the destruction of Siraf, a very popular port. Once, Harireh was a charming and lively town that businessmen loved.

Dating back to 2500 years ago, the ancient Kariz-e Kish is a magnificent sample of the vast aqueduct on Kish Island, south of Iran. Carving aqueducts in Iran was a crucial discovery for survival from the very beginning as it is dry land. As time passed on, the carving aqueduct was not a burden anymore and turned to architectural art. This underground structure has special characteristics like being coral in its nature, Sweetwater flows, cool temperature, ancient fossils, etc. makes it one of the most important attractions in Iran. Follow the next paragraphs to gain more information about this spectacular site.

The underground city of Kariz is also known with different names such as Kish Aqueduct, Qanat-e Kish, and Kariz-e Kish. It is one of the historical tourist attractions of Kish Island that is estimated to be 2500 years old. This complex was never a historical city in no point back in history and is in fact a network of underground canals that were used to lead water.

Kariz actually means aqueduct in Farsi. Carving aqueducts in Iran can be traced back to 6000 years ago. Therefore, it will not be just a claim to say that this art has been first and foremost an invention of Iranians.

Years ago, when Kariz-e Kish was on the edge of total destruction and about to be completely forgotten, Engineer Haji Hosseini, an Iranian residing in Germany, decided to return to Iran after 32 years. His decision was mainly influenced by his incentive to reconstruct this complex. He had private funding for his project and defined the project in three phases. With his efforts, the long-forgotten Kariz-e Kish became a much-visited touristic site.

Above this complex, traditional restaurant, small bazaar, and museum were built at the ground level. The employers at this complex believe that it is highly capable of being world-famous. There are two reasons for the emergence of such an opinion; firstly, it is located at the heart of one of the most famous islands of the Persian Gulf. Secondly, it is the only man-made structure with natural coral and shells.

It is 15 kilometers long, 10000 square meters wide, and 14 meters deep. One interesting fact about this majestic underground aqueduct is that it was built by primitive equipment. For long, this aqueduct was not a source of attraction for the tourists until reconstructions were made to it in 1999.

Dolphin Park Complex is the first dolphinarium in Iran which is located in the fantastic Kish Island. Not only you can enjoy the great and amusing dolphin performances in this complex, but also you can visit Bird Garden and Kish Aquarium.

If you love to watch funny dolphins dance, jump, draw, and even talk, put in some time to watch their performance while you are in Kish. Kish Dolphin Complex is the first of its kind in Iran. This large complex has an area of 100 hectares and it is located on the southeast of the island.

Dolphins are intelligent creatures that will make you wonder. Not only you can visit these lovely dolphins, but also you can swim with them after the show is done! Northern Sea Lion, Northern Sea Cat, and Penguins are other animals that are in this interesting park.

Bird Garden
When you buy a ticket for Kish Dolphin Complex, visiting the Bird Garden is also included in your ticket. This Bird Garden is located inside the Dolphin Complex and it has more than 57 different species of birds. Pelican, ostrich, scarlet macaw, various species of stork, toucan, swans, African penguins, and rare species such as marsh crocodile are some of the residences of this park.

One of the remarkable points in this park is the collection of different species from all over the world from South America to Australia and from East Asia to Africa.

Kish Aquarium
Kish Aquarium is not a part of the Kish Dolphin Complex, but it is located right next to it. One of the best ways to see the underwater world is diving, a fun activity that you can do in Kish; but if you cannot do diving for any reason, you have the chance to see colorful corals, fish, turtles, and so many other creatures in Kish Aquarium. This large aquarium consists of two main parts. One with the volume of 50,000 liters that contains sharks, crocodiles, and snakes, and the other one with a volume of 20,000 liters that has 70 rare and interesting fish. The two-meter turtle, taxidermies, and the Paleontology center are other interesting parts of this attraction.

The greenish-blue shine of the spectacularly majestic Persian Gulf is a southern attraction you should include on your must-see destinations list. Imagine walking on the soft golden sand of the coast or swimming in the safe section of the gulf . . . Yes, it is adorably pleasing and calming to the soul.
The Persian Gulf is of extreme importance to Iran from two respects; firstly, its bed is a great source of oil for Iran. Secondly, regarding the tourism industry, this gulf has a lot to offer to Iranian and non-Iranian tourists.

The best time to consider visiting the Persian Gulf is from late December to mid-April when the humidity does not cause so much irritation. The Persian Gulf coastline has a lot of beauties and wonders. Hormuz Island, for instance, has stunning red shores. Moreover, Mangrove Forest of Qeshm is a mysterious forest in the gulf with green plants disappearing and reappearing due to high and low tides. In addition, there are shiny silver planktons in some parts of the gulf shore that give a perfect scenery to the shores of the region at night. Apart from this, the marine species and corals in the gulf are amazingly diverse and interesting. Naughty dolphins, above all, are a great source of entertainment. Water sports and activities of all sorts are also available in different islands, cities, and ports.

In 1622, Safavid soldiers and the English army united to defeat the Portuguese, one of the supreme powers of the time. The Portuguese had invaded the Persian Gulf and occupied it for more than a century until then. Accordingly, the 10th of Ordibehesht or April 30 has been called the National Day of Persian Gulf since then and is celebrated annually.

While there is strong evidence that the gulf originally belongs to Iran, it seems that the countries in the neighborhood have recently claimed the gulf for their own interest. If research is conducted carefully through the ancient inscriptions and early written works, it can be clearly investigated that Iran or Persia is the true owner of the gulf.