South of mainland Iran, in the warm blue waters of the Persian Gulf, lies an island whose history goes back about 3,000 years. The beauty and quality of its pearls have been world-famous for centuries and the story of them being worn by a Chinese Empress is told by Marco Polo. Kish is now considered a “free zone”. Foreigners do not need a visa to enter and enjoy the numerous cultural, leisure, and shopping facilities of the island. Compared to the northern parts of Iran, Kish is like another continent. Between November and March, when ski resorts of the north are full of skiers, the shores of Kish Island are bustling with swimmers and divers who are enjoying the fair weather, hot sands, and the extraordinary underwater world.The island is a kind of heaven for eco-tourists as it embraces wide-ranging attractions such as the Hara marine forests and about 60 villages dotted mostly across its rocky coastlines. It also features geologically eye-catching canyons, hills, caves, and valleys, most of which are protected as part of the UNESCO-tagged Qeshm Island Geopark, itself a haven for nature lovers.