Today is Iran’s Persian Gulf National Day. Whether you are watching the sun set over the Persian Gulf, scrambling over the ruins of Portuguese castle at the Hormoz Island or just dropping down several gears to the ultra-relaxed pace at which this part of the world operates , you can’t escape the fact the Persian Gulf offers a different experience to the rest of Iran.

There is geographical contrast- its coast and islands - but the major difference comes from the variety of people who live here.

The history of the Persian Gulf is tied inextricably to trade. Africans, Arabs, Indians and Europeans as far back as Alexander the great have passed by this way, some finding business so good they have set up shop and stayed. It is introduced as the world’s major oil-producing region

The Persian Gulf as one of the today most sensitive and vital waterways, is an extension of Indian Ocean that located between Iran and Arabian Peninsula and the province of Hormozgan is located in the north. Qeshm and Kish are the most important tourist islands that are located in this region.

Some fish species of the Persian Gulf are Barramundi Cod, Arabian Butterfly fish (misht el-arus), Butterfly fish, Grey Grunt (Yanam), Grouper, Snapper and Humphead Wrasse.

Different species of marine mammals are observed in the southern waters of Iran, including blue whale Sibbaldus musculus, fin whale Balaenoptera physalus, and etc.

-------------- Bandar Abbas:

A port city and capital of Hormozgan Province that is located in the southern coast of Iran and because of its position, plays an important strategic and commercial role. The major industries of Bandar Abbas are cotton textile manufacturing, Fish processing, refining and etc.

There is a thermal spring in the northeast of Bandar Abbas named Genu.

Though founded by and named for one of Persia’s greatest kings, Shah Abbas I, the bustling ‘Port of Abbas’ is short on both historical features and charisma these days.

Strategically positioned overlooking the Strait of Hormoz and the entrance to the Persian Gulf, the city, known to most Iranians simply as ‘Bandar’, is the capital of Hormozgan province and home to Iran’s busiest port but doesn’t have much to offer the foreign visitor – we only include it as a transport hub for Qeshm and Hormoz, the Lonely Planet website mentioned.

--------- Kish Island:

According to the Lonely Planet website, travelling in Iran you’re likely to hear this more than once. And when you ask what is so special about Kish, you’re told: ‘But Kish is wonderful; everything works there. The beaches are clean, the buildings are modern and there’s duty-free shopping!’

Kish is booming. Hotels, apartment blocks and retail complexes dominate the once-deserted desert landscape, domestic tourist numbers are on the rise.

An oval shaped island with coral beaches and an economic free zone in south west of Bandar Abbas. This beautiful island has one of the longest beach stretches that offers an opportunity for leisure such as water skiing, scuba diving, relaxing in a peaceful and uncrowded place, cycling and etc.

Apart from these stated attractions, there some other attractions that some of them are The Ancient Town of Harireh, Greek ship, Marjan Beach Park, bird garden and many other beautiful and memorable highlights.

Kish acts as the location for numerous international sporting events. Kish Island is part of the Professional Squash Association's annual tour, holding the Fajr International Squash Championship.

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 on offer in Kish such as snorkeling and scuba diving courses, jet skiing, diving cruises, water skiing, sea skiffs, cruises to other islands around Kish, parasailing, jet boat rides, cruise fishing boats, pedal boating, banana boat rides, and windsurfing.

Maryam Bowling Complex includes 16 bowling lanes, a health club with a fitness suite, and a jacuzzi. Kish Equestrian Club hosts national races and is capable of holding international competitions.

Kish has three international standard volleyball courts, Kish held the 2006 Asian Beach Volleyball Championship.

----------- Qeshm Island:

It is a mountainous island in 22Km from Bandar Abbas with a large rocky and beautiful coast. It is the largest island in the Persian Gulf. There are various types of birds and animal species that some of them are pelicans, deer, snakes and scorpions.

The most important attractions of Qeshm are the famous Portuguese Castle which is in the north east of island, the charming village of left at the end of the road that continues west from Qeshm town, Kharbas village, the Mitra temple and etc.

As mentioned on the Lonely Planet website, Qeshm is the largest island in the Persian Gulf. It is fringed with biologically diverse mangrove forests, attractive beaches and 60 Bandari villages.

Its sun-scorched interior features geologically significant canyons, hills, caves and valleys, most of which are now protected as part of the UNESCO-recognized Qeshm Island Geopark.

Qeshm is a duty-free zone but in the Persian Gulf increasingly full of gleaming skyscrapers it remains refreshingly attached to the age-old Bandari way of life.

Here, locals wear traditional dress, live in houses cooled with wind towers and work in boat-building yards turning out lenjs, the large wooden cargo boats that have criss-crossed the Persian Gulf for centuries.

The island has an abundance of wildlife, including birds, reptiles, dolphins and turtles. Local communities are heavily involved in projects to protect the environment, and there is some disquiet about the effect that the country’s first heavy oil refinery, currently being constructed on the island’s southern coast, might have on the hitherto pristine natural landscape.

PHOTO: Greek Ship is one of the most marvelous attractions in Kish Island (Photo by: Hanif Shoaei)

(Source: incredibleiran.com and others)