The Political, Economic, and Social Position of Kish Island in Historical Changes of Persian Gulf

Kish Island is an Iranian island in Persian Gulf which has had a significant potential in economic and tourism activities during recent decades. Kish is an ancient name, and the town of Kish had been a great capital among ancient centers in the Persian Gulf and Mesopotamia area. Kish has also an especial strategic and ecologic position due to having water sources in the area, and has experienced many historical changes because of its water resources. This island has been under attention by all local and European colonial powers during recent centuries. In middle ages, a local government of Kish called Muluk-i Kish made the island as a substitution of Bandar Siraf, and changed the island as a trade center in the region. After the end of Muluk-i Kish, the island went under domination of Muluk-i Hurmuz, and then, Kish was a part of different governments territories prior the rise of Safavids. By the time of Safavids and the presence of European colonial powers in the Persian Gulf, Kish Island faced with new historical transformations and placed into Portuguese, English and Dutch interests. These political, economic, and social transformations continued in later periods until Qajar and Pahlavi eras, and at the present, the island has become a fundamental economic and tourism center in the Persian Gulf region. At the present paper, the process of political, economic, and social changes of Kish Island in a historical perspective are investigated in details.