2,500 years old Underground Town in Kish Island

Source of Text and Pictures: http://www.kishtpc.com

Kish has a long history of about 3,000 years, being called under various names such as Kamtina, Arakia, Arakata, and Ghiss in the course of time. In 325 BC, Alexander the Great commissioned Niarkus to set off an expedition voyage into the Sea of Oman and the Persian Gulf. Niarkus's writings indicate that he visited Araracta in the 4th century BC. His descriptions of Araracta precisely match with the characteristics of Kish.

The Kish qanat is more than 2,500 years old, and currently it has been converted into an underground town at a depth of 16 meters below the surface, with an area of more than 10,000 sq m.

In the reconstruction of this qanat named Cariz, spaces have been allocated to handicraft stalls, restaurants and traditional teahouses, amphitheaters, conference centers, and art galleries. Efforts have been made to preserve the traditional and historis fabric of the site.