Harireh Ancient City
Harireh is an ancient city on Kish Island on the southern coast of Iran, which dating back between the late Sassanid period and the early Islamic era. Harireh Ancient City indicate that this area included a large population. According to archaeological excavations, Harireh consists of coastal complex, noble houses, baths, mosque, glassblowing workshop and old Qanats.
History
This eight hundred year old city was once the most prosperous harbor town of Iran and located on Kish Island. At the moment, however, its remains have become one of the attractions of Kish Island and many people are drawn to sit beside other recreational, natural, window-shopping, and such kind of attractions available there.
The luxurious house, bathhouse, rooms, wells, Qanat, and the mosque there are at Harireh Ancient City. This historical city is most probably the town that the renowned Iranian poet, Saadi, has referred to in his book Gulistan. There are references in the works of Iranian and Arab historians to the location of the town on the island. These say that this ancient city was situated in the middle of the northern part, precisely where the ruins are standing today.
Architecture of Harireh Ancient City
What remains of it today is, a volume of urban ancient architecture, but rarely will an arch, cover, or ceiling be seen intact, except for a few instances where arched stone ceilings have remained unharmed from the detriments of destruction.
The Port of the ancient city of Harireh was a concrete, well-made city with an extrovert architecture. Here, there are no signs of an introvert, self-defending architecture which can be seen in other historic cities in Iran. However, Choosing this part of the island to build a city was a most natural and logical choice.
Harireh Bath
This old bath has a lot of courtyards, with an area of 500 square meters. Different parts of this bath such as Sarbineh, Garmkhaneh, and Tone or Galkhan located on the south side and divided from a roofed corridor from the other sections. Let’s talk about what is the meaning of these words. Sarbineh was a dressing room and a place to prepare for bathing or exit bathroom; Garmkhaneh dedicated to washing and bath; Tone or Galkhan is a place for providing water and heat of the bath.
Opening hours
This ancient City is open for visitors from 10.00 am to 10.00 pm in every day. The best Times to Visit of this ancient city are Autumn, Winter and spring. This historical City was also one of the centers for the trade of pearls. This is evident from the huge piles of shells in a nearby small gulf.