Name
Harireh, Kish حریره، کیش
Map
Historical Period
Islamic
History and description
The 120-hectare ruins of Harireh stand on the north coast of the island, overlooking the strait that separates Kish from the mainland of Iran. The earliest substantial account referring to Kish is in Ibn Balkhi’s Farsnāmā in connection with the decline of Sirāf in the twelfth century. With the support of the Atābeks of Fārs, the port of Harireh at Kish grew and gained importance on the maritime trade routes connecting the Persian Gulf region to India and beyond. In fact, the name Harireh means silk products in Persian and could be an allusion to the port's main commercial commodity that was silk. The remains of Harireh are all dated to a period of prosperity that ranges between the twelfth and early sixteenth century. The heyday of Kish was under the Atabeks, in particular during the reign of Abubakr Sa’d ibn Zangi (1226-1259 A.D.). Two major factors caused the decline of Harireh: the coming of the Portuguese and their taking of the island of Hormuz, the rise of the Safavids, and the establishment of a commercial port at Bandar Abbas.
The archaeological excavations revealed the existence of a town with a large hammām or bath, a number of wells and basins for collecting drinkable water, and an artisanal sector. The hammām, 27 m long, includes a hot room built in rubble masonry (stone and mortar). The proximity of the hammām and the town’s “wealthy” houses suggests that it was probably a private bath. Two large houses were excavated at Harireh. Based on the finds, the houses belonged to well-to-do residents of Harireh. A large number of typical glazed pottery of the 13th century was discovered in the ruined houses. A large mosque was also uncovered in the course of the excavations.
Archaeological Exploration
Between January and May 1974, a certain William E. Hamilton investigated the site on behalf of the Kish Island Development Organization. In March 1974, David Whitehouse visited the site and published a note about his observations. Hossein Bakhtiari conducted the first archaeological survey of the site of Harireh on behalf of the Iranian Centre for Archaeological Research in 1975. Mahmoud Mousavi carried out archaeological excavations at the site on behalf of the Iranian Center for Archaeological Research in 1991 and 1992.
Finds
Bibliography
Schwarz, P., Iran im Mittelalter, vol. 2, Leipzig, 1910, p. 88.
Whitehouse, D., “Kish,” Iran, vol. 14, 1976, pp. 146-147
Wilson, A. T., The Persian Gulf, London, 2nd edition, 1954, pp. 96-100 (for Kish).
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