<p>Athletes from the UK, Germany, Turkey, France, and the Islamic Republic of Iran took part in the marathon contest with the slogan of “Discover with Running”.</p><p>Both male and female athletes took part in the marathon contest, and crossed the distance between several villages to see <a href=”https://ifpnews.com/unesco-to-name-qeshm-island-as-centre-for-development-of-global-geoparks”>Qeshm Island geosites</a>.</p><p>Here are <i>ISNA</i>’s photos of the marathon contest:</p><p>
</p><p> </p><p>One of the main goals of holding the marathon contest was to introduce the Island’s tourist attractions.</p><p><strong>Qeshm Attractions</strong></p><p>Qeshm is an Iranian island in the Strait of Hormuz. It is separated from the mainland by the Khuran Strait in the Persian Gulf. It is the largest island in Iran.</p><p>Qeshm is located a few kilometers off the southern coast of Iran, opposite the port cities of Bandar Abbas and Bandar Khamir. The island, which hosts a 300-square-kilometre free zone jurisdiction, is 135 km long.</p><p>The island comprises 59 towns and villages. The local population of Qeshm is involved in fishing, dhow construction, trade and services. Thousands are also involved in administrative and industrial jobs or live there as students.</p><p>Qeshm is famous for its wide range of ecotourism attractions such as the Hara marine forests. According to environmentalists, about 1.5% of the world birds and 25% of Iran’s native birds annually migrate to Qeshm forests, which are the first national geo park in Iran.</p>
