Farasan
Farasan is located in Saudi Arabia
Farasan
Farasan
Location in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
Coordinates: 16°42′21″N 41°59′0″E / 16.70583°N 41.98333°E / 16.70583; 41.98333
Country Saudi Arabia
ProvinceJizan Province
Area
 • Total686 km2 (265 sq mi)
Population
 (2010)
 • Total20,000
Time zoneUTC+3

Farasan Island (Arabic: جزيرة فرسان; transliterated: Jazyrat Farasan) is the largest island of the Farasan Islands, in the Red Sea. It is located some 50 km offshore from Jizan, the far southwestern part of Saudi Arabia and is among the largest islands in the Red Sea.[1] It is located at around 16°42′21″N 41°59′0″E / 16.70583°N 41.98333°E / 16.70583; 41.98333. The main town on the island is Farasan. The "Farasan island marine sanctuary" has been created around the island to protect biodiversity.

Farasan General Hospital

Farasan General Hospital was built in September 1986 by the Saudi government. Chaired under Dr. Ahmed (MBBS, Neurosurgeon), it has 35 doctors for various specialization. Advanced facilities (i.e. x-rays, ultra-sounds) are available here.

Kunnah

Kunnah, a festive fishing season is derived from the Arabic word for kingfish, kana’ad. Kunnah season starts at the beginning of summer and finishes with the end of June. It witnesses an abundance of different types of fish including but not limited to the kingfish (Scomberomorus cavalla) and parrotfish (Hipposcarus harid). The fishing seasons combined represent 35 percent of fish production in the Red Sea and 20 percent of the Saudi Arabia’s fish production.[1]

During the festival, Jazan looks like a floating city due to the large number of fishing boats and the lights from the ships make sea becoming illuminated at night. Jazan region produces about 11,000 metric tons of fish annually and employees over 3,200 fishermen working along the coasts and helping the economy of 17 fishing ports. It uses about 1,657 boats, resulting in the investment in fisheries and helping preserving the fishing profession.[1]

Jizan to Farasan

The distance between Jizan and Farasan is 50 kilometres (31 mi). Both ferries and flukas (local small boats) are used on this route.

Ferry passage is free. The ferry carries 35–40 cars and can accommodate about 800 people. New ferries were put into service in 2006, cutting travel time between Jizan and Farasan from three hours to one. There are two ferry trips each way daily (Farasan to Jizan at 7:30 AM and 03:30 PM, Jizan to Farasan also at 7:30 AM and 03:30 PM, as of November 2019.)

The flukas carry up to twelve passengers. The flukas take an hour to make the crossing and operate by hire rather than on a fixed schedule, with at a cost of SR50 per passenger with a minimum charge of SR350 (as of 2020).

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Saudi Arabia's Farasan Island celebrates its annual fishing season". Arab News. 2022-05-04. Retrieved 2022-05-04.
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