Iran to Create a Women-Only Island Beach Resort

Imagine a no-man beach zone. An island of women. Beaches filled exclusively with females frolicking in the waves. Sound like a lesbian or feminist dream, stories about the Amazon women from ancient mythology, or fantasy and science fiction perhaps? Well, it's none of the above. Iran is planning a women-only island for the exclusive enjoyment of Muslim female tourists on holiday.

The man-free island resort will be in the middle of the Orumiyeh lake in Western Azerbaijan province in northwestern Iran. The island getaway will be dedicated to exclusively female vacationers, reports the Tehran-e Emrouz newspaper. "There will be no men on the Arezou island. Public transport, restaurants and other facilities will be staffed only by women," a municipality official told the paper. "It will also boost tourism in the area. The construction of hotels, small restaurants and medical centers under the management of women is one of the specifications for this island, which is the first such in the country."

The name Arezou is translated as "wish." Possibly that refers to the simple wish to feel the sun and the breeze on one's skin, unencumbered by yards of stifling black cloth. Iranian officials state that the segregated women's-only island will protect women's rights instead of restricting them. The man-free zone has even been approved by supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei's provincial representative. He declared that a women-only island is not against Islamic Sharia law.