Qom
Ghom
قم
Qom lies 156 kilometers southwest of Tehran and is the capital of Qom Province. It is situated on the banks of the Qom River.
Qom is considered holy by Shiite Islam, as it is the site of the shrine of Fatema Masoumeh, sister of Imam Reza. The city is the largest center for Shiite scholarship in the world, and is a significant destination of pilgrimage.
Qom as an urban settlement existed in the pre-Islamic ages. Architectural discoveries indicate that Qom was a residential area from the 5th millennium BC. Pre-Islamic remaining relics and historical texts point to the fact of Qom being a large regional city. Kum was known to be the name of this ancient city, thus, the incoming 7th century Arabs called it Qom during the conquests of Iran.
During the caliphate of Omar ibn Khattab, the area of Qom fell to the invading Arab armies of Islam. In 645 AD, Abu Musa Ash'ari also dispatched forces under his command to the area. Conflicts resulted between the incoming Arab army and the residents of the area.
In Seljuki times, the city flourished as well. During the Mongol invasion of Persia the city witnessed widespread destruction, but after the Mongol ruling dynasty, also known as the Ilkhanates, converted to Islam during the reign of Oljaitu (Persian Mohammad Khodabandeh), the city received special attention, thus undergoing a revival once more.
In the late 14th century, the city was plundered by Teimur Lang and the inhabitants were massacred. But during the periods of rule of the Kara Koyunlu, Ak Koyunlu and especially during the reign of the Safavids, Qom gained special attention and gradually developed due to its religious shrine.
By 1503 Qom became one of the important centers of theology in relation to the Shiite Islam, and became a significant religious pilgrimage site and pivot.
The city suffered heavy damages again during the Afghan invasions, resulting in consequent severe economic hardships. Qom further sustained damages during the reigns of Nader Shah and the conflicts between the two households of Zand and Qajar in order to gain power over Iran.
Finally in 1793 Qom came under the control of Agha Mohammad Khan Qajar. On being victorious over his enemies, the Qajar Sultan Fathali Shah undertook repairs of the Holy Shrine of Masoumeh, as he had made such a vow.
The city of Qom began another era of prosperity in the Qajar era. After Russian forces entered Karaj in 1915, many of the inhabitants of Tehran moved to Qom because of proximity. Coinciding with this period, a "National Defense Committee" was set up in Tehran, and Qom turned into a political and military center opposed to the Russian and British colonial powers.
As a center of religious learning Qom fell into decline for about a century from 1820 to 1920, but had a resurgence when Sheikh Abdol Karim Haeri Yazdi accepted an invitation to move from Sultanabad (now called Arak, Iran), where he had been teaching, to Qom.
In 1964 and 65, before his exile from Iran, Ayatollah Khomeini led his opposition to the Pahlavi dynasty from Qom.
Today, Qom is counted as one of the focal centers of the Shiite both in Iran and around the globe. Since the revolution the clerical population has doubled and the civil population has tripled Substantial sums of money in the form of alms and Islamic taxes flow into Qom to the ten marja-e taqlid or "Source of Imitation" that reside there. The number of seminary schools in Qom is now over 50, and the number of research institutes and libraries somewhere near 250.
Its theological center and the Masoumeh Shrine are prominent features of the provincial capital of Qom province. Another very popular religious site of pilgrimage formerly outside the city of Qom but now more of a suburb is called Jamkaran.
Qom's proximity to Tehran, Iran's capital, has allowed the clerical establishment easy access to monitor the affairs and decisions of state. Many grand ayatollahs hold offices in both Tehran and Qom; many people simply commute between the two cities as they are only 156 km apart.
South East of Qom is the ancient city of Kashan. Directly south of Qom lie the towns of Delijan, Mahallat, Naraq, Kahak, and Jasb. The surrounding area to the east of Qom is populated by Tafresh, Saveh, and Ashtian and Jafarieh
Most famous sites of Qom are:
Kahak Cave
Vashnaveh Cave
Howz-e Soltan Salt Lake
Namak Great Salt Lake
Marashi Najafi Library, with over 500,000 handwritten texts and copies.
Astaneh Moqaddaseh Museum
Qom Bazaar
Feyzieh Seminary
Jamkaran Mosque
Jami' Mosque Qom
Atiq Mosque in Qom
A'zam Mosque
Shrine of Fatimah al-Masoumeh
Timcheh-ye-Bozog(Grand Timcheh) in Bazaar
Fordow uranium enrichment facility
Fordow lies just north of Qom. Its uranium enrichment facility is under construction and is planned to be operational in 2011. Although Iran has clearly stated that the facility is for civil purposes, there is a lot of skepticism about it among the western powers.
At the 2009 G-20 Pittsburgh summit, U.S. President Barack Obama, Prime Minister Gordon Brown of the United Kingdom, and President Nicolas Sarkozy of France made statements regarding a purportedly undisclosed nuclear enrichment facility still under construction at Qom, drawing parallels with a similar facility at Natanz. This happened just after Iran announced that it was working on the construction of the new facility, and it had more than one and a half year before nuclear material would be introduced at the plant.
Qom space center is, with the Emamshahr space center, one of the two places where the Iranian Space Agency is launching its suborbital Shahab 3s space rockets.
Universities and Institutions in Qom
University of Qom
Mofid University
Fatemieh School of Medical Sciences
Islamic Azad University of Qom
Payame Noor University
The Research Institute of Hawzeh va Daneshgah
Computer Research Center of Islamic Sciences
Imam Khomeini Education and Research Institute
Qom University of Medical Sciences
Qom Students Organization
Haghani Circle
Seminaries
Qom is currently the largest center for Shiite scholarship in the world. There are an estimated 50,000 seminarians in the city coming from 70 countries including 6000 from Pakistan. Qom has seminaries for women and some non-Shiite students. Most of the seminaries teach their students modern social sciences and Western thought as well as traditional religious studies.
Clerical associations
Assembly of Qom Seminary Scholars and Researchers (reformist)
Qom Seminary Scholars Association (conservative)
Senior ranking clerics
The following is a list of some Grand Ayatollahs and the most senior ranking Ayatollahs in or directly related to Qom.
Current
Grand Ayatollah Ali Khamenei
Grand Ayatollah Hossein Vahid Khorasani
Grand Ayatollah Naser Makarem Shirazi
Grand Ayatollah Sadiq Hussaini Shirazi
Grand Ayatollah Lotfollah Safi Golpaygani
Grand Ayatollah Mousa Shubairi Zanjani
Grand Ayatollah Mohammad Alavi Gorgani
Grand Ayatollah Yousef Sanei
Deceased
Grand Ayatollah Khomeini
Grand Ayatollah Boroujerdi
Grand Ayatollah Hossein-Ali Montazeri
Allameh Tabatabaei
Ayatollah Jawad Tabrizi
Grand Ayatollah Muhammad Taqi Behjat
Ayatollah Mohammad Shirazi
Ayatollah Mohammad Beheshti
Ayatollah Hassan Modarres
Ayatollah Morteza Motahhari
Ayatollah Mahmoud Taleghani
(Wikipedia) - Qom is a city in Iran. It lies 156 kilometres (97 mi) by road southwest of Tehran and is the capital of Qom Province. It has an estimated population of 1,042,309 in 2005. It is situated on the banks of the Qom River. Qom is considered holy by Shi`a Islam, as it is the site of the shrine of Fatema Mu00E6'sume, sister of Imam `Ali ibn Musa Rida (Persian Imam Reza, 789u2013816 AD). The city is the largest center for Shi'a scholarship in the world, and is a significant destination of pilgrimage. Qom "Qum" redirects here. For other uses, see Qum (disambiguation). For the administrative subdivisions, see Qom Province and Qom County.
| This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (May 2008) |
| — City — |
| Qom |
| Coordinates: 34°38′24″N 50°52′35″E / 34.64°N 50.87639°E / 34.64; 50.87639Coordinates: 34°38′24″N 50°52′35″E / 34.64°N 50.87639°E / 34.64; 50.87639 |
| Iran |
| Qom |
| Qom |
| Central |
| Population (2010) |
| 1,233,000 |
| IRST (UTC+3:30) |
Qom (Persian: قم , also known as Qum or Ghom) is a city in Iran. It lies 156 kilometres (97 mi) by road southwest of Tehran and is the capital of Qom Province. At the 2006 census, its population was 957,496, in 241,827 families. It is situated on the banks of the Qom River.
Qom is considered holy by Shi`a Islam, as it is the site of the shrine of Fatema Mæ'sume, sister of Imam `Ali ibn Musa Rida (Persian Imam Reza, 789–816 AD). The city is the largest center for Shi'a scholarship in the world, and is a significant destination of pilgrimage.
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Qom is counted as one of the focal centers of the Shi'a both in Iran and around the globe. Since the revolution the clerical population has risen from around 25,000 to more than 45,000 and the nonnclerical population has more than tripled to about 700,000. Substantial sums of money in the form of alms and Islamic taxes flow into Qom to the ten marja-i taqlid or "Source of Imitation" that reside there. The number of seminary schools in Qom is now over 50, and the number of research institutes and libraries somewhere near 250.
Its theological center and the Fatima al-Masumeh Shrine are prominent features of the provincial capital of Qom province. Another very popular religious site of pilgrimage formerly outside the city of Qom but now more of a suburb is called Jamkaran.
Qom's proximity to Tehran, Iran's capital, has allowed the clerical establishment easy access to monitor the affairs and decisions of state. Many grand ayatollahs hold offices in both Tehran and Qom; many people simply commute between the two cities as they are only 156 km apart.
South East of Qom is the ancient city of Kashan. Directly south of Qom lie the towns of Delijan, Mahallat, Naraq, Kahak, and Jasb. The surrounding area to the east of Qom is populated by Tafresh, Saveh, and Ashtian and Jafarieh
HistoryQom as an urban settlement existed in the pre-Islamic ages. Architectural discoveries indicate that Qom was a residential area from the 5th millennium BC. Pre-Islamic remaining relics and historical texts point to the fact of Qom being a large regional city. Kum was known to be the name of this ancient city, thus, the incoming 7th century Arabs called it Qom during the conquests of Iran.
During the caliphate of ʻUmar ibn al-Khattāb, the area of Qom fell to the invading Arab armies of Islam. In 645 AD, Abu Musa Ash'ari also dispatched forces under his command to the area. Conflicts resulted between the incoming Arab army and the residents of the area.
In Seljuki times, the city flourished as well. During the Mongol invasion of Persia the city witnessed widespread destruction, but after the Mongol ruling dynasty, also known as the Ilkhanate, converted to Islam during the reign of Öljeitü (Persian Muhammad Khudabænde), the city received special attention, thus undergoing a revival once more.
In the late 14th century, the city was plundered by Tamerlane and the inhabitants were massacred. Qom gained special attention and gradually developed due to its religious shrine during Saffavid dynasty.
The Fatima al-Masumeh ShrineBy 1503 Qom became one of the important centers of theology in relation to the Shia Islam, and became a significant religious pilgrimage site and pivot.
The city suffered heavy damages again during the Afghan invasions, resulting in consequent severe economic hardships. Qom further sustained damages during the reigns of Nadir Shah and the conflicts between the two households of Zandieh and Qajariyeh in order to gain power over Iran.
Finally in 1793 Qom came under the control of Agha Muhammad Khan Qajar. On being victorious over his enemies, the Qajar Sultan Fæteh Æli Shah was responsible for the repairs done on the sepulchre and Holy Shrine of Hæzræt Mæ'sume, as he had made such a vow.
The city of Qom began another era of prosperity in the Qajar era. After Russian forces entered Karaj in 1915, many of the inhabitants of Tehran moved to Qom due to reasons of proximity, and the transfer of the capital from Tehran to Qom was even discussed. But the British and Russians defeated prospects of the plan by putting Ahmad Shah Qajar under political pressure. Coinciding with this period, a "National Defense Committee" was set up in Tehran, and Qom turned into a political and military apex opposed to the Russian and British colonial powers.
As a center of religious learning Qom fell into decline for about a century from 1820 to 1920, but had a resurgence when Shaykh Abdul Karim Haeri Yazdi accepted an invitation to move from Sultanabad (now called Arak, Iran), where he had been teaching, to Qom.
In 1964 and 65, before his exile from Iran, the Ayatollah Khomeini led his opposition to the Pahlavi dynasty from Qom. After the Islamic revolution in 1979, Khomeini also spent some time in the city before and after moving to Tehran.
Climate| 10.0 (50.0) | 11.8 (53.2) | 17.5 (63.5) | 25.9 (78.6) | 32.4 (90.3) | 38.3 (100.9) | 40.1 (104.2) | 39.0 (102.2) | 35.0 (95.0) | 26.7 (80.1) | 19.6 (67.3) | 12.9 (55.2) | 25.77 (78.38) |
| −2.3 (27.9) | −0.4 (31.3) | 4.2 (39.6) | 9.8 (49.6) | 15.1 (59.2) | 19.9 (67.8) | 22.7 (72.9) | 21.1 (70.0) | 14.8 (58.6) | 9.8 (49.6) | 3.9 (39.0) | −0.4 (31.3) | 9.85 (49.73) |
| 16.4 (0.646) | 21.9 (0.862) | 26.8 (1.055) | 11.2 (0.441) | 11.0 (0.433) | 1.6 (0.063) | 2.4 (0.094) | 0.0 (0) | 0.8 (0.031) | 9.6 (0.378) | 10.5 (0.413) | 21.3 (0.839) | 133.5 (5.256) |
| 7.7 | 8.7 | 8.2 | 4.8 | 3.6 | 0.2 | 1.4 | 0.2 | 0.2 | 3.4 | 3.2 | 4.2 | 45.8 |
| Source: World Meteorological Organisation |
Iran's Cultural Heritage Organization lists 195 sites of historical and cultural significance in Qom. But the more visited sites of Qom are:
- Kahak Cave
- Vashnaveh Cave
- Howz-e Soltan Salt Lake
- Namak Great Salt Lake
- Mar'ashi Najafi Library, with over 500,000 handwritten texts and copies.
- Astaneh Moqaddaseh Museum
- Qom Bazaar
- Feyzieh Seminary
- Jamkaran Mosque
- Jami' Mosque Qom
- Atiq Mosque in Qom
- A'zam Mosque
- Shrine of Fatimah al-Masumah
- Timcheh-ye-Bozog(Grand Timcheh) in Bazaar
- University of Religions and Denominations
- University of Qom
- Mofid University
- Fatemieh School of Medical Sciences
- Islamic Azad University of Qom
- Payame Noor University
- The Research Institute of Hawzeh va Daneshgah
- Computer Research Center of Islamic Sciences
- Imam Khomeini Education and Research Institute
- Qom University of Medical Sciences, (website)
- Qom Students Organisation
- Haghani Circle
- Qom Photos
Qom is currently the largest center for Shi'a scholarship in the world. There are an estimated 50,000 seminarians in the city coming from 70 countries, including 6,000 from Pakistan alone. Qom has seminaries for women and some non-Shia students. Most of the seminaries teach their students modern social sciences and Western thought as well as traditional religious studies.
Clerical associations- Assembly of Qom Seminary Scholars and Researchers (reformist)
- Qom Seminary Scholars Association (conservative)
The following is a list of some Grand Ayatollahs and the most senior ranking Ayatollahs in or directly related to Qom.
Current- Grand Ayatollah Hossein Vahid Khorasani
- Grand Ayatollah Mousa Shubairi Zanjani
- Grand Ayatollah Ali Khamenei
- Grand Ayatollah Naser Makarem Shirazi
- Grand Ayatollah Yousef Sanei
- Grand Ayatollah Lotfollah Safi Golpaygani
- Grand Ayatollah Sadiq Hussaini Shirazi
- Grand Ayatollah Mohammad Javad Fazel Lankarani
- Grand Ayatollah Mohammad Alavi Gorgani
- Grand Ayatollah Khomeini
- Grand Ayatollah Borujerdi
- Grand Ayatollah Hossein-Ali Montazeri
- Grand Ayatollah Fazel Lankarani
- Allameh Tabatabaei
- Ayatollah Jawad Tabrizi
- Grand Ayatollah Muhammad Taqi Behjat
- Ayatollah Mohammad Shirazi
- Ayatollah Mohammad Beheshti
- Ayatollah Hassan Modarres
- Ayatollah Morteza Motahhari
- Ayatollah Mahmoud Taleghani
The Fordow uranium enrichment facility is located 20 miles north east of Qom. In January 2012 the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) announced that Iran had started producing uranium enriched up to 20% for medical purposes and that material "remains under the agency's containment and surveillance.” Iranian authorities state the facility is built deep in a mountain because of repeated threats by Israel to attack such facilities, which Israel believes can be used to produce nuclear weapons. However, attacking a nuclear facility so close to a city considered so holy in Shia Islam brings concern of a potential risk of a Shiite religious response.
Qom space centerQom space center is, with the Emamshahr space center, one of the two places where the Iranian Space Agency is launching its suborbital Shahab 3 ballistic missiles.
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