Qom

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Qom

Qom (Persian: قم, also known as Q'um or Kom) is a city in Iran and the Qom (River) flows through the town. It lies 97 miles by road south-west of Tehran and is the capital of Qom Province. It has an estimated population of 1,042,309 in 2005.[1]

Qom is considered to be a holy city in 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 CE). The city is the largest center for Shi'a scholarship in the world, and is a significant destination of pilgrimage.

Area near the shrine of Hazrat Masuma-e-Qum

1 History
- 1.1 Qom today
2 Attractions of Qom
3 Qom space center
4 Universities in Qom
5 Seminaries of Qom
6 Listing of Qom's Senior ranking clerics
- 6.1 Current
- 6.2 Deceased
7 Sister cities
8 References
9 See also
10 External links
- 10.1 Religiously affiliated
- 10.2 Non-Religiously affiliated

[edit] History

Qom as an urban settlement existed in the pre-Islamic ages. Architectural discoveries indicate that Qom was a residential area from the 5th millennium BCE. 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 ˤUmar ibn al-Khattāb, the area of Qom fell to the invading Arab armies of Islam. In 645CE, 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. But during the periods of rule of the Qara Qoyunlu, Aq Qoyunlu and especially during the reign of the Safavids, Qom gained special attention and gradually developed due to its religious shrine.

By 1503 CE, 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 1793CE, 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 an era of prosperity in the Qajar era yet once again. 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 Æhmæd 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 against the Russian and British colonial powers.

Many years later, Qom also became the center from which Ayatollah Khomeini based his opposition to the Pahlavi dynasty while in Iran. For many years, Qom was the home of Ayatollah Khomeini who led Iran during the events that led to the Islamic revolution in 1979 before permanently leaving for Tehran after the revolution.

[edit] Qom today

Today, Qom is counted as one of the focal centers of the Shi'a both in Iran and around the globe. Its theological center and the Holy Shrine of Hadrat Ma'sumah are prominent features of the provincial capital of Qom province. Another religious site of pilgrimage is outside the city of Qom and is called Jamkaran.

Qom's proximity to Tehran has given it an advantage as well.

In 2001 journalist Camelia Entekhabifard reported that many women earn money in Qom by engaging in sigheh (temporary marriage) with pilgrims and religious scholars, as a thinly veiled form of prostitution. She was imprisoned for 11 weeks as a result of this research, which was carried out in 1999.^[1] Officials announced that a 40-member prostitution ring operating in the city was broken up in August 2001.^[2]

[edit] Attractions of Qom

Iran's Cultural Heritage Organization lists 195 sites of historical and cultural significance in Qom. But the more visited sites of Qom are:

Hazrat-e Fatima Shrine in Qom

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

[edit] Qom space center

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.