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Qom

  (kōm) pronunciation also Qum (kʊm)

A city of west-central Iran south-southwest of Tehran. It has been a Shiite Muslim center since early Islamic times and a pilgrimage site since the 17th century. Population: 959,000.

 

 
 
(kôm) , city (1991 pop. 681,253), Tehran prov., W central Iran. Located in a semiarid region, it is an industrial and transportation center. Its manufactures include textiles, glass, pottery, and shoes. Large deposits of petroleum have been found in the area. Qom has been a center of the Shiite Muslims since early Islamic times and is the burial place of Fatima al-Masuma (d. 816), sister of Imam Riza. The city became a center of pilgrimage in the 17th cent., and an imposing shrine was erected over Fatima's tomb. Qom was pillaged by the Afghans in 1722, but in the 19th cent. its great shrine was lavishly restored and embellished. The city is also known as Qum and Kum.


 

Shrine town in Iran.

The city of Qom (also Qum), 92 miles (148 km) south of Tehran, is, after Mashhad (the burial place of the eighth Shiʿite imam, Ali Reza), the second most important shrine town in Iran. The sister of Imam Reza, Hazrat-e Fatima, is buried in Qom. The city was a winter capital as well as a royal mausoleum town during medieval times and was strongly patronized when the Shiʿite Safavids came to power during the sixteenth century. In 1920 a religious center of learning (hauzeh-ye ilmiyeh) was established in the city by Shaykh Abd al-Karim Ha'eri Yazdi. Through its madrasas (religious schools) Qom is one of the main centers of Islamic studies in Iran today. With the accession to power of Reza Shah Pahlavi in 1925 and the modernization reforms undertaken, the town soon became the scene of a struggle between the monarchy and the religious establishment. The first major episode of violence that precipitated the Iranian Revolution of 1979 occurred there. When Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini returned to Iran in 1979 as the leader of the revolution, he established his headquarters in the Madrasa-y Faiziyeh in Qom.

PARVANEH POURSHARIATI

 
WordNet: Qum
Note: click on a word meaning below to see its connections and related words.

The noun has one meaning:

Meaning #1: a city in northwestern Iran; a place of pilgrimage for Shiite Muslims


 

Coordinates: 34°39′N, 50°53′E

Qom
قم
Hazrat-e Masuma Shrine in Qom
Hazrat-e Masuma Shrine in Qom
Qom (Iran)
Qom
Qom
Coordinates: 34°39′N 50°53′E / 34.65, 50.883
Country Flag of Iran Iran
Province Qom
Population (2005)
 - City
  estimate
Time zone IRST ([[UTC+3:30]])

Qom (Persian: قم, also known as Q'um or Kom) is a city in Iran. It lies  km ( mi) by road southwest of Tehran and is the capital of Qom Province. It has an estimated population of 1,042,309 in 2005.[1] It is situated on the banks of the Qom river.

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 A.D.). The city is the largest center for Shi'a scholarship in the world, and is a significant destination of pilgrimage.

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 B.C. 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 645 A.D., 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.

Area near the shrine of Hazrat Masuma-e-Qum
Enlarge
Area near the shrine of Hazrat Masuma-e-Qum

By 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 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 opposed to 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.

Qom today

Qom, Autumn 2005
Enlarge
Qom, Autumn 2005

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, 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 100 km away.

In 2001, journalist Camelia Entekhabi-Fard reported that some women earn money in Qom, Iran, by engaging in temporary marriage with pilgrims and religious scholars, in what she claimed was "a thinly veiled form of prostitution". [1]

Nearby Towns

South East of Qom is the ancient city of Kashan. Directly south of Qom lay the towns of Delijan, Mahallat, Naraq, Kahak, and Jasb, the surrounding area to the east of Qom are populated by Tafresh, Saveh, and Ashtian.

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:

  • 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

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.

Universities in Qom

  1. Mofid University
  2. Islamic Azad University of Qom
  3. payam noor University of Qom
  4. University of Qom
  5. The Research Institute of Hawzeh va Daneshgah
  6. Computer Research Center of Islamic Sciences, Qom
  7. Imam Khomeini Education and Research Institute
  8. Qom University of Medical Sciences
  9. Fatemieh School of Medical Sciences
  10. Qom Students Organisation

Seminaries of Qom

Qom is currently the largest center for Shi'a scholarship in the world. The following seminaries (Hawzahs) are located there:

  • Amuliyah Seminary
  • Ayatollah Golpayegani Seminary
  • Ayatollah Mar'ashi Najafi Seminary
  • Abul-Sadigh Seminary
  • Imam al-Husayn Seminary
  • Imam al-Askari Seminary
  • Imam al-Mahdi Seminary
  • Imam al-Hadi Seminary
  • Rasul ul-A'dham Seminary
  • Sayyed Hasan al-Shirazi Seminary
  • Alwandiyah Seminary
  • Imam al-Khamenei Seminary
  • Imam al-Baqir Seminary
  • Imam Hasan al-Mujtaba Seminary
  • Imam Khomeini Seminary
  • Imam al-Sadiq Seminary
  • Imam al-Hadi Seminary
  • Amir al-Mu'menin Seminary
  • Bi'that Seminary
  • Jabir ibn al-Hayyan Seminary
  • Al-Zahra Seminary
  • Jafariyah Seminary
  • Haj Sayyed Sadiq Seminary
  • Haj Ghazanfar Seminary
  • Hojattiyeh Seminary
  • Hossaynie Seminary
  • Hadhrat al-Masuma Seminary
  • Dar al-Shifa Seminary
  • Rasul al-Akram Seminary
  • Sa'adat Seminary
  • Sharafiddin Amili Seminary
  • Shahabiyah Seminary
  • Shahid Sadr Seminary
  • Shahidayn Seminary
  • Sadiqqiyah Seminary
  • Saduq Seminary
  • Seminary of The Judiciary
  • Alavi Seminary
  • Fatimie Seminary
  • Feyzie Seminary
  • Qadiriye Seminary
  • Kermani-ha Seminary
  • Ma'sumiye Seminary
  • Mahdi Mow'ud Seminary
  • Na'ini Seminary
  • Wahidiyah Seminary
  • Wali Asr Seminary
  • Al-Alam Seminary
  • Ad-Dirasat al-Islamiyya Seminary
  • Maktab al-Mahdi Seminary
  • Maktab at-Towhid Seminary
  • al-Kawthar Seminary

Listing of Qom's Senior ranking clerics

The following is a list of Grand Ayatollahs and the most senior ranking Ayatollahs in or directly related to Qom.

Current

Deceased

Sister cities

References

  1. ^ Camelia E. Fard. Unveiled Threats. Village Voice, 28 March 2001

See also

External links

Religiously affiliated

Non-Religiously affiliated


 
 

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Copyrights:

Dictionary. The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2007. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.  Read more
Columbia Encyclopedia. The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition Copyright © 2003, Columbia University Press. Licensed from Columbia University Press. All rights reserved. www.cc.columbia.edu/cu/cup/  Read more
Mideast & N. Africa Encyclopedia. Encyclopedia of the Modern Middle East and North Africa. Copyright © 2004 by The Gale Group, Inc. All rights reserved.  Read more
WordNet. WordNet 1.7.1 Copyright © 2001 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.  Read more
Wikipedia. This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Qom" Read more

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