2. By: Haneen serhan Gr:5 My project is about: Qom I wish you learn from my project.

3. Map of Qom

4. Qom Qom, also known as Qum or Ghom, is a city in Iran. It lies 156 kilometers (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, now its population is 1,233,000.Area:11,526 km2 Qom is considered holy by Shi’a Islam, as it is the site of the shrine of Fatema Ma’sume, sister of Imam Ali ibn Musa- Rida(Persian Imam Reza)This city is the largest center for Shi’a scholarship in the world. Its main languages are: Persian, Shahsevens, and Qomi.

5. Seminaries 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-Shi’a students. Most of the seminaries teach their students modern social sciences and Western thought as well as traditional religious studies.

6. About Qom Every Tuesday night, many people visited the Jamkaran Mosque. The most famous sweet was Souhan. Hazrat -E- Maasoume liked it a lot, many people came to buy Souhan to take it to their countries. Long ago the water was very salty, later it got at least better to brush our teeth with it!

7. Location and climate of Qom. The climate of Qom province varies between a desert and semi-desert climate, and comprises mountainous areas, foothills and plains. Due to being located near an arid region and far inland, it experiences a dry climate, with low humidity and scanty rainfall. Thus, agriculture is not possible in most of its areas, especially near the salt lake regions. Qom province has two large salt lakes, namely : Howz e Soltan Lake, which lies 36 km due north of Qom, and Namak Lake, which lies 80 km due east of Qom. Nearly a fifth of Namak River lies within Qom province.

8. History of Qom History of Qom dates back to the 5 th millennium B.C when many people resided in the city. There are many ancient buildings, relics and texts which indicate the town was a regional one and named Kum. When the Arabs invaded Iran in the 7 th century, they renamed this region as Qom. Umar ibn al-Khattab was the caliph during the invasion by the Arabs. Abou Mousa al-Ash’ari also sent his soldiers to help Arabs fight this town in 645 A.D. This resulted in a fierce war between the two sides.

9. History of Qom The place came into prominence when the Seljuk dynasty ruled here too. When the Mongols entered this region, there was destruction everywhere. When Oljeitu ruled over Iran, the ruling Mongol dynasty called the Ilkhanate converted to Islam. The city then became very popular and underwent a revival.

10. History of Qom History of Qom Shows that Tamerlane again plundered the city in the 14 th century and many people were killed. But when the town again came under the rule of Qara Koyunlu and Aq Koyunlu tribes, followed by the Safavid Kings, it again regained its previous glory. The religious shrine in the place became the major cause of the popularity of Qom. Shi’a Islam received great impetus with the town being a dominant center of theology in 1503.

11. History of Qom Many people came on pilgrimage to this place. But when the Afghans again attacked the city, the people went through great difficulties. This was followed by the invasion and consequent battle between Nadir Shah and Afghans who had gone rebellious against central Iranian government ruling from Isfahan. The town also bore the brunt of the conflict between Zandieh and Qajarieh households to rule over Iran.

12. History of Qom When Agha Mohammad Khan, the founder of Qajar dynasty, came to the throne in 1793,Qom was again re-established. Sultan Fateh Ali Shah repaired many monuments including the sepulcher and Holy Shrine of Hazrat Ma’soumeh. The city went through prosperous times under the Qajars. Russians entered the country in 1915 and many people shifted from Tehran to this town. A National Defense Committee was established in Tehran with Qom being the political and military center against the British and Russian invaders. The city was a center of religious learning.

13. Schools and Scholarships. Some scholarships in Qom are: Marja, Hawza, Ayatollah, Allamah, Hojatoleslam, Mujtahid, List of marjas, and List of Ayatollahs. 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. The number of seminary schools in Qom is now over 50, and the number of research institutes and libraries somewhere near 250.

14. The most visited sites Kahak cave Vashnuh cave Howz e Soltan Salt Lake Namak Great Salt Lake Mar’ashi Najafi Library with over 500,000 handwritten texts and copies Astaneh Moqqadaseh Museum Qom Bazaar Feizeh seminary Jamkaran Mosque Qom Jame’ Mosque Qom Atiq Mosque A’zam Mosque Shrine of Hazrat Ma’sumeh

15. Colleges and universities University of Qom Islamic Azad university of Qom The Research Institute of Hawzeh va Danesgah Computer Research Center of Islamic Sciences Imam Khomeini Education and Research Institute Qom University of Medical Sciences Qom’s Feyzieh Seminary Payam Noor University of Qom Qom Photos Haghani Circle Qom Students Organisation University of Religions and Denominations Fatemieh School of Medical Sciences

17. Cemetery of the Iranian warriors A few hundred meters from the Holy Shrine is the cemetery for the Iranian warriors in the Iran Iraq war. The cemetery is decorated with beautiful wall paintings. Walking around in this place demands for some time to remember those who got killed in this nasty war.

18. Questions 1.List 3 visited sites. 2.List 3 colleges or universities. 3. When do many people visit the Jamkaran Mosque? 4.How many hours does it take you to go to Qom from Tehran with a car? 5.What is the most famous sweet in Qom?

19. Well Done! I wish you enjoyed and learned something from this project