Qom province

Coordinates: 34°38′44″N 50°52′47″E / 34.6456°N 50.8798°E / 34.6456; 50.8798
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Qom province
استان قم
Capital
Qom
Counties3
Government
 • Governor-generalMohammad Aghamiri
 • MPs of Assembly of Experts1 Mohammad Momen
2 Mohammad Yazdi
3 Seyyed Mohammad Saeedi
 • Representative of the Supreme LeaderSeyyed Mohammad Saeedi
Area
 • Total11,526 km2 (4,450 sq mi)
Population
 (2016)[2]
 • Total1,292,283
 • Density110/km2 (290/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+03:30 (IRST)
Main language(s)Persian
HDI (2017)0.816[3]
very high · 7th

Qom province (Persian: استان قم, Ostān-e Qom), pre-Islamic Komishan/Qomishan, is one of the 31 provinces of Iran with 11,237 km², covering 0.89% of the total area of the country. It is in the central part of the country, and its capital is the city of Qom. It was formed from part of Tehran province in 1995. At the time of the National Census in 2006 census, the province's population was 1,036,714, in 262,313 households.[4] The following census in 2011 counted 1,151,672 people in 320,977 households, of whom 95.2% resided in urban areas of the province.[5] At the 2016 census, the province's population had risen to 1,292,283 in 383,532 households.[2]

The province was designated as part of Region 1 following the division of Iranian provinces into 5 regions which took place on June 22, 2014, for the purposes of coordination and development.[1]

History

Vessel from Kahak, Qom, dated mid-first millennium BC.

Arab conquests of Iran
.

It was during the reign of the second caliph

Abu Moosa Ashari
, dispatched forces under his command to Qom. Conflicts arose between the invading Arabs and the residents of the area.

During the persecution of the Alavids by the

Umayyads, many Alavids fled to Qom, making it their permanent home. The Caliph Al-Ma'mun
sent forces to Qom in the year 825 CE, resulting in a public massacre and destruction of the city.

On hearing of the demise of al-Ma'mun, the inhabitants of Qom revolted and were successful in overthrowing the representative of the Caliph in 831 CE. However, al-Ma'mun's successor,

Buwayhid
dynasty (Al e Booyeh in Persian) came to power, being of the Alavid community. It was during this reign that the city of Qom expanded and thrived.

In the

Sultan Öljeitü Khoda bandeh of the Ilkhanate dynasty converted to Islam
, the city received special attention, thus witnessing a revival once again.

In the late 14th century, the city came under the plunder of

Safavids
, Qom gained special attention and gradually developed.

By 1503, Qom became one of the important centers of theology in relation to the

Shia
Islam and became a vital pilgrimage site and religious pivot.

During the Afghan invasion, the city of Qom suffered heavy damages, and its inhabitants witnessed severe economic hardships. Qom further sustained damages during the reigns of Nader Shah, and the conflicts between the two households of Zandieh and Qajar in order to gain power in Iran.

In 1798, Qom came under the control of

Fath Ali Shah
made repairs to the sepulcher and shrine of Ma'soumeh, fulfilling his vow.

The city of Qom thrived in the Qajar era. After Russian forces entered

Ayatollah Khomeini
based his opposition to the Pahlavi dynasty, while in Iran.

Geography

The

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.[6] Qom province has two large salt lakes,[7] namely: Howz e Soltan Lake,[8] which lies 36 km due north of Qom, and Namak Lake
which lies 80 km due east of Qom. Nearly a fifth of Namak Lake lies within Qom province.

Administrative divisions

Qom province population history
Administrative Divisions 2006[4] 2011[5] 2016[2]
Jafarabad County1
Kahak County1
Qom County 1,036,714 1,151,672 1,292,283
Total 1,036,714 1,151,672 1,292,283
1Separated from Qom County

Cities

According to the 2016 census, 1,229,964 people (over 95% of the population of Qom province) live in the following cities: Dastjerd 1,525, Jafariyeh 9,387, Kahak 4,837, Qanavat 11,667, Qom 1,201,158, Salafchegan 1,390.[2]

City of Qom

The Jamkaran mosque is a popular pilgrimage site for Shia Muslims

Today, Qom is considered one of the focal centers of the

Ma'soomeh are prominent features of the provincial capital of Qom.[9] Outside the city is Jamkaran, another site of religious pilgrimages.[10][11]

Qom has at times again been considered as a possible candidate for moving the political capital of Iran, as Tehran faces an increasing probability of an overdue major earthquake and is notorious for its pollution and traffic congestion. The conservative factions are favorable to this idea while the business and economic base of Tehran opposes any such moves.[citation needed]

In 2009 it was disclosed that a mountain range near Qom is the site of Iran's second

gas centrifuges
.

Politics

Qom province is a politically

conservative region.[12]

Culture

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

  • 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 Moqaddaseh Museum
  • Qom Bazaar
  • Feyzieh Seminary
  • Jamkaran Mosque
  • Qom Jame' Mosque
  • Qom Atiq Mosque
  • A'zam Mosque
  • Shrine of Masoumeh

Colleges and universities

Qom Seminary
  • Hoz Marreh Wetland
    Hoz Marreh Wetland
  • Hoz Marreh Wetland
    Hoz Marreh Wetland
  • Hoz Marreh Wetland
    Hoz Marreh Wetland
  • Hoz Marreh Wetland
    Hoz Marreh Wetland
  • Deyr-e Gachin Caravanserai
    Deyr-e Gachin Caravanserai
  • Deyr-e Gachin Caravanserai
    Deyr-e Gachin Caravanserai
  • Deyr-e Gachin Caravanserai
    Deyr-e Gachin Caravanserai
  • Deyr-e Gachin Caravanserai
    Deyr-e Gachin Caravanserai
  • Qomrud Castle
    Qomrud Castle
  • Qomrud Windcatcher
    Qomrud Windcatcher
  • QaraTappeh Archaeological site
    QaraTappeh Archaeological site
  • Qomrud Castle
    Qomrud Castle
  • Qom-Garmsar Road
    Qom-Garmsar Road
  • 15 Khordad Dam
    15 Khordad Dam
  • Hoz Soltan Salt Lake
    Hoz Soltan Salt Lake
  • Senjegan Dam
    Senjegan Dam
  • Senjegan Dam Lake
    Senjegan Dam Lake
  • Senjegan Dam
    Senjegan Dam
  • Senjegan Dam
    Senjegan Dam

Payam Noor University of Qom

References

  1. ^ a b همشهری آنلاین-استان‌های کشور به ۵ منطقه تقسیم شدند
  2. ^ a b c d "Census of the Islamic Republic of Iran, 1395 (2016)". AMAR (in Persian). The Statistical Center of Iran. p. 25. Archived from the original (Excel) on 11 January 2021. Retrieved 19 December 2022.
  3. ^ "Sub-national HDI - Area Database - Global Data Lab". hdi.globaldatalab.org. Retrieved 2018-09-13.
  4. ^ a b "Census of the Islamic Republic of Iran, 1385 (2006)". AMAR (in Persian). The Statistical Center of Iran. p. 25. Archived from the original (Excel) on 20 September 2011. Retrieved 25 September 2022.
  5. ^ a b "Census of the Islamic Republic of Iran, 1390 (2011)" (Excel). Iran Data Portal (in Persian). The Statistical Center of Iran. p. 25. Retrieved 19 December 2022.
  6. .
  7. ^ Fallahi, Pontia. "The Best Things to See and Do in Qom, Iran". theculturetrip.
  8. ^ Bakhshi, Mahdi. "Hoz-e Soltan Salt Lake 'shadow of its former self'". mehrnews (English).
  9. ^ The biography of Hazrat Ma'sumeh (peace be upon her) tasnimnews.com Retrieved 4 Oct 2018
  10. ^ KhanMohammadi, Chahe-Araize-Jamkaran, Az Khorafeh Ta Wagheiyat, P. 162
  11. ^ The mosque of Jamkaran hawzah.net Retrieved 4 Oct 2018
  12. ^ Peter Kenyon (25 February 2016). "In Iran's Religious Heartland, An Enduring Distrust Of The US". NPR. Retrieved 10 March 2016.

Bibliography

External links