 |
 |
 |
City &
Highlight Sightseeing ::
Qom ::
Highlights |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
 |
|
 |
|
 |
 |
QOM
SPECIALS: |
 |
 |
ALL HOTELS &
GUESTHOUSES: |
|
   |
Tehrans largest neighbour with an
area of 13,000 square km on a low plain and 930-m
above sea level, Qum Province borders on Tehran and
Semnan provinces to the north, Esfahan to the south,
and Central Province to the East. On route to
Esfahan, Kashan, Yazd, and Kerman by train or bus
(on Tehran-Qum highway), Qum as the capital of the
province has easy access to Saveh and Tafresh to the
northwest; Mahallat and Delijan to the southwest,
and Kavir, and Salt Lake to the east. Its population
according to the latest census amounts to more than
1,200,000 inhabitants. It can, however, be
conveniently visited in a Day from Tehran.
With an average
annual rainfall of 14 mm according to the
meteorological reports of the last 20 years, it lies
in a hot sandy hollow between the mountains of
Kashan and the Great Salt Desert, and thus, it
belongs in climate, scenery and architecture to the
desert rather than to the Alborz region; here you
see the first bad-girs (wind-towers) and aab-anbaars
(water-storage buildings), and a few kilometers
further on the first palm trees.
Qum has always
been a leading center of Shiism. The late Imam
Khomeini and countless other religious figures
studied and thought theology here, and the town
played a particularly strong role in the anti-Shah
movement, as well as throughout the Islamic
Revolution. It is a major pilgrimage site, and
aspirant mullahs come here from all over Iran and
other countries of the world for training in
numerious seminaries of Howzeh-ye Elmieh, consisting
of many mosques and schools. The most famous
seminaries of Qum are: 1) Madraseh Feizieh,
originally built about 600 years ago. This school
was twice attacked by the Shahs secret police
during the last thirty five years, as a result of
which many religious students and teachers were
either arrested and imprisoned or killed; 2)
Madraseh Hojjatieh, used as a boarding school mainly
for foreign students; 3) Madraseh Dar osh-Shafa,
originally built during the Qajar period it was
totally demolished and reconstructed after the
victory of the Islamic Revolution; and 4) Madraseh
Masumieh, the construction works of which was
completed in 1989, and started admitting students
from the same year.
Annual
Temperature average:
January 6.6C
February 4.8C
March 12.8C |
April 14.9C
May 23.2C
June 27.7C |
July 29.1C
August 28.9C
September 25.1C |
October 17.3C
November 12.8C
December 7.4C |
 |
 |
 |
|
|
Shrine
of Hazrat-e Masumeh
Qums
history centers round Islam. What is
certain is that from the early years of
the Arab invasion it was noted for the
conversion of its inhabitants and for
the preponderance of Shiites among
them. If there is one place in Iran
which can be called the cradle and
center of Shiism, Qum is that place. No
doubt it was on this account that when
Hazrat-e Masumeh, the daughter of the
seventh Imam and the sister of Imam
Reza, fell ill in 816 at Saveh (100 km)
it was to Qum that she was brought.
There she died after 17 day and was
buried; and her tomb, as was natural,
became a revered place of pilgrimage. So
it remains toDay, and Qum, after
Mashhad, is the foremost Shiite shrine
in the country.
It is said in most
travel guide books that this Shrine,
like that of Imam Reza at Mashhad, is no
place for infidels; even in one travel
book it is said that "tourists are
simply regarded as some sort of strange
animal." However, if you seek help
through the Tourist
Office
(Islamic Culture and Guidance Office or
Cultural Heritage Organization) or the
Qumis themselves, they will arrange a
safe visit for you, and you will find
that your infidel presence in this holy
city is greeted with nothing more
hostile than friendly curiosity. And if
you are visiting the town in an
organized tour, you wont face any
problems for sure.
In
later history, Qum experienced many
vicissitudes. It was wrecked by the
Mongols and again by Timur, but enjoyed
a revival under the Safavids who made
Shiism the official faith of Iran. Shah
Abbas rebuilt the Shrine, and his three
successors were buried there. Fath Ali
Shah further enlarged it, and what we
see toDay, including the magnificent
golden dome, dates from his reign. The
surroundings of the Shrine are being
totally renovated and improved during
the present Islamic era.
|
|
|
|
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
|
Other Sanctuaries
The
approach to Qum, whether from the south,
west or north, gives warning of its
religious importance. In all directions,
the horizon is dotted with the golden or
blue cones or domes of shrines specially
designed and built for the offspring of
the Shiite Imams. No other place in
Iran has such a rich collection; an
exceptionally large number of domed
sanctuaries on square or octagonal bases
with tent domes, tile covered, were
erected here in the 14th century. There
are in fact no less than ten dating from
that period, most of them in fair
condition; six are near or to the south
of old Kashan gate (southeast or the
town), two between there and the Esfahan
road (south), and two beyond the railway
station (west). Several interiors
contain excellent poylchrome relief
work, the best extant anywhere except
for the gallery at Sultanieh; the most
noteworthy are:
Imamzadeh Ali ibn-e Jafar (1339), where
Ali ibn Jafar and Mohammad ibn-e Mussa
Kazem are buried. It is located at the
end of Chahar Mardan Street, next to the
Islamic Revolution Martyrs cemetery.
Imamzadeh Ahmad ibn-e Qassem, who is
said to be the son of Imam Mussa in one
source and of Imam Sadegh in another. It
is located in Davazdah Qaleh District,
intersection of Somayeh and Moallem
Streets.
Imamzadeh Mussa Mubargha.
Imamzadeh Hamzeh.
Imamzadeh Ebrahim.
Imamzadeh Ali.
Imamzadeh Jamal.
Chahar Imamzadeh.
Green Cupola Garden Tombs.
Sheikhan
Museum of the Holy Sanctuary
Located in Astaneh Square next to the
Holy Sanctuary of Hazrat-e Masumeh,
originally established in 1935 and
relocated to the present premises in
1982, the museum consists of two large
halls with walls decorated with
exquisite mosaic tile work (from 13th
century AD), and houses a variety of
highly valuable Korans, manuscripts,
ancient ware, textiles, brocades, etc.
Collection of rugs and Joshaghan carpets
dedicated by the Safavid kings can be
seen here.
Visiting hours:
EveryDay from 08:00 to 12 AM and 15:00
to 17:00 PM.
Tel: (0251) 32333.
|
|
|
|
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
|
Bazaar
The
streets of Qum are full of animation,
and the shops (and particularly the
stalls around the Holy Shrine) do a
flourishing trade in religious objects,
particularly its bazaar is very active
every Day but FriDay. Here, like in
Mashhad, the main attraction for
tourists, rather than decoration or
architecture, lies in the behavior of
the crowd of humble pilgrims for whom
the journey is the achievement of the
dream of a whole life, that of the
dignified mullahs with their black and
white turbans and fine linen clothes,
that finally of small merchants who sell
thousands of candles and prayer-beads,
prayer-rugs and small tablets of
compressed earth (mohr) used in Muslim
prayers, colored earthenware animals,
piles of pomegrantes and delicious local
sweets, particularly sohan
One
sweet you must try is the almost
sinfully delicious pistachio-brittle
known as sohan, which is produced
locally and is available in almost any
main street of the town. Not sickly
sweet like so much Iranian
confectionery, sohan, becomes an
obsession once youve tasted it.
If you
have planned to buy a carpet in Iran,
remember that the best and finest silk
carpets are woven here in Qum. Samples
of such carpets are kept in the towns
museum, shrines of Safavid king, and the
Holy Sanctuary. Use an Iranian friend as
your advisor to see that everything goes
on in your interest.
|
|
|
|
 |
 |
 |
|
 |
|
 |
|
|
Suggest your comments about nearby Sightseeing |
Private and group tours Tours , also Accommodation reservation services are available at
www.PersiaTours.com for further information , please contact us.
Use the following keywords to find this page online:
Qom, Travel Iran Qom , Iran Qom vacations, Iran
Qom tourism, Iran
Qom hotels, deals, Iran Qom historical travel tour, Iran
Qom visitors
guide, Iran Qom advice, Iran Qom map, Iran Qom pictures, Iran
Qom
information, Iran Qom ratings, Iran Qom reviews, Iran
Qom airport, Iran
Qom weather, Iran Qom things to do, Iran
Qom attractions, Iran
Qom cultural tours iran
, Iran Qom travel to Iran, Iran Qom Iran tours, Iran Qom Iran touring,
Iran Qom Iran tourism, Tour to Iran Qom , Tours in Iran Qom , Iran
Qom
tour operator, Adventure tours in Iran Qom , Business Travel to Iran Qom ,
Business Trip to Iran, Archaeology tour in Iran Qom , Pilgrim tours in Iran
Qom , Persian tours Iran Qom , cultural tours in Iran
Qom , geographical
tours in Iran Qom , Persia, tour to Persia, Trekking tours in Iran
Qom , hunting tours in Iran , historical tours in
Iran , climbing tours in Iran Iran Qom |
|
|
|
|
 |
 |
 |