Qom

34° 38' 59.48" N 50° 53' 18.45" E [34.6499, 50.8885] (KML)

Qom [M] is one of the holiest cities in Iran and the middle East and is entrenched in centuries of history. The famous thing about Qom is the Fatima È Massummeh Shrine which is a highly respected shrine and a very clean place. Non-Muslims are allowed entry to the city , but they are not allowed entry in the holy shrine unless with a Muslim companion or guide.

Qom [M] is the main city for religous studies in Iran for long. Hozeye-Elmiye-Qom is the largest Theology school in Iran. Right now many Senior ranking clerics of Shia Islam live in Qom.

The nearest and most easily accessible international airport is Tehran's Imam Khomeini International Airport [S] (IATA: IKA, ICAO: OIIE), which is due to replace the older Mehrabad International Airport [S] (IATA: THR, ICAO: OIII).

There are train routes which take you from Tehran [M] and other nearby cities such as Arak [S], Yazd [M] and Isfahan [M].

• Qom [M] train station, ☎ +98/(0)251/6617141 (+98/(0)251/4417151).  

Driving from Tehran [M] might be a reasonable option, however, if you're worried about driving in Iran you can reserve a private bus to take you to Qom [M]. After all, it is much safer to travel by private buses.

There is a pretty impressive bus and taxi system, which has many bus routes to Tehran [M] and other cities. It is very cheap to travel by local buses in Qom [M]. Private tour buses are generally much more expensive.

The Mahdi [S] Shi'a Muslims believe the Islamic redeemer, known as Imam Mahdi, the twelfth great grand son of Imam Ali, will come to save humanity along with Jesus (also known as Isa) one day. Shia Muslims believe that he is alive by miracle after more than 1000 years past his birth, and although he lives anonymously, occasionally he introduces himself to highly virtuous, trusted followers. The Jamkaran Mosque is believed to be constructed following his advice, given on one of these occasions.

• Jamkaran Mosque, [1]. The mosque is reserved for Muslims only.  

• Mar'ashi Najafi Library. Library has over 500,000 handwritten texts  

• Shrine of Fatima-al-Massumeh. The Holy Shrine is the burial place of "Fatema È Massumeh". Women must wear a chador to enter.  

• Howzeh lake [S]: Rich in natural spring water which is said to purify the heart.

• Feyze seminary [S]: The place which devout Muslims gather up to meet and hear speeches from the religious leaders.
• Religion University (Qom [M], Pardisan), (Shahrak Pardisan), ☎ 2802610, [2] [S]. 0:20. 1500.  

Religion University

Qom [M] has many carpet and sweet (candy) shops. Qom is famous for it's "sohan," a flat sweet biscuit made of pistachios and saffron. "Gaz", a nougat candy is also available. Qom is also known for the unique and beautiful silk rugs which are famous worldwide for their unique silk and patterns. Naturally, as one of Islam's holy cities there are numerous religious shops which sell religious books, versions of the Koran and compact discs.

There are lots of places to eat in Qom [M] which range from old style Persian [S] restaurants to international restaurants. Persian restaurants offer a more authentic cultural atmosphere than international restaurants.

In Qom [M], there are various cafes and fruit juice shops. Pomegranate juice is popular and is said to heal the sick. In the winter when it snows, hot chocolate and Persian [S] tea (Chai) are available.

• Qom [M] International Hotel, Helal Ahmar Street (Motahary SQ). Qom International Hotel is a four star hotel and is one of Qom's more well-known hotels.  

Qom [M] is one of the holiest cities in Iran and the Middle East, and as such be aware that Islamic customs and values are more likely to be important here than elsewhere in Iran. Don't let this worry you at all, just ensure that you are respectful of religious and cultural practices and that you are dressed appropriately and modestly.

If you feel like visiting another quintessential Persian [S] city, a few hundred kilometers away, you can visit Yazd [M] which is an beautiful ancient city. Isfahan [M] is another option and is a very beautiful city and is considered to be one of the oldest and most historic cities in the world.

Text content was last edited at 07:00, on 14 April 2010 by Anonymous user(s) of Wikitravel. Based on work by Omid Hatami, Arif Ali Zaidi, Andrew Haggard and Tom Holland, Wikitravel user(s) The Yeti, Episteme and Andy2000, Anonymous user(s) of Wikitravel and others. A list of contributors is available at the original article on Wikitravel. This text content is available under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0.