Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Soak up the silent surrounds and star-filled skies of the
Dasht-e Kavir
(
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Lose yourself in the labyrinthine laneways of the Bazar-e Bozorg in
Esfahan
(
Click here
)
Sample home-cooked meals and true Iranian hospitality in a guesthouse in the
desert (
Click here
)
Experience Iran's fast-disappearing nomadic culture at
Bavanat
(
Click here
)
Follow in the footsteps of Darius I while wandering through
Persepolis
(
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Pay homage at the shrines of two Persian poets in
Shiraz
(
Click here
)
Qomمق
0251 / POP 964,706 / ELEV 931M
Iran's second-holiest ci-ty after Mashhad, Qom (Ghom) is home to both the magnificent
Hazrat-e Masumeh shrine and the hardline clerics who have ruled the country since 1979.
One of Iran's fastest-growing cities (the population has doubled since the revolution), its
skyline is being transformed by ugly new apartment blocks and there are more large infra-
structure projects underway here than anywhere else in the country.
Despite these changes, Qom remains one of Iran's most religious and conservative cit-
ies. Shiite scholars and students come from across the world to study in its madrasehs
(schools) and browse in its famous religious bookshops, plenty of pilgrims visit the shrine
and locals are conspicuously pious - travellers should be discreet and dress conservat-
ively, particularly around the Hazrat-e Masumeh. The city can be visited in an easy day
trip from Tehran or en route to Kashan.
Sights
Hazrat-e Masumehهموصعم ترضح
(Astane Sq; 24hr)
This shrine is the physical and spiritual centre of Qom. The burial
place of Imam Reza's sister Fatemeh, who died and was interred here in the 9th century
AD, it has two huge domes, various courtyards and exquisite tiled minarets. Much of what
SHRINE
