Qom, Religious pilgrimage center in Central District, Iran
Qom is a million city in Central District, Iran, located on the bank of a river and surrounded by salt deserts at an elevation of 935 meters (3,068 feet). The built area spreads across both riverbanks, with a shrine at the center and residential quarters extending toward the flat plain.
Arab settlers from Kufa took control of the Persian land in 644 and brought new population groups to the region. The tomb of Fatima Masuma, who died here in 816, later turned the place into a destination for religious journeys.
The name of this city comes from an old Persian word for the river that runs through the plain. Lanes around the shrine of Fatima Masuma fill every day with pilgrims who walk between prayer halls and stop at carpet shops or calligraphers.
Roads lead in several directions and connect the city with Tehran to the north, Yazd to the south, and Kashan and Arak to the east and west. A railway line allows travel across the region and makes it easier for visitors who prefer to travel by train.
More than two thousand five hundred shops throughout the city sell sohan, an almond pastry with saffron that is prepared in hot sugar. Travelers often take the thin sheets home as gifts, wrapped in round metal tins.
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