Iranian Political Geography

Encyclopedia of the Modern... The Columbia Encyclopedia,... The Concise Oxford... Concise Dictionary of World... Further reading

Qom

Encyclopedia of the Modern Middle East and North Africa | 2004 | | Copyright

QOM

Shrine town in Iran.

The city of Qom (also Qum), 92 miles (148 km) south of Tehran, is, after Mashhad (the burial place of the eighth Shiʿite imam, Ali Reza), the second most important shrine town in Iran. The sister of Imam Reza, Hazrat-e Fatima, is buried in Qom. The city was a winter capital as well as a royal mausoleum town during medieval times and was strongly patronized when the Shiʿite Safavids came to power during the sixteenth century. In 1920 a religious center of learning (hauzeh-ye ilmiyeh) was established in the city by Shaykh Abd al-Karim Ha'eri Yazdi. Through its madrasas (religious schools) Qom is one of the main centers of Islamic studies in Iran today. With the accession to power of Reza Shah Pahlavi in 1925 and the modernization reforms undertaken, the town soon became the scene of a struggle between the monarchy and the religious establishment. The first major episode of violence that precipitated the Iranian Revolution of 1979 occurred there. When Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini returned to Iran in 1979 as the leader of the revolution, he established his headquarters in the Madrasa-y Faiziyeh in Qom.

Qom

The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed. | 2008 | Copyright

Qom , city (1991 pop. 681,253), Tehran prov., W central Iran. Located in a semiarid region, it is an industrial and transportation center. Its manufactures include textiles, glass, pottery, and shoes. Large deposits of petroleum have been found in the area. Qom has been a center of the Shiite Muslims since early Islamic times and is the burial place of Fatima al-Masuma (d. 816), sister of Imam Riza. The city became a center of pilgrimage in the 17th cent., and an imposing shrine was erected over Fatima's tomb. Qom was pillaged by the Afghans in 1722, but in the 19th cent. its great shrine was lavishly restored and embellished. The city is also known as Qum and Kum.

Cite this article
Pick a style below, and copy the text for your bibliography.

MLA
Chicago
APA

"Qom." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2008. Encyclopedia.com. 10 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

"Qom." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2008. Encyclopedia.com. (February 10, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-Qom.html

"Qom." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2008. Retrieved February 10, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-Qom.html

Learn more about citation styles

Qom

The Concise Oxford Dictionary of World Religions | 1997 | | Copyright

Qom. Iranian town, south of Teheran, a major centre for the training of Shīʿa Muslim teachers and leaders. The tomb of Hazrat-i- Fātima, the sister of the eighth Imam, ʿAli al-Rida, is located here, and it is the most important place of pilgrimage after his own tomb at Mashhad. In 1978 the first outbreak of protest against the Pahlavi rulers occurred in Qom.

Cite this article
Pick a style below, and copy the text for your bibliography.

MLA
Chicago
APA

JOHN BOWKER. "Qom." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of World Religions. 1997. Encyclopedia.com. 10 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

JOHN BOWKER. "Qom." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of World Religions. 1997. Encyclopedia.com. (February 10, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O101-Qom.html

JOHN BOWKER. "Qom." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of World Religions. 1997. Retrieved February 10, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O101-Qom.html

Learn more about citation styles

Qom

Concise Dictionary of World Place-Names | 2005 | | Copyright

Qom, Iran Founded by Arabs, it takes its name from the pre‐Islamic village of Kumandan or Kumidān, which was merged with several other villages into a walled town in 730. Kumandan may be derived from a personal name, that of one of its founders, or possibly from kūma, a type of hut.

Cite this article
Pick a style below, and copy the text for your bibliography.

MLA
Chicago
APA

JOHN EVERETT-HEATH. "Qom." Concise Dictionary of World Place-Names. 2005. Encyclopedia.com. 10 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

JOHN EVERETT-HEATH. "Qom." Concise Dictionary of World Place-Names. 2005. Encyclopedia.com. (February 10, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O209-Qom.html

JOHN EVERETT-HEATH. "Qom." Concise Dictionary of World Place-Names. 2005. Retrieved February 10, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O209-Qom.html

Learn more about citation styles

Qom

World Encyclopedia | 2005 | Copyright

Qom City in w central Iran. The burial place of Fatima, her shrine is a place of pilgrimage for Shi'ite Muslims. Industries: textiles, rugs, pottery, glass, shoes. Pop. (2002) 893,500.

Cite this article
Pick a style below, and copy the text for your bibliography.

MLA
Chicago
APA

"Qom." World Encyclopedia. 2005. Encyclopedia.com. 10 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

"Qom." World Encyclopedia. 2005. Encyclopedia.com. (February 10, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O142-Qom.html

"Qom." World Encyclopedia. 2005. Retrieved February 10, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O142-Qom.html

Learn more about citation styles

Free newspaper and magazine articles

	IRAN - Mar 8 - Qom Highlights Iran Power Battle. Newspaper article from: APS Diplomat Recorder; 3/15/2008
	Paleontological study of the echinoderms in the Qom formation.(central Iran) Magazine article from: Earth Sciences Research Journal; 6/1/2007
	In Qom, Iran's supreme leader Khamenei aims to cement leadership over... Newspaper article from: The Christian Science Monitor; 10/19/2010