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The region now called Qom province, located to the south of
Tehran, has been inhabited by man since pre-Islamic times. The
foundation of the city of Qom, the provincial capital, is
attributed to Bahram V called Gur (5th century) and also to
Tahmures, the third king of the Pishdadian dynasty. After the
defeat of the Sassanian dynasty by Muslim Arabs, the people living
in this region converted to Islam. From then on the Islamic
architecture, the elements of which are community
(jame') mosque, bazaar, gates and ramparts, began to develop in
Qom. Due to the shrine of her holiness Ma'sumeh, the sister of
Imam Reza, the eighth Imam of the Shiites, it is of great
religious significance, attracting considerable numbers of
pilgrims. The Shrine's large dome and lofty minarets covered with
beautiful tiles are magnificently impressive.
The Mosque of Jamkaran on the road connecting Qom to Kashan is of
high prominence among the Shiites. Islamic institutes of higher
education called madrasahs, specially the one called Hawzeh-e
Elmiyyeh-e Qom in which Imam Khomeyni, the leader of the Islamic
Revolution, and many other honourable Ayatollahs have educated and
taught, give Qom a great prominence. This Madrasah had a major
contribution to the Islamic Revolution. Sawhan, a kind of candy
made of flour, honey and pistachios, produced in Qom is famous all
over Iran.
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