Qom

Qom (Persian: قم; [ɢom] ⓘ)[a] is a city in the Central District of Qom County, Qom province, Iran, serving as capital of the province, the county, and the district.[4] It is the seventh largest metropolis[5] and also the seventh largest city in Iran.[6] The city is 140 km (87 mi) to the south of Tehran,[7] and on the banks of the Qom River. Qom is considered holy in Shi'a Islam, as it is the site of the shrine of Fatimah bint Musa, sister of Imam Ali ibn Musa Rida[8] (Persian: Imam Reza; 789–816). The city is the largest center for Shi'a scholarship in the world, and is a significant destination of pilgrimage, with around twenty million pilgrims visiting the city every year, the majority being Iranians but also other Shi'a Muslims from all around the world.[9]