Coordinates: 34.08° N 49.7° E Map of Earth showing lines of latitude (horizontally) and longitude (vertically), Eckert VI projection; large version (pdf, 1. ...

Arak اراک
Arak
Coordinates: 34°5′30″N 49°42′00″E / 34.09167, 49.7
Country	Iran
Province	Markazi
Elevation	1,718 m (5,636 ft)
Population (2005)
- Total	511,127
Time zone	IRST (UTC+3:30)

Arak, (in Persian: اراک) previously known as Soltan-abad, is the center of Markazi province, Iran. It had an estimated population of 511,127 in 2005.[1] Due to its good location, at the heart of the country, along with its diverse population and facilities, it has sometimes been considered one of the good alternatives for being the capital of the country, hence replacing the current capital, Tehran.^{[citation needed]} Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (1024x849, 47 KB) Summary Blank locator map (orthographic projection) of Iran By Kaveh General SVG version: Sources Map of Iran - CIA - 2005 Provinces of Iran Licensing File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on... Image File history File links Red_pog2. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Iran. ... Iran consists of 30 provinces: Provinces are governed from a local center, mostly the largest local city. ... The Congregation Mosque of Narāgh. ... Elevation histogram of the surface of the Earth – approximately 71% of the Earths surface is covered with water. ... This article is about the unit of length. ... A foot (plural: feet or foot;[1] symbol or abbreviation: ft or, sometimes, ′ – a prime) is a unit of length, in a number of different systems, including English units, Imperial units, and United States customary units. ... Timezone and TimeZone redirect here. ... Iran Standard Time (IRST) is the time zone used in Iran. ... Farsi redirects here. ... The Congregation Mosque of Narāgh. ... For other uses, see Tehran (disambiguation). ...

History

Arak is built on the ruins of a small town called Daskerah, which was destroyed during the Mongol invasion of Persia. Modern Arak is a relatively new city on fertile lands, reestablished in 1795 with primary construct ending in 1852. The new city was founded and financed during the Qajar era by an Iranian Georgian Yusef Khan Gorji, a pro-Iranian Georgian warlord given refuge by Shah Muḥammad Khān Qājār (Persian: محمد خان قاجار)‎‎ (1742-1797) following a territorial dispute with his cousins who were supported by Imperial Russian Empress Catherine the Great. In the period between 1795 and 1797, Yusef Khan-e Gorji, renamed Yusef Khan-e Sepahdar by the Shah, settled his army in the fertile though poorly-controlled territory that would become modern Arak. Hostile tribes in this region had operated autonomously from Qajar rule. With the Persian Shah’s approval, Yusuf Khan diverted the main river to drive out the hostiles and built the Soltan Abad fortress, or Baladeh, a war fortress to act as a buffer and serve as the foundation of what would become modern Arak. Yusuf Khan’s organized military force was established in this region aptly named (or more accuaretely, re-named) "Persian Iraq" (Iraq-e ajam) (عراق عجم) from ancient times meaning 'smooth land'. According to historians, Yusef Khan built Arak from his own personal income and with the aid of affluents. The town would remain a military base and fortress until 1892. The Soltan Abad fortress had a thick wall surrounded by great moats, 7 meters deep. Eight towers were constructed around the town and the governmental building was established in its northern part. In 1891 deputy governor, Etemadol Saltaneh Mirza Hasan, repaired all of the shopes, gardens and all government buildings in Soltan Abad’s greater town and with the owners of industries from other towns, settled in Arak. Large portions of the town were annexed as personal property to the pre-existing army commanders though these were ultimately turned over to the state from 1918-1922. The evolution of the modern town name is from Soltan Abad fortress, to Soltan Abad, to Iraq-e Ajam (Persian Iraq), and finally to its current name, Arak, in 1938. The Qajar dynasty was the ruling family of Persia from 1796 to 1925. ... Prince Muhammad-Beik of Georgia, 1620. ...

Under the rule of Reza Shah Pahlavi, main railways crossed along the city and later the south-north oil pipe line passed through the city, which lead to rapid growth. Great attention to the building of Arak during the Pahlavi dynasty led many to speculate its intended designation as the future capital of Iran. Shah Reza Pahlavi Reza Pahlavi (Persian: رضا پهلوی), (March 16, 1877–July 26, 1944), called Reza Shah the Great after his death, was Shah of Persia (later Iran) from December 15, 1925 to September 16, 1941. ...

Historical Buildings and Architecture

• Baazar
• Hammame Charfasl
• borje shishe (glass tower)
• Baghe nezam lashgar (Esmaeili)

Attractions

• Shahre-bazi Laleh
• Sofre-khane Kouhestan
• Park Amirkabir
• Park Jangali
• Bagh-e-Vahsh
• Pol-e-doab
• Darrh-e-Gerdou
• Mouze-ie-Charfasl
• Sara-ie-Mehr
• Mouse-ie Sanaie Dasti
• Mojtama-e Tafrihi-ie Amirkabir

Location and climate

Arak is located at 34.08° N 49.7° E . The city is surrounded by mountains in the south, west, and east. Arak is located in adjacency two important cities: Qom and Isfahan. Its average altitude is 1750m above sea level and is 280 km from the capital, Tehran. Qom (Persian: قم, also known as Qum or Kom) is a city in Iran and the Qom (River) flows through the town. ... Part of Shah Abbas large urban project in his new capital, the Chahār Bāgh Four Gardens, is a four-kilometer avenue in the city of Isfahan. ... For other uses, see Tehran (disambiguation). ...

Climate

Arak in geneal has a relatively cold and dry climate. Its weather is warm and dry in summer, windy and cool in autumn, cold and snowy in winter, and mild in spring. The maximum temperature may raise up to 35 degrees Celsius in summer and may fall to below -25 degrees Celsius in winter. The average rainfall is around 300mm and the annual relative humidity is 50%. A hygrometer used to measure the humidity of air. ...

Industries

Arak is one of the main industrial cities of Iran, possessing many plants for heavy industries especially for the metal and machinery industries, namely:

• Aluminat[2] (Manufacturer of heavy and highly specialized industrial parts and profiles)
• Machin Sazi Arak (MSA) and AZAR AB factories (for producing heavy machinery such as boilers and chemical reactors)
• Jam Avaran Borya (Mreza Esmaeili)
• Wagon Pars (train manufacturer)
• Iranian Aluminium Company (IrAlCo)
• Avangan (for high voltage pylons)
• HEPCO (heavy road construction vehicles)
• Petrochemical factories and oil refineries
• Navard Aluminum Mfg. Group (Navard e Aluminum) aluminum factory
• Iran Combine Manufacturing Company (Combine-sazi-e Iran)
• Arak Oil Refinery Company, (Palayesh gaahe nafte arak)
• Arak Petrochemical Company (ARPC)
• Arak 1300Mw powerplant
• Arak agricultural equipments company
• Iran mineral company OF Arak

And in recent years, a heavy water production plant and two power plants: a fossil fuel power plant and a low power (less than 40 megawatts) heavy water nuclear power plant.^[1] Machin Sazi Arak is a large Iranian manufacturing company. ... AZAR AB Industries Co is a large Iranian manufacturer of power plants and refinery equipment in the Middle East. ... A boiler is a closed vessel in which water or other fluid is heated. ... In chemical engineering, chemical reactors are vessels designed to contain chemical reactions. ... Wagon Pars is an Iranian train manufacturing company established in 1974. ... Iranian Aluminium Company (IrAlCo) is an Iranian aluminium manufacturing company. ... Heavy Equipment Production Company (HEPCO) is an Iranian company producing road construction equipment in Iran and the Middle East. ... Navard Aluminum Mfg. ... Iran Combine Manufacturing Company is an Iranian combine harvester manufacturer. ... Heavy water is dideuterium oxide, or D2O or 2H2O. It is chemically the same as normal water, H2O, but the hydrogen atoms are of the heavy isotope deuterium, in which the nucleus contains a neutron in addition to the proton found in the nucleus of any hydrogen atom. ...

Universities

• Arak University of Medical Sciences
• Arak University of Science and Technology
• University of Arak
• Islamic Azad University of Arak
• Tarbiat Moallem University of Arak
• arak university of science and technology
• payam-e-noor univercity of arak
• machinsazi technological training center

Arak University of Medical Sciences is a medical sciences university in Arak, Iran. ... University of Arak is a university in Arak, in Markazi Province of Iran. ... Islamic Azad University-Arak is a private university in the city of Arak in Iran. ...

Demography

According to 1995 data, Arak has a population of 380755 whom 193112 were male and 187643 were female and consisted of a total of 84481 families. There is a diversity in the Iranian ethnic living in this city. It includes Persians and Lurs. Also, in the Safavid era, Armenians had settled in Arak [3], but their numbers have declined due to migration to Tehran. This article is about the Persian people, an ethnic group found mainly in Iran. ... Lurs are an ethnic group of Iranian peoples. ... Safavid Empire at its Greatest Extent After Islamic Conquest  Modern SSR = Soviet Socialist Republic Afghanistan  Azerbaijan  Bahrain  Iran  Iraq  Tajikistan  Uzbekistan  This box:      The Safavids (Persian: ; Azerbaijani: ) were an Iranian[1] Shia dynasty of mixed Azerbaijani[2] and Kurdish[3] origins, which ruled Persia from 1501/1502 to 1722. ...

Agriculture and handicrafts

The main agricultural products are grain, barley, and fruits which are grape, apple, walnut and almond. However, Arak's hand made Persian rug|carpets,especially the Sarough brand, are famous internationally.

Notable people from Arak

• Mansour Bahrami, famous tennis player.
• Ezatollah Bayat, who was Mosadegh's son in law and Arak's member of parlimant in the Shah regime.
• Amir Kabir, was born in Arak, in a northern region known as Hezaveh.
• Ghaem Magham Farahani, was born in Arak, in a Northern region named Farahan.

Note that Amir Kabir has grown up in Ghaem Magham's family. Mansour Bahrami (born April 26, 1956 in Arak, Iran) is an Iranian professional tennis player. ... For other uses, see Tennis (disambiguation). ... Amir Kabir (امیرکبیر in Persian), also known as Mirza Taghi Khan Amir_Nezam (میرزا تقی‌خان امیرنظام), was the chancellor of Persia under Nasereddin Shah. ... Mirza Abolghasem Ghaem Magham Farahani, Iranian Prime Minister (19th. ... Amir Kabir (امیرکبیر in Persian), also known as Mirza Taghi Khan Amir_Nezam (میرزا تقی‌خان امیرنظام), was the chancellor of Persia under Nasereddin Shah. ...

• Mohammad Mossadegh, Iran's Nationalist Prime Minister.
• Fakhreddin Araghi
• Foroogh Farrokhzad,
• Ata'ollah Mohajerani, He was one of Khatami's cabinet ministers during the power of reformists.
• Kader Abdolah, laureated Dutch writer.
• Ayatollah Araki
• Karbalai Kazem Saroughi Farahani, He was an uneducated man how founds holy Qur'an in his mind suddenly as a miracle in "Imamzadeh Haftadotan Sarough".

Mohammed Mossadegh (Persian: محمد مصدق‎) (May 19, 1882 - March 4, 1967) was prime minister of Iran from 1951 to 1953. ... Forooghs tomb is located in Darband, Shemiran, Tehran. ... Ataollah Mohajerani (عطاالله مهاجرانی) is an Iranian historian, politician, journalist, and author. ... Khatami may refer to either of three Iranian reformist politicians: Mohammad Khatami, former President of Iran 1997-2005 Mohammad Reza Khatami, Vice Speaker of Iranian Parliament from 2001 to 2004 and brother of Mohammad Khatami General Mohammad Khatami, Commander, Iranian Imperial Air Force IIAF, 1958-1975, and brother-in-law... Kader Abdolah is the penname of Hossein Sadjadi Ghaemmaghami Frahani, an Iranian writer who also writes in Dutch. ...

See also

• Seraband rug

Seraband rug or Saraband, is an Iranian or Persian handwoven floor covering from the Ser-e Band district located southwest of Arak, Iran. ...

References

• ^a  http://cns.miis.edu/pubs/week/040812.htm

External links

• Arãk entries in the Encyclopaedia Iranica
• Armenian Iranian's web site