Arak (; ) is a city in the Central District of Arak County, Markazi province, Iran, serving as capital of the province, the county, and the district. The city is nicknamed the "Industrial Capital of Iran". As a major industrial city, Arak hosts several industrial factories inside and within a few kilometers outside the city, including the factory of Machine Sazi Arak and the Iranian Aluminium Company. These factories produce nearly half of the needs of the country in the steel, petrochemical, and locomotive industries.

Etymology

Arâk

The term ''Arâk'' remains from a name given to the region since the

medieval period In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of World history (field), global history. It began with the fall of the West ...

. It derives from

Arabic Arabic (, , or , ) is a Central Semitic languages, Central Semitic language of the Afroasiatic languages, Afroasiatic language family spoken primarily in the Arab world. The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) assigns lang ...

'' al-ʿIrāq'', meaning "root", itself derived possibly from Akkadian ''

Uruk Uruk, the archeological site known today as Warka, was an ancient city in the Near East, located east of the current bed of the Euphrates River, on an ancient, now-dried channel of the river in Muthanna Governorate, Iraq. The site lies 93 kilo ...

'' (, ''Erech''). According to Ali Nourai, the word Arak has the same roots with the words

Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI) and also known as Persia, is a country in West Asia. It borders Iraq to the west, Turkey, Azerbaijan, and Armenia to the northwest, the Caspian Sea to the north, Turkmenistan to the nort ...

and Arran, and the name Iraq is an Arabicized Persian word. During the Seljuk era, a region comprising the whole territory of

Media Media may refer to: Communication * Means of communication, tools and channels used to deliver information or data ** Advertising media, various media, content, buying and placement for advertising ** Interactive media, media that is inter ...

(northwestern Iran) and the lower part of

Mesopotamia Mesopotamia is a historical region of West Asia situated within the Tigris–Euphrates river system, in the northern part of the Fertile Crescent. Today, Mesopotamia is known as present-day Iraq and forms the eastern geographic boundary of ...

was referred to as ''Iraq''; with the Median part called ''ʿErâq-e ʿAjam'' ("Iraq of the

Ajam (, ) is an Arabic word for a non-Arab, especially a Persian. It was historically used as a pejorative—figuratively ascribing muteness to those whose native language is not Arabic—during and after the Muslim conquest of Iran. Since the ea ...

on-Arabic speakers), and the Mesopotamian part called ''ʿErâq-e ʿArab'' ("Iraq of the

Arab Arabs (, , ; , , ) are an ethnic group mainly inhabiting the Arab world in West Asia and North Africa. A significant Arab diaspora is present in various parts of the world. Arabs have been in the Fertile Crescent for thousands of years ...

").

Soltân Âbâd

The term ''Soltân Âbâd'' is a Persian compound word. '' Soltân'', deriving from Arabic '' sulṭān'' ("power", "authority"), is a

Near East The Near East () is a transcontinental region around the Eastern Mediterranean encompassing the historical Fertile Crescent, the Levant, Anatolia, Egypt, Mesopotamia, and coastal areas of the Arabian Peninsula. The term was invented in the 20th ...

ern

noble title Traditional rank amongst European imperiality, royalty, peers, and nobility is rooted in Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages. Although they vary over time and among geographic regions (for example, one region's prince might be equal to anoth ...

given to a powerful governor.

Modern Persian New Persian (), also known as Modern Persian () is the current stage of the Persian language spoken since the 8th to 9th centuries until now in Greater Iran and surroundings. It is conventionally divided into three stages: Early New Persian (8th/ ...

'' âbâd'', meaning "settlement" or "abode", derives from

Middle Persian Middle Persian, also known by its endonym Pārsīk or Pārsīg ( Inscriptional Pahlavi script: , Manichaean script: , Avestan script: ) in its later form, is a Western Middle Iranian language which became the literary language of the Sasania ...

'' āpāt'' ("populous"). However, according to linguist Sasha Lubotsky, the Persian term ''ābād'' might derive from Proto-Iranian ''*āpāta'' ("protected"), rooting from

Proto-Indo-European Proto-Indo-European (PIE) is the reconstructed common ancestor of the Indo-European language family. No direct record of Proto-Indo-European exists; its proposed features have been derived by linguistic reconstruction from documented Indo-Euro ...

'' *peh₂-'' ("to protect").

History

Originally named ''Soltan Abad'', the modern-day city of Arak was founded in 1808 by Yusef Khan-e Gorji, a pro-Iranian warlord of Georgian Muslim origin who was given refuge by

Qajar The Guarded Domains of Iran, alternatively the Sublime State of Iran and commonly called Qajar Iran, Qajar Persia or the Qajar Empire, was the Iranian state under the rule of the Qajar dynasty, which was of Turkic origin,Cyrus Ghani. ''Iran an ...

ruler

Agha Mohammad Khan Agha Mohammad Khan Qajar (; 14 March 1742 – 17 June 1797), also known by his regnal name of Agha Mohammad Shah (), was the founder of the Qajar dynasty of Qajar Iran, Iran, ruling from 1789 to 1797 as Shah. Originally a chieftain of the Quwanlu ...

following a territorial dispute with his cousins, who were supported by Russian empress

Catherine the Great Catherine II. (born Princess Sophie of Anhalt-Zerbst; 2 May 172917 November 1796), most commonly known as Catherine the Great, was the reigning empress of Russia from 1762 to 1796. She came to power after overthrowing her husband, Peter I ...

. Between 1795 and 1797, Yusef Khan-e Gorji, renamed ''Yusef Khan-e Sepahdar'' by the Qajar ruler, settled his army in the fertile but poorly-controlled territory that would become the modern-day Arak. Hostile tribes in the region had operated autonomously from the Qajar rule. With the Shah's approval, Yusef Khan diverted the main river to drive out the hostiles and build the war fortress of Soltan Abad to act as a buffer. According to early modern historians, Yusef Khan built the city with the aid of effluents. Until 1892, the town remained a military base and fortress. The fortress of Soltan Abad had a thick wall surrounded by 7-meter-deep moats. Eight towers were constructed around the town and the governmental building was established in its northern part. In 1891, shops, gardens, and government buildings of Soltan Abad were repaired by the order of deputy governor Mirza Hasan (''Etemad os-Saltane''). Large parts of the city were formerly annexed as personal property to the pre-existing army commanders, and were then ultimately turned over to the state around 1918–1922. Beginning by the last quarter of the 19th century, the city achieved major developments in carpet industry, and eventually became Iran's most important center of carpet production for export markets, continuing up until at least 1940. National Garden Square - Arak - 1963

Under the reign of

Reza Shah Reza Shah Pahlavi born Reza Khan (15 March 1878 – 26 July 1944) was shah of Iran from 1925 to 1941 and founder of the roughly 53 years old Pahlavi dynasty. Originally a military officer, he became a politician, serving as minister of war an ...

of the

Pahlavi dynasty The Pahlavi dynasty () is an List of monarchs of Iran, Iranian royal dynasty that was the Pahlavi Iran, last to rule Iran before the country's monarchy was abolished by the Iranian Revolution in 1979. It was founded in 1925 by Reza Shah, Reza S ...

, the city was renamed ''Arak''. Modern factories for vegetable oil, soap, sugar beet, and wool industries were established within the city. Arak also became an important station for the Trans-Iranian Railway, a major railway project directed by Reza Shah which was completed in 1938. In 1972, two major state-owned enterprises were established in the city, including an aluminum smelter and a heavy engineering plant. The aluminum smelter was built under the ''

Regional Cooperation for Development Regional Cooperation for Development (RCD) or Organization for Regional Cooperation and Development (ORCD) was multi-governmental organization which was originally established on the 21st of July 1964 by Iran, Pakistan and Turkey, regional members ...

'' project of the Central Treaty Organization, in cooperation with the company of Reynolds and Reynolds. The engineering plant was processed with equipment and technical advice from the

Soviet The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...

s, in return of gas sales to the Soviet Union. The city officially became a

metropolis A metropolis () is a large city or conurbation which is a significant economic, political, and cultural area for a country or region, and an important hub for regional or international connections, commerce, and communications. A big city b ...

on April 6, 2013, after the

merger Mergers and acquisitions (M&A) are business transactions in which the ownership of a company, business organization, or one of their operating units is transferred to or consolidated with another entity. They may happen through direct absorpt ...

with Karahrud and Senjan.

Demographics

Population

At the time of the 2006 National Census, the city's population was 438,338 in 121,597 households. The following census in 2011 counted 484,212 people in 148,249 households. The 2016 census measured the population of the city as 520,944 people in 165,709 households.

Geography

Location

Arak is surrounded by mountains in the south, west, and east, and its average altitude is about 1750m above sea level. It is located 260 km from the city of

Tehran Tehran (; , ''Tehrân'') is the capital and largest city of Iran. It is the capital of Tehran province, and the administrative center for Tehran County and its Central District (Tehran County), Central District. With a population of around 9. ...

, and is in the vicinity of the cities of Qom and

Isfahan Isfahan or Esfahan ( ) is a city in the Central District (Isfahan County), Central District of Isfahan County, Isfahan province, Iran. It is the capital of the province, the county, and the district. It is located south of Tehran. The city ...

. Gerdo.jpg, The Gerdoo Valley in winter. Sefidkhāni mountain.jpg, Sefidkhani Mountain, located to the west of Arak. Sunset over frozen Meyghan Salt Lake.JPG, Meyqan Lagoon, 15 km northeast of Arak. Sonnenuntergang in Meighan Teich - (Arak) - panoramio.jpg, Sunset in Meyqan Lagoon.

Climate

Arak has a hot-summer mediterranean continental climate (

Köppen Köppen is a German surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Bernd Köppen (1951–2014), German pianist and composer * Carl Köppen (1833-1907), German military advisor in Meiji era Japan * Edlef Köppen (1893–1939), German author ...

: ''Dsa''; Trewartha: ''Dcho'', formerly ''Dcao'' according to the NOAA weather data for 1961-1990 years), that is, in general, relatively cold and dry. The weather of the city is hot and dry in summer, cool in autumn, cold and snowy in winter, and mild in spring. Its maximum temperature may rise to above in summer and fall to below in winter. The average annual precipitation is around and the annual

relative humidity Humidity is the concentration of water vapor present in the air. Water vapor, the gaseous state of water, is generally invisible to the human eye. Humidity indicates the likelihood for precipitation (meteorology), precipitation, dew, or fog t ...

is about 47%. شب برفی رویایی در اراک 22-12-89 - panoramio.jpg, A snowy night in Arak. A_rainy_day_in_Arak_-_Autumn_2012.jpg, A rainy day in Arak. Gardens in Senejan (2).jpg, The Senjan district in summer. Gardens in Senejan.jpg, Gardens in Senjan. Shahr Park in Arak.jpg, The City Park of Arak in autumn.

Transport

Airport

Arak is served by the International Airport of Arak, which is located north of the city. The airport was opened in 1938, and is one of the oldest airports of Iran.

Rail

The railway system of Arak was connected to the Iranian Railways in 1935. Destinations stretch directly from Bandar-e-Shapur in the southwestern Iran to Bandar-e-Torkman under the

Caspian Sea The Caspian Sea is the world's largest inland body of water, described as the List of lakes by area, world's largest lake and usually referred to as a full-fledged sea. An endorheic basin, it lies between Europe and Asia: east of the Caucasus, ...

High-speed rail

Arak–Qom High Speed Rail is the second

high-speed rail High-speed rail (HSR) is a type of rail transport network utilising trains that run significantly faster than those of traditional rail, using an integrated system of specialised rolling stock and dedicated railway track, tracks. While there is ...

project in Iran which will have a junction with Tehran–Qom–Isfahan High Speed Rail at one of the stations in Qom province. The Islamic Republic of Iran Railways signed a €1.2 billion deal with its Italian counterpart for establishing a high-speed railroad between the Iranian cities of Qom and Arak. Iran decided to delegate the project to the Chinese following the withdrawal of an Italian firm due to US sanctions on Iran. This new High Speed Line, part of the Iran National Railway Network, will be a double track passenger railway line and will have an operational speed of 300 km/h.

Public transportation

Buses provide the bulk of the local public transport in Arak.

Industry

Arak is one of

industrial cities An industrial city or industrial town is a town or city in which the municipal economy, at least historically, is centered around industry, with important factories or other production facilities in the town. It has been part of most countries' ...

, that in terms of

diversity Diversity, diversify, or diverse may refer to: Business *Diversity (business), the inclusion of people of different identities (ethnicity, gender, age) in the workforce *Diversity marketing, marketing communication targeting diverse customers * ...

is the 1st, in terms of

heavy industries Heavy industry is an industry that involves one or more characteristics such as large and heavy products; large and heavy equipment and facilities (such as heavy equipment, large machine tools, huge buildings and large-scale infrastructure); o ...

is the 2nd and totally is one of four industrial hubs of

. This city because of the

, manufacturing 80% of Iran

energy Energy () is the physical quantity, quantitative physical property, property that is transferred to a physical body, body or to a physical system, recognizable in the performance of Work (thermodynamics), work and in the form of heat and l ...

equipment, the largest Iranian Machinery company (MSA), the largest heavy equipment manufacturer in the Middle East, the largest locomotive and wagon manufacturer in the Middle East, the largest Aluminum company in Iran, the largest crane manufacturer in the Middle East, Iran's largest mineral company and the largest combine manufacturer in the Middle East; nicknamed the Industrial Capital of

. Arak has

chemical A chemical substance is a unique form of matter with constant chemical composition and characteristic properties. Chemical substances may take the form of a single element or chemical compounds. If two or more chemical substances can be combin ...

construction Construction are processes involved in delivering buildings, infrastructure, industrial facilities, and associated activities through to the end of their life. It typically starts with planning, financing, and design that continues until the a ...

food Food is any substance consumed by an organism for Nutrient, nutritional support. Food is usually of plant, animal, or Fungus, fungal origin and contains essential nutrients such as carbohydrates, fats, protein (nutrient), proteins, vitamins, ...

machinery A machine is a physical system that uses power to apply forces and control movement to perform an action. The term is commonly applied to artificial devices, such as those employing engines or motors, but also to natural biological macromolec ...

metal A metal () is a material that, when polished or fractured, shows a lustrous appearance, and conducts electrical resistivity and conductivity, electricity and thermal conductivity, heat relatively well. These properties are all associated wit ...

mining Mining is the Resource extraction, extraction of valuable geological materials and minerals from the surface of the Earth. Mining is required to obtain most materials that cannot be grown through agriculture, agricultural processes, or feasib ...

textile Textile is an Hyponymy and hypernymy, umbrella term that includes various Fiber, fiber-based materials, including fibers, yarns, Staple (textiles)#Filament fiber, filaments, Thread (yarn), threads, and different types of #Fabric, fabric. ...

petroleum Petroleum, also known as crude oil or simply oil, is a naturally occurring, yellowish-black liquid chemical mixture found in geological formations, consisting mainly of hydrocarbons. The term ''petroleum'' refers both to naturally occurring un ...

and

petrochemical Petrochemicals (sometimes abbreviated as petchems) are the chemical products obtained from petroleum by refining. Some chemical compounds made from petroleum are also obtained from other fossil fuels, such as coal or natural gas, or renewable s ...

Industries that some of those are between basic industries of

. The following are a number of important industrial factories based in Arak. * Machine Sazi Arak * AzarAb Industries * Wagon Pars (

Locomotive A locomotive is a rail transport, rail vehicle that provides the motive power for a train. Traditionally, locomotives pulled trains from the front. However, Push–pull train, push–pull operation has become common, and in the pursuit for ...

and

Train A train (from Old French , from Latin">-4; we might wonder whether there's a point at which it's appropriate to talk of the beginnings of French, that is, when it wa ... , from Latin , "to pull, to draw") is a series of connected vehicles th ...

manufacturer) * Iranian Aluminium Company (IRALCO) * HEPCO (Heavy Equipment Production Company) * Avangan * Navard Aluminium * Iran Combine Manufacturing Company * Lajvar Industrial Group (Crane manufacturer) * Arak Petrochemical Company * Arak Oil Refinery * Heavy Water Production Plant of Arak File:HEPCO HWL 110-2 wheel loaders (1).jpg, HEPCO wheel loaders File:Wagon Pars co- Arak .Iran.jpg, Locomotive production at Wagon Pars. File:Arak Heavy Water5.JPG, The Heavy Water Production Plant of Arak. File:A giant distillation tower in Arak.jpg, Giant

Fractionating column A fractionating column or fractional column is equipment used in the distillation of liquid mixtures to separate the mixture into its component parts, or fractions, based on their differences in volatility. Fractionating columns are used in small ...

manufactured by Machine Sazi Arak (MSA)

Agriculture and handicrafts

The main agricultural products of the city are grain, barley, and fruits including grape, apple, walnut, and almond. Arak also exports hand-knotted carpets which are referred to as Sarouk rugs. Saruq is a small village outside Arak, and its name is used in order to prevent confusion with rug from the modern-day country of

Iraq Iraq, officially the Republic of Iraq, is a country in West Asia. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to Iraq–Saudi Arabia border, the south, Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq border, the east, the Persian Gulf and ...

Main sites

Parks and gardens

* Nezam Lashgar Garden (Garden of Esmaeili) * City Park * Amir Kabir Park * Jangali Park * Kelale Mountain Park * Arak Zoo * Madar Park

Museums

* Soltan Abad Museum * Four Seasons Bathroom * Museum of Artifacts (Hassan Pour Museum) * Museum of Famous Figures (The Hall of Fame of Arak) * Grand Museum of Arak

Sports complexes

* Amir Kabir Entertainment and Sports Complex * Tufan Entertainment and Sports Complex * Shahin Horse Riding Complex

Universities

* Arak University * Arak University of Medical Sciences * Arak University of Technology * Azad University of Arak * Payam-e-Noor University of Arak * Kharazmi University of Arak

Other

* The old bazaar of Arak * Doab Bridge (built over the Shara River) * Mostowfi Mansion * Gerdoo Valley (known for its walnut trees and ranges)

Notable people

Statesmen and politicians: * Sharaf Khan Bidlisi (1543-ca. 1600), Kurdish historian and prince of

Bitlis Bitlis ( or ; ) is a city in southeastern Turkey. It is the seat of Bitlis District and Bitlis Province.Karahrūd, Arak. * Ghaem Magham Farahani (1779–1835), a former Prime Minister of Iran, was born in Farahan District, Arak. * Amir Kabir (1807–1852), a former Prime Minister of Iran, was born in Hezaveh District, Arak. *

Mohammad Mosaddegh Mohammad Mosaddegh (, ; 16 June 1882 – 5 March 1967) was an Iranian politician, author, and lawyer who served as the 30th Prime Minister of Iran from 1951 to 1953, elected by the 1950 Iranian legislative election, 16th Majlis. He was a membe ...

(1882–1967), a former Prime Minister of Iran, was born in

. His father was from Ashtiyan, northeastern Arak. *

Morteza-Qoli Bayat Morteza Gholi Bayat (; Mortezā Qoli Bayāt, aka ''Sahām al-Soltān'', 1890–10 May 1958) was a Prime Minister of Iran. Career Born in Arak, Iran into a family of Iran's ancient tribal nobility, Chieftains of the Bayat tribe, to Haj Abbas ...

(1890–1958), a former Prime Minister of Iran (1944–1945). * Ata'ollah Mohajerani (1954–), one of the ministers of the cabinet of

Mohammad Khatami Mohammad Khatami (born 14 October 1943) is an Iranian politician and Shia cleric who served as the fifth president of Iran from 3 August 1997 to 3 August 2005. He also served as Iran's Minister of Culture from 1982 to 1992. Later, he was critic ...

. Literary, painting, and photography figures: * Sonia Balassanian (born 1942), Iranian-born Armenian painter, curator, sculptor * Parvin E'tesami (1907–1941), Iranian poet, was born in

Tabriz Tabriz (; ) is a city in the Central District (Tabriz County), Central District of Tabriz County, in the East Azerbaijan province, East Azerbaijan province of northwestern Iran. It serves as capital of the province, the county, and the distric ...

. Her father was from Ashtiyan, northeastern Arak. * Behjat Sadr (1924–2009), an eminent Iranian painter. * Jahangir Razmi (1947–), the 1980

Pulitzer Prize The Pulitzer Prizes () are 23 annual awards given by Columbia University in New York City for achievements in the United States in "journalism, arts and letters". They were established in 1917 by the will of Joseph Pulitzer, who had made his fo ...

winner (photographer). * Kader Abdolah (1954–), an Iranian-Dutch poet laureate. * Zhaleh Alamtaj (1883-1947), feminist poet Sportsmen: * Mansour Bahrami (1956–), an Iranian

tennis Tennis is a List of racket sports, racket sport that is played either individually against a single opponent (singles (tennis), singles) or between two teams of two players each (doubles (tennis), doubles). Each player uses a tennis racket st ...

player. *

Mehdi Mahdavikia Mehdi Mahdavikia (; born 24 July 1977) is an Iranian professional association football, football coach and former player usually played as a winger (association football), right winger or right back. He was at Hamburger SV as a youth coach, and ...

(1977–), a famous Iranian

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

player. Scientists: * Mohammad Gharib (1909–1975), an

ian

physician A physician, medical practitioner (British English), medical doctor, or simply doctor is a health professional who practices medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring health through the Medical education, study, Med ...

clinician A clinician is a health care professional typically employed at a skilled nursing facility or clinic. Clinicians work directly with patients rather than in a laboratory, community health setting or in research. A clinician may diagnose, treat a ...

. * Wahid Shams Kolahi (1965–), an electrical engineer. Singers: * Ebrahim Hamedi (Ebi) (1949–), an Iranian singer; his father was from Arak. Cinema and television artists: * Yervand Manaryan (1924–2020), an Iranian-Armenian actor. * Arman Manaryan (1929-2016), Iranian-born Armenian film director * Reza Badiyi (1930–2011), director of episodes of many popular American television series, including Hawaii Five-O, Mission: Impossible, The Incredible Hulk,

The Six Million Dollar Man ''The Six Million Dollar Man'' is an American science fiction and action television series, running from 1973 to 1978, about a former astronaut, USAF Colonel Steve Austin, portrayed by Lee Majors. After being seriously injured in a NASA test f ...

Falcon Crest ''Falcon Crest'' is an American prime time television soap opera created by Earl Hamner Jr. that aired for nine seasons on CBS from December 4, 1981, to May 17, 1990. The series revolves around the feuding factions of the wealthy Gioberti/Cha ...

Buffy the Vampire Slayer ''Buffy the Vampire Slayer'' is an American supernatural fiction, supernatural drama television series created by writer and director Joss Whedon. The concept is based on the Buffy the Vampire Slayer (film), 1992 film, also written by Whedon, a ...

(the episode ''Out of Mind, Out of Sight''), Nikita, etc. * Pouri Banayi, (1940–), a famous Iranian actress before the 1979 Revolution (1965–1979). * Golchehreh Sajadiye (1954–), an Iranian actress. * Manijeh Hekmat (1962–), an Iranian film director. * Mostafa Azizi (1962–), an Iranian TV producer. *

Mehran Modiri Mehran Modiri (; born 7 April 1967) is an Iranian peoples, Iranian director, actor, comedian, producer, screenwriter, host and singer. Career His various series, which have been broadcast through IRIB have set records in terms of viewership (an ...

(1967–), an Iranian actor, director and comedian; his father and his mother were from Arak. * Bahareh Rahnama (1973–), an Iranian actress. * Sahar Zakaria (1973–), an Iranian actress. * Pegah Ahangarani (1984–), an Iranian actress. Other * Azadeh Bokaie Dadgar (1980-), journalist, lawyer and activist

Notes

References

{{Provincial capitals of Iran Arak, Iran Populated places in Arak County Cities in Markazi province Iranian provincial capitals