Varamin (; ) is a city in the Central District of

Varamin County Varamin County () is in Tehran province, 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, th ...

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. ...

province,

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 ...

, serving as capital of both the county and the district.

Etymology

The word "''Varamin''" has been recorded with the same spelling and pronunciation in Perso-Arabic script since 3rd A.H. century. While its etymology is not clear, there have been many speculations which are almost all not more than guesses. The entry "Varām" in Burhan-i Qati is defined as:"... Things that are easy and light, and a city in ''Mulk-i Rayy'' that is known also as ''Varāmin''." Mir Jalaleddin Kazzazi says "Varām" is a variant of the name Bahram (equivalent to Vahram in Pahlavi and Armenian), and may be from ''Varām+in'' meaning 'place of Bahram.' The name has been transliterated in Latin scripts in many ways; such as ''Veramin'', ''Veramine'', ''Weramin'', ''Weramine'', ''Veraumin'', and other variants, while

Encyclopedia Iranica An encyclopedia is a reference work or compendium providing summaries of knowledge, either general or special, in a particular field or discipline. Encyclopedias are divided into articles or entries that are arranged alphabetically by artic ...

uses ''Varāmīn''.

History

Until 1220s, Varamin was an agricultural center of Ray. The raiding of Ray by the invading Mongols caused a flux of migration and economical growth during Mongol

Ilkhanid The Ilkhanate or Il-khanate was a Mongol khanate founded in the southwestern territories of the Mongol Empire. It was ruled by the Il-Khans or Ilkhanids (), and known to the Mongols as ''Hülegü Ulus'' (). The Ilkhanid realm was officially known ...

rule. Thus, Varamin developed into an urban center. A Vizier of

Abu Sa'id, named Yusuf Quhadhi built the Jameh Mosque of Varamin. Other significant monuments from this era include

mausoleum A mausoleum is an external free-standing building constructed as a monument enclosing the burial chamber of a deceased person or people. A mausoleum without the person's remains is called a cenotaph. A mausoleum may be considered a type o ...

of Imamzadeh Yahya, Aladdin Tower, Imamzadeh Shah Husayn, and Sharif mosque. At the turn of 14th century, Varamin started to decline due to

Timurid Empire The Timurid Empire was a late medieval, culturally Persianate, Turco-Mongol empire that dominated Greater Iran in the early 15th century, comprising modern-day Iran, Iraq, Afghanistan, much of Central Asia, the South Caucasus, and parts of co ...

armies' invasions. In 1405, Ruy González de Clavijo described the city as mostly deserted, although during early Timurid rule, a minor restoration was applied to the Jameh mosque and Imamzadeh Hosein Reza was built. By 16th century,

started to grow as the major city of the region.

Demographics

Population

At the time of the 2006 National Census, the city's population was 208,569 in 53,639 households. The following census in 2011 counted 218,991 people in 62,884 households. The 2015 census measured the population of the city as 216000 people in 69,190 households.

Climate

According to the information of the State Meteorological Organization of Iran, the long-term average annual rainfall of Varamin is around 107.5 mm

Landmarks

Ilkhanid architecture

During the Mongol Ilkhanate, as a result of the economic growth in the region, Varamin became an urban center and most of the significant historical monuments of this city belong to this period. Including:

Jameh mosque

The most famous building of the city, the Jameh mosque's construction began during

Öljaitü Öljaitü, also known as Mohammad-e Khodabandeh (24 March 1282 – 16 December 1316), was the eighth Ilkhanid dynasty ruler from 1304 to 1316 in Tabriz, Iran. His name 'Öjaitü' means 'blessed' in the Mongolian language and his last name 'Khod ...

's reign and completed in during his son's rule in 1322.

Aladdin tower

A cylindrical tomb with a conic dome was built in 1289 over a local ruler's grave.

Imamzadeh Yahya

The tomb of a descendant of

Muhammad Muhammad (8 June 632 CE) was an Arab religious and political leader and the founder of Islam. Muhammad in Islam, According to Islam, he was a prophet who was divinely inspired to preach and confirm the tawhid, monotheistic teachings of A ...

in the city, famed for its tile-works. The tomb was constructed in 1307.

Others

Other than the three mentioned above, another tomb known as ''Shah Hoseyn'' was also built in Ilkhanid era. Portal of ''Masjid-i Sharif'', which does not exist nowadays is mentioned to be completed in 1307. An Ilkhanid graveyard was unearthed in 2016.

Other sites

Other than above buildings, mausoleums of Hosein Reza, ''Sakinehbanu'', ''Kowkab a-ddin'', ''Seyyed Fathollah'', and ''Zaid Abolhassan'' are other historical monuments. Additionally, historians have mentioned the ''Razaviyeh'' historical

madrasah Madrasa (, also , ; Arabic: مدرسة , ), sometimes romanized as madrasah or madrassa, is the Arabic word for any type of educational institution, secular or religious (of any religion), whether for elementary education or higher learning ...

adjacent to the Jameh Mosque, also Varamin Castle, 1500 feet from the Jameh Mosque, has also been a noted by travelers, both the madrasah and citadel do not also exist today.

Industries

Sugar refinery factory

Varamin Sugar Refinery Factory was built in 1934–1935 by Nikolai Markov and is the very first

sugar Sugar is the generic name for sweet-tasting, soluble carbohydrates, many of which are used in food. Simple sugars, also called monosaccharides, include glucose Glucose is a sugar with the Chemical formula#Molecular formula, molecul ...

refinery factory in Iran and Middle East. Since 2007 and privatization, its produce has been reduced because of shortage in ingredients.

Oil-extracting factory

Varamin Oil-extracting factory was built in 1938–1939 and is the first producer of

vegetable oil Vegetable oils, or vegetable fats, are oils extracted from seeds or from other parts of edible plants. Like animal fats, vegetable fats are ''mixtures'' of triglycerides. Soybean oil, grape seed oil, and cocoa butter are examples of seed ...

in Iran.

Handcrafts

Carpets and rugs

Carpets and rugs of Varamin are among most famous carpets in the world. Many rug and carpet experts see Varamins as purer Persian carpets. They have geometric patterns with repeated medallions, especially on runners. They are made by tribal people who either live in or pass by Varamin.

Colleges and universities

Islamic Azad University

Islamic Azad University Varamin- Pishva Branch was established in 1985. This branch has more than 86 different majors and capacity of 15,000 students.iauvaramin.ac.ir
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Notes

References

{{Varamin Cities in Tehran province Populated places in Varamin County