The origin of the name Arak

In the early Islamic centuries, after taking control of the Sasanian government, Ctesiphon and other parts of Iran that were around the Sasanian capital, namely the regions between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, were called Iraq, and in the second Islamic century the region between Hamadan, Ray, and Isfahan was also called Iraqi Ajam. After the city was built, its name was first Military Fortress, then Sultanabad, and later the county of Iraq, which in 1316 SH, when the national railway began operating, changed to Arak (Iraq is the Arabic form of Arak); Arak means flat land.
 

Climate geography

Arak County is bounded by Tafresh to the north, Hamadan and Malayer to the west, Mahallat County to the east, and Khomein and Sarband to the south, and its average elevation is about 1,700 meters above sea level.
 

Arak lies at 34 degrees, 5 minutes, and 30 seconds north of the equator and at 49 degrees, 41 minutes, and 30 seconds east longitude from the Greenwich meridian. Naturally, the current Arak plateau covers 5,400 square kilometers, of which 2,400 square kilometers are the elevated plain of Arak and the rest are the surrounding highlands. The mountains of this region are also made up of two ranges. The main range stretches from northwest to south and then turns toward the northeast, and the second range extends as two parallel ranges from south to north and in some places spreads so widely that some of its elevations pass north of the city. Arak's climate has the characteristics of the central Iranian plateau, with cold and humid winters and hot, dry summers. The mountains around Arak, Lake Miqan, and the Farahan plain have influenced the climate of this region and given it its characteristics. In autumn and winter, clouds and western air currents lose most of their moisture over the western highlands of the region, especially the Zagros range. A cold air mass that occupies Arak's weather in winter and, due to the surrounding highlands and perhaps the strong pressure created by Lake Miqan, will remain in this region for a long time.

Arak's climate is variable. Winters are mostly long and last from 4 to 6 months, while spring and autumn are short seasons; summer appears in July and August. The number of freezing days varies from 65 to 120 days in different years. Annual rainfall also varies from year to year and ranges between 230 and 638 millimeters per year; average rainfall has been about 300 millimeters.
 

Language

Before the city of Arak was founded, the people of this region spoke various dialects such as Tati in the Vafs area. After the founding of Arak and the migration of people from these areas to the city, these dialects blended together and formed a special dialect, until the emergence of mass media caused this dialect to decline, and now the people of Arak speak to some extent without an accent and in a literary or Tehran style, but in the surrounding villages and in the city itself, the language of the elderly men and women is the same old accent.

Religion and sect

The population of Arak County is about 600,000, and most of the city's residents are مسلمان and followers of the Shia sect. There is also a minority of Christians and Jews in the city. Armenians make up part of Arak's ethnic and religious minority. Over the past century, Armenians have migrated to Arak from the areas around Arak as well as from New Julfa in Isfahan to work in the carpet-weaving industry and other industries, and also to work at the British consulate as accountants and clerks. Armenians are the founders of Arak's second school, called the Armenian Sharaf School, and the Saint Mesrop Church. In 2009, the Armenian population in Arak was 240 Armenians in 60 families.

Jews also formed part of Arak's religious minority until a century ago, and at one time their population reached about 1,000 people, and most of them worked in cloth selling and medicine. Initially, Jews migrated to this city from surrounding areas of Arak such as Sanjan and other towns. Now all Jews of Arak have migrated from this city.

Agriculture and animal husbandry

Although Arak is known as an industrial city, it has significant agricultural potential. There are about 118,500 hectares of cultivable land in the county, from which about 402,492 tons of livestock, crop, and horticultural products are harvested annually. Major agricultural products include wheat, barley, livestock fodder, sugar beet, potatoes, grapes, peaches, apples, walnuts, and almonds. In the livestock sector, there are also 128 poultry farms, 112 dairy cattle farms, 416 fattening calf units, and 9 milk collection stations operating.

Industry and economy

The presence of factories and various industries within Arak County on the one hand, and the provincial centrality on the other, has attracted industrial and service activities to Arak. Its main handicraft is carpet weaving, and the Saruq carpet of Arak is particularly famous in this regard.

Arak is one of Iran's industrial cities and, in terms of the diversity of industrial products, ranks first in terms of the presence of mother industries, second, and overall fourth among the country's industrial hubs. Due to the presence of mother industries, production of 80 percent of the country's energy equipment, the presence of the country's largest aluminum production factory, and the presence of the country's largest sodium sulfate mine, this city has earned the title of Iran's industrial capital and is therefore one of the most polluted cities in Iran.
 

The country's first aluminum production factory (IRALCO), the country's first and largest wagon and locomotive manufacturing factory (Wagon Pars), the country's first combine harvester factory (Iran Combine Manufacturing), the largest power transmission tower manufacturer in the Middle East (Avangan), the first power transmission tower testing station in the Middle East and Asia, and the country's first solar school are located in this city. Also, due to the completion of gas supply projects, this city has been recognized as the country's first green provincial center. Because of the presence of various major industries in Arak, this city is called the industrial capital of Iran.
 

Tourist attractions:

1- Arak Historic Bazaar Complex:

The Arak Historic Bazaar Complex is one of the city's earliest buildings and was established during the reign of Fath-Ali Shah Qajar. In this complex, all welfare facilities such as a mosque, school, and water reservoir were built. Arak Bazaar is located in the center of the city's original four-block fabric, directly along north-south and east-west axes, perpendicular to each other. On the four sides of the bazaar there were four gates, all of which disappeared over time as the city expanded.

2- Historical building of Chahar Fasl Bath:

This building dates back to the Qajar era and is considered one of the valuable and very beautiful works of the region. This bath had three sections: men's bath, women's bath, and bath for religious minorities. This bath is a few meters below street level. The bath's changing room is decorated with beautiful seven-color tiles. Currently, this bath is visited by enthusiasts as the Chahar Fasl treasure.
 

3- Historical building of Sepahdar School:

This school is one of the city's earliest buildings and was built during the reign of Fath-Ali Shah Qajar, simultaneously with the city of Sultanabad (Arak), by Yousef Khan Sepahdar. The architectural style is to some extent borrowed from the Safavid-era schools, but the tilework is specific to the Qajar period. This building has a mosque, a water reservoir, and a relatively large courtyard with a stone pool in the middle.

4- Historical building of Pir Moradabad:

In the village of Moradabad, 14 kilometers northeast of Arak, there is a shrine called Pir Moradabad. According to popular belief, the order to build this shrine was given by Shapur Dhul-Actaf, and later the building was destroyed, but in the Seljuk period the shrine was rebuilt.

5- Shrine of Prince Mohammad Abed:

This shrine is one of the important religious buildings of the region and is located 12 kilometers north of Arak and adjacent to the village of Mashhad Miqan. This shrine is the tomb of Prince Mohammad Abed, son of Imam Musa al-Kazim (AS), and is one of the Safavid-era buildings.

6- Barzui Rahgard Fire Temple:

This historical fire temple is located in the village of Rahgard, 65 kilometers northeast of Arak, and dates back to the Sasanian period; its facade is made of brick and stone.

7- Historical caravanserai building:

This building dates back to the Safavid era and is located in Moshkabad, 40 kilometers east of Arak, near the villages of Anjadan and Amanabad. This square-shaped caravanserai was built on the route from Isfahan to western Iran.

8- Imamzadeh Ibrahim:

This shrine is located in the village of Mashhad Al-Kubeh, 45 kilometers north of Arak, and is considered one of the Safavid-era buildings.

9- Imamzadeh Hava Khatun:

This shrine is located in the village of Motabad, 15 kilometers north of Arak, and consists of three separate structures. The history of this shrine dates back to the 5th century AH.

10- Haj Vakil Fortress

This fortress is one of the Qajar-era buildings and in the past was one of the large carpet-weaving workshops of the Ziegler company and the British consulate in Arak.

Arak Government Citadel, Shah Abbasi Caravanserai, Haj Agha Mohsen Iraqi House, and Khakbaz House are among the city's other historical monuments. Imamzadeh Abdullah, Amina Khatun, and the tomb of Agha Nureddin Iraqi are among Arak's religious buildings.
 

Natural attractions:

Recreation area:

The flow of the Qarachay springs (Shara and Mohajeran River) in the west of Arak County, along with the presence of green areas along this river and the mountainous climate and high points for mountaineering, has set this part of Arak County apart from other regions.

Springs:

Chapoghli Spring:

This spring is located on the northern slope of the high and lofty Bagh Bar Aftab heights, south of the Arak-Malayer-Shazand junction. This spring is situated atop a very beautiful valley. The clean and pleasant mountain air and the gushing spring with very cool and refreshing water with therapeutic properties have attracted some nature lovers. At the spring outlet there is an area that has been terraced and in it trees can be seen.

Keykhosrow Spring (Huk Sarab):

This very large sarab or spring is located in the Kazaz plain and on the slope of Mount Rasvand; its greenery and beautiful nature are very eye-catching.

Caves:

Due to the extensive limestone and dolomite formations, Arak County has been a place where many caves formed, which we describe below:

Sefidkhani Cave:

This cave is located 18 kilometers south of Arak County in Mount Sefidkhani. There are many water springs on the slopes of this mountain range, the most famous of which is Chapoghli Spring. One of the cave's beauties is the presence of a