Arak, Markazi Province, Iran

🇮🇷 Arak (اراک, Arâk; ) is the capital of Markazi Province, Iran. The city is nicknamed the "Industrial Capital of Iran".

As a major industrial city, Arak hosts several industrial factories inside and within a few km 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 steel, petrochemical, and locomotive industries.

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 ruler Agha Mohammad Khan following a territorial dispute with his cousins, who were supported by Russian empress Catherine the Great.

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 centre of carpet production for export markets, continuing up until at least 1940.

Under the reign of Reza Shah of the Pahlavi dynasty, 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 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 Soviets, in return of gas sales to the Soviet Union.

The city officially became a metropolis on April 6, 2013, after the merger with Karahrud and Senjan.

Geography 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, and is in the vicinity of the cities of Qom and Isfahan.

Transport: Air 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.

Transport: Rail The railway system of Arak was connected to the Iranian Railways in 1935. Destinations stretch directly from Bandar-e-Shapur in the south-western Iran to Bandar-e-Torkman under the Caspian Sea.

High-speed rail Arak–Qom High Speed Rail is the second high-speed rail 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.

Economy: Industry Arak is one of industrial cities of Iran, that in terms of diversity is the 1st, in terms of heavy industries is the 2nd and totally is one of four industrial hubs of Iran. This city because of the heavy industries, manufacturing 80% of Iran energy 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 Iran.

Arak has chemical, construction, energy, food, machinery, metal, mining, textile, petroleum and petrochemical Industries that some of those are between basic industries of Iran.

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

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.

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.

Sport • 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).