TEHRAN—Work has commenced to restore Hojjatieh madrasa, which is a prominent seminary in Qom.

Hojjatieh madrasa is known for its Shia heritage and famous and great figures such as Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the Leader of the Islamic Revolution, have taught and studied there.

“Rooftops, ceilings, architectural decorations, wooden doors, and windows are subject to restoration,” Qom’s tourism chief said on Wednesday.

“The removal of extensions and dehumidification will be carried out as well,” Alireza Arjmandi said in a meeting with the madrasa’s authorities.

The madrasa’s association was founded in the aftermath of the coup d’état of 1953 by the help of cleric Shaikh Mahmud Halabi to defend Islam against the Bahai missionary activities.

There have been smaller service-providing units within Hojjatieh seminary such as the bureau of interaction with foreign countries, the bureau of libraries and archives, and the bureau of publications.

The second-holiest city in the country after Mashhad, Qom, is home to both the magnificent shrine of Hazrat-e Masumeh (SA) and the major religious madrasas (schools).

According to Arjmandi, there are students of theology from almost 130 different countries at Qom’s Al-Mustafa International University, an international academic, Islamic, and university-style seminary institute, that has a unique capacity to strengthen the tourism industry of the province.

Apart from sightseers and pilgrims who visit Qom to pay homage to the holy shrine, the city is also a top destination for Shiite scholars and students who come from across the world to learn Islamic studies at its madrasas and browse through eminent religious bookshops.

The antiquity of Qom goes back to the Sassanid era (224 CE–651) and several historical mosques, mansions, and natural sceneries have been scattered across the city as well as towns and villages nearby.

AFM