Located in the south of the capital, Qom province is the western neighbor of Semnan, the northern neighbor of Isfahan and the eastern neighbor of Markazi province. the capital city of this province is Qom that is considered one of the most important religious attractions of the Islamic World due to the existence of Hazrat Masoumeh Holy Shrine and Jamkaran Mosque. The overwhelming majority of this province is Muslim and the follower of Shia’. The weather is warm and dry here. Most of people are Fars but other ethnic groups like Turk, Gilak, Mazani, Arab, Kurd, Khalaj, Lur and tat also live here. The traditional and local clothes in this province was more popular in the past and today we see the women wearing a black Chador and men in a plain suit or shirt and pants, like other cities of Iran. In addition, the Islamic clerics who mostly live in this province wear their own special clothing, that is Aba and Turban. This province is famous as the most religious region among Iranians where the inhabitants are strongly faithful to their religious beliefs and values. The existence of Seminary, the school of theology, and the inhabitancy of many religious scientists in this province are other reasons. A kind of dress was popular in Qom that reached to the knee and was white and patterned in the past. They wore pants under this dress and a folded skirt named Shaliteh over that. Arkhalig was another clothing worn over other dresses on special occasions. Giveh, Galesh and Charmi were the main footwear of women in the past. They put on a white kerchief even in the home, folded it in form of a triangle and tightened it underneath the chin or fastened with a pin. It is interesting that they put their money in a corner of the kerchief and tightened it. Qom men used a variety of hats including knitted, linen, woolen, Pahlavi and Shabgah (Shapu). They wore a dress with mullah collar and a vest over that. Coat and long garment were also used on some occasions. Their pants were plain and loose generally made of Debit and burlap. Qom men used Giveh and Na’leyn as shoes.
