Karaj (Persian:کرج;pronounced[kæˈɾædʒ]^ⓘ)^[a] is acity in theCentral District ofKaraj County,Alborz province,Iran, serving as capital of the province,^[5] the county, and the district.^[6] Earliest evidence of inhabitation in Karaj can be dated to theBronze Age at Tepe Khurvin.^[7][8] The city was developed under the rule of theSafavid andQajar Empire and is home to historical buildings and memorials from those eras. This city has a unique climate due to access to natural resources such as many trees, rivers, and green plains. AfterTehran, Karaj is the largest immigrant-friendly city in Iran, so it has been nicknamed "Little Iran."^{[citation needed]}

Karaj کرج
City
Panoramic,Soleymaniyeh Palace, Taleghani Boulevard,Pearl Palace, Tulips Festival,Amir Kabir dam lake,Zana Aderan Village
Seal
Karaj
Coordinates:35°49′45″N50°58′03″E / 35.82917°N 50.96750°E /35.82917; 50.96750[1]
Country	Iran
Province	Alborz
County	Karaj
District	Central
Government
• Mayor	Mehrdad Kiani
• City Council Chairman	Javad Chapardar
Area
• City	162 km2 (63 sq mi)
Elevation	1,312 m (4,304 ft)
Population  (2016)[3]
• City	1,592,492
• Density	9,800/km2 (25,000/sq mi)
• Urban	1,973,470
• Metro	2,512,737[2]
• Population Rank in Iran	4th
Time zone	UTC+3:30 (IRST)
Area code	026
Climate	BSk
Website	karaj.ir

Although the county hosts a population around 1.97 million, as recorded in the 2016 census,^[3] most of the 1,419 km² (548 sq mi) county is rugged mountain. The urban area is the fourth-largest in Iran, after Tehran,Mashhad, andIsfahan.^[9]Eshtehard County^[10] andFardis County^[11] were split off fromKaraj County since the previous census.

The area around Karaj has been inhabited for thousands of years, as shown by theBronze Age site of Tepe Khurvin and theIron Age site of Kalak.^[12][13] However, the present-day city of Karaj is mostly the result of modern industrial development in the 20th century.^[13]

Karaj was mostly significant as a stage on the road between Tehran andQazvin.^[13] InSafavid times, a stone bridge was built that served as the main crossing into the town.^[13] The largeShah-Abbasi Caravansarai, located at the southeast of Towhid Square, was built in the same era, under the rule ofŠāh Esmāil.

In 1810, the Qajar prince Soleyman Mirza built theSoleymaniyeh Palace at Karaj to serve as a summer resort.^[13] The palace had four towers and was surrounded by gardens, and its reception room featured a pair of paintings byAbdallah Khan Naqqashbandi.^[13] By 1860, however, the palace was described as abandoned and only used as a shelter for travelers.^[13]Naser al-Din Shah Qajar later renovated the palace.^[13] In 1917, a School of Farming was established on the site, replacing the earlier Mozaffari Agricultural School in Tehran.^[13] Later,Reza Pahlavi granted it to theUniversity of Tehran's new Faculty of Agriculture.^[13]

In the 1930s, plans were drawn up for a large industrial complex covering 216hectares on the south side of the village.^[13] This "Industrial Model Town of Karaj" was intended to be the site of the country's firststeel mills, capitalizing on easy access to water and coal from the Alborz.^[13] However, the construction equipment imported from Germany was impounded by the British going through theSuez Canal in 1940, and the planned complex was never built.^[13]

A major industrial complex, the first privately-owned one in Karaj, was built in the 1960s by Mohammad-Sadeq Fateh.^[13] This complex, called Shahrak-e Jahanshahr, included oil, tea, and textile factories as well as housing for the workers.^[13]

TheMorvārid Palace was constructed in nearbyMehršahr district, during thePahlavi era. It was designed by theFrank Lloyd Wright Foundation (Taliesin Associated Architects) on instructions fromShams Pahlavi, elder sister ofMohammad Reza Pahlavi. In this period it was a transit and industrial town.

Majority of the structure is now controlled by theBasij Organization, and some sections of it are open to public under the operation ofCultural Heritage Organization of Iran.

Other historical sites of the city include the Mausoleum of Šāhzāde Soleymān,Emāmzāde Rahmān, Emāmzāde Zeyd, andPalang Ābād eEštehārd.^[14]

The majority of the residents of Karaj arePersians, withAzerbaijanis making up the second major ethno-linguistic group of the city.Kurds,Gilak,Tabari andLurs include the other ethnicities among the population of Karaj.

At the time of the 2006 National Census, the city's population was 1,377,450 in 385,955 households, when it was inTehran province.^[17] The 2016 census measured the population of the city as 1,592,492 people in 508,420 households,^[3] by which time the county had been separated from the province in the establishment ofAlborz province.^[5]

The downtown of Karaj is usually referred to Karaj Square, located hundred of meters to the west of Karaj River and the old Karaj Bridge. The villages Hesārak, Gowhar Dašt, and Šahrak e Azimie are located in the northern Greater Karaj.

Meškin Dašt, a large agricultural area between Mehršahr and Fardis, is near Karaj.

The following table includes the major districts of the city:

Open space recreational areas of Karaj include Irānzamin Park, Pārk e Xānvāde, Tennis Park, Pārk e Mādar, Tāleqān Gardens, Kordān Gardens, Jahānšahr Gardens, Pardis e Golhā, and the Tulip Garden of Gačsār.

The climate of Karaj is a bit cooler than Tehran's, and it receives 250 mm of rain annually (and like Tehran, the precipitation pattern is similar to those of Mediterranean climates). TheKöppen-Geiger climate classification system classifies the city's climate ascold semi-arid (BSk).^[18]

Amir Kabir Dam and some other small lakes are based in Karaj. The city is a starting point for a drive along road forced north through theAlborz mountain to theCaspian Sea.^[25]

The economic base of Karaj is its proximity toTehran. It is due to the transportation of products between Tehran and theCaspian Sea. Chemicals, fertilizers and processed agricultural goods are also produced in the city.

Zowb Āhan, the avenue leading to an industrial plant, is located at the south of Ostandar Square.Zowb e Āhan orZowb Āhan, literally "steel mill", was a contract between thePahlavi government and a consortium fromNazi Germany. The establishment of the factoryZowb Āhan e Karaj was halted by the beginning of theSecond World War, and it was never launched.

Šahrak-e Jahānšahr was the first modern private industrial and housing complex of Karaj, built in the 1960s. The factoriesJahān Čit (textile factory),Rowqan Nabāti e Jahān (oil factory), andČāy e Jahān (tea factory), were established at the complex. It is one of the largest industrial zones of the nation, with a 20% share of the national GDP.

Thespecial economic zone of Payam, with an area about 3,600 ha (36 km²; 8,900 acres) within the territory ofPayam International Airport, was established in Karaj for development of air cargo and postal transportation, cold store, and packing services, as well as perishable and time sensitive exports. It is the only SEZ in the region with the privilege of its ownairline.

Small and medium women's clothing companies in Karaj produce all kinds of daily clothes and leather boots. Karaj was one of the few Iranian cities in the 2010s that controlled the damage to theenvironment in the process of producing women's clothing. Karaj women's over-the-knee boots are exported to the whole country and have a significant contribution to the city's economy.^[26]

Karaj is connected by railway and highways to Tehran 40 km east andQazvin 100 km northwest, and by commuter rail tothe subway system of Tehran.

The city is servedKaraj Metro with 2 lines and 10 stations. Karaj urban railway organization established on 21 December 2001.^[27][28]

The highway system of Karaj includes Tehran–Karaj Highway, Karaj Special Road, and the old road of Karaj (Fath Highway).Bākeri Expressway is one of the main north-to-south routes in west Tehran, which is connected to the Tehran–Karaj Highway.^[29] Tehran–Karaj Highway is one of the busiest sections in Iran withAADT of 217084.^[30] Karaj–Qazvin has an AADT of 79606.

The aerial transport of Karaj is served by thePayam International Airport, which was established in 1990, and was officially opened in 1997.

Currently, the total number of buses in Karaj and the suburbs are 1,600 units. More than 80 lines serve citizens.^{[citation needed]}

Preparing Alborz Card^[31] can reduce the cost of travel tickets.

The Karaj Metro consists of two lines. Line One travels from west to east through the city (from Karaj Station to Golshahr Station). It continues eastward to becomeLine Five of theTehran Metro. On its way to Tehran, it stops at Chitgar park and Azadi stadium. The second line of Karaj metro (north to south) is under construction and opened for limited service in February 2023.^[32][33]

Payam International Airport, is an international airport located in Karaj, 40 kilometers (25  mi) from Tehran, in the Alborz Province of Iran. The airport was established in 1990, but was not opened officially until 1997. Payam Aviation Services Co. operates the airport as part of Payam Special Economic Zone. Payam Air previously operated an airmail hub at the airport.Currently, this airport and its special area are used for purposes such as cargo transit, commercial transportation, and goods mail in the development of the country's communication and information technology industries.

Karaj was formerly home of thePersian Gulf Pro League clubSaipa for several years, and this club won its first league championship in this city; in 2014 the team relocated to Tehran. Currently the only professional football team in city isOxin Alborz that play in theAzadegan League. The Home stadium of Oxin Alborz F.C. isEnghelab Stadium that located in Karaj Enghelab sport complex and has a capacity of 15,000 people. The stadium held a match betweenIran andIndonesia in June 2009. The stadium also held an international match, on May 1, 2012, where Iran's National Football team playedMozambique.

Saipa volleyball team lost toKalleh in this stadium in 2011–12 and became the runner-up in the final match of the country's volleyball premier league. Saipa has won the runner-up title ofIran Super League seven times.

One of the international ski resorts of Iran The,Dizin ski resort, is located a few kilometers north-east of the city, in theAlborz. In Dizin, along with skiing facilities, there are tennis courtyards, a slope for skiing on turf, some altitudes for mountain climbing and walking as well as riding and some routes for cycling.^[34]Karaj also has an international tennis complex which is used to training and tournaments. Jahanshahr International Tennis Complex is located in Bagh Fateh. This park has eight practice courts and one competition court with a capacity of 1,200 people. It is the only tennis complex in Iran that has covered courts.^{[citation needed]}

Educational and research centers of the city include:

• University of Tehran (Agriculture and Natural Resources College)
• Kharazmi University (Karaj Campus)
• Tehran University of Art (Karaj Campus)
• Payame Noor University (Karaj Center)
• Technical and Vocational University (Alborz Province)
• University of Applied Science and Technology (Alborz Province)
• Farhangian University (Alborz Province)
• Alborz University of Medical Sciences
• Islamic Azad University, Karaj Branch
• Razi Vaccine and Serum Research Institute
• Agricultural Research, Education and Extension Organization
• Materials and Energy Research Center
• Standard Research Institute
• Nuclear Science and Technology Research Institute (Center of Agriculture and Nuclear Medicine)

• Saied Reza Ameli (b. 1961), a scholar of communication

Abū Bakr Muḥammad ibn al Ḥasan al-Karajī (Persian: ابو بکر محمد بن الحسن الکرجی; c. 953 – c. 1029) was a 10th-century Persian mathematician and engineer who flourished at Baghdad. He was born in Karaj, a city near Tehran. His three principal surviving works are mathematical: Al-Badi' fi'l-hisab (Wonderful on calculation), Al-Fakhri fi'l-jabr wa'l-muqabala (Glorious on algebra), and Al-Kafi fi'l-hisab (Sufficient on calculation).

• Mehran Rajabi (b. 1962), actor
• Mehraneh Mahin Torabi (b. 1957), actress

• Armita Abbasi (born 2001), protester, arrested and assaulted
• Shadi Amin (b. 1964), political activist, researcher
• Fatemeh Ajorlou (b. 1966), politician
• Mahmoud Bahmani (b. 1947), politician

• Hossein Sanapour (b. 1960), writer
• Saeed Kamali Dehghan (b. 1985), journalist

• Ali Kiaei (b. 1987), futsal player
• Milad Farahani (b. 1988), football player
• Afshin Kazemi (b. 1986), futsal player
• Ahmad Sanjari (b. 1960), football coach
• Alireza Heidari (b. 1976), Olympic wrestler
• Mehdi Mahdavi (b. 1984), volleyball player
• Mojtaba Taghavi (b. 1968), football player
• Leila Esfandyari (1970–2011), mountain climber
• Ali Mohammadi (b. 1984), wrestler
• Ebrahim Sadeghi (b. 1979), football player
• Ebrahim Masoudi (b. 1982), futsal player
• Reza Mohammadi (b. 1986), football player
• Amin Manouchehri (b. 1986), football player
• Rouhollah Dadashi (1982–2011), powerlifter
• Mohammad Nosrati (b. 1981), football player
• Navid Abdolmaleki (b. 1990), mixed martial artist
• Farshad Falahatzadeh (b. 1967), football player
• Behnaz Shafiei (b. 1989), racing driver and motorcycle racer

• Mehršahr
• Amir Kabir Dam
• Morvārid Palace

  Media related toKaraj at Wikimedia Commons

 Karaj travel guide from Wikivoyage

 Iran portal

• Karaj city portalArchived 1 November 2021 at theWayback Machine
• About Alborz provinceArchived 9 May 2024 at theWayback Machine(in Persian)
• Ministry of the Interior of IranArchived 5 December 2020 at theWayback Machine