Araak (Arak) City

The township of Arak is to the southwest of MARKAZI province. It is cold in winters and moderate in summers. Arak is the capital of the province and is 295 km. from Tehran. This city is one of the industrial centers of the country. The Tehran - Khuzestan railroad crosses this city. The city of Arak was established during the reign of Fathali Shah Qajar. At first this city was called "Qaleh Soltan Abad". In 1216 AH. its name was changed to Arak.

Since its establishment till date Arak faced several changes. Until the early 1270 AH., Arak was a military city and the base for generals. But from the time of Mirza Hassan Khan, the military status of the city reduced and gradually became a commercial and industrial city. Once the World War I broke out and the Qajar dynasty cracked down, Russian forces occupied Saveh, Soltan Abad, and the nearby regions. When the World War I and the political changes of the country ended, Soltan Abad also faced the changes of that time, and its physical appearance changed immensely.

This process continued to the next decades. Presently, Arak is one of the important industrial cities of Iran.