Karaj

Karaj
کرج
City
View of the city
Official seal of Karaj
Seal
Karaj is located in Iran
Karaj
Karaj
Location within Iran
Coordinates: 35°49′45″N 50°58′03″E / 35.82917°N 50.96750°E / 35.82917; 50.96750
CountryIran
ProvinceAlborz
CountyKaraj
DistrictCentral
Government
 • MayorMehrdad Kiani
 • City Council ChairmanJavid Chapardar
Area
 • City
250 km2 (97 sq mi)
Elevation
1,312 m (4,304 ft)
Population
 (2016)
 • City
1,592,492
 • Estimate 
(2025)
1,757,000
 • Density6,400/km2 (16,000/sq mi)
 • Metro
3,000,000
 • Population Rank in Iran
4th
Time zoneUTC+3:30 (IRST)
Area code026
Vehicle registrationIRAN 68 38 21 30
ClimateBSk
Websitekaraj.ir

Karaj (Persian: کرج; pronounced [kæˈɾædʒ] ⓘ) is a city in the Central District of Karaj County, Alborz province, Iran, serving as capital of the province, the county, and the district. It lies at the foot of the Alborz mountains on the road between Tehran and Qazvin, about 40 km (25 mi) west of central Tehran.

The area has been inhabited since the Bronze Age, and in the Safavid and Qajar periods Karaj was a stage on the Tehran–Qazvin road. The modern city grew rapidly from the mid-20th century as an industrial centre and as a destination for migrants from across Iran, and its population is ethnically and culturally diverse. At the 2016 census Karaj had 1,592,492 inhabitants, making it the fourth-largest city in Iran after Tehran, Mashhad and Isfahan. Estimates of the wider metropolitan area range from about 3 million to 3.6 million.

History

Shah Abbasi Caravanserai

Early history

The area around Karaj has been inhabited for thousands of years, as shown by the Bronze Age cemetery of Tepe Khurvin and the Iron Age site of Kalak on the left bank of the Karaj River.

Before the 20th century Karaj was mainly a stage on the road between Tehran and Qazvin. In the Safavid period a large caravanserai and a stone bridge were built there; the bridge remained the main crossing of the Karaj River until the late 20th century.

In 1810 the Qajar prince Soleyman Mirza, a former governor of Kermanshah, built the Soleymaniyeh Palace at Karaj as a summer residence. The palace had four towers and was surrounded by walls and gardens, and its reception room had paintings by Abdallah Khan Naqqashbashi. By 1860 it was described as abandoned and used only as a shelter for travellers; Naser al-Din Shah Qajar later restored it. In 1917 a School of Farming was established in the palace gardens, replacing the Mozaffari Agricultural School founded in Tehran in 1900. Reza Shah later granted the site to the new Faculty of Agriculture of the University of Tehran, which still occupies it.

Industrialisation

In the 1930s a 216 ha (530 acres) industrial estate, the "Industrial Model Town of Karaj", was planned near the railway station as the site of Iran's first steel mill. The project failed in 1940, when British forces at the Suez Canal stopped the construction equipment being shipped from Germany, and the plant was never built. The street name Zob Ahan ("steel mill") survives from this project.[citation needed]

In the 1960s the industrialist Mohammad-Sadeq Fateh built Shahrak-e Jahanshahr, the first private industrial and housing complex in Karaj, with textile, cooking-oil and tea factories and housing for the workers. The Pearl Palace (Kakh-e Morvarid) in Mehrshahr was built between 1966 and 1968 for Shams Pahlavi, elder sister of Mohammad Reza Pahlavi. It was designed by William Wesley Peters of the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation.

Growth after 1970

From the 1970s Karaj grew rapidly with migration. According to Encyclopaedia Iranica, many newcomers came from Zanjan (34%) and Azerbaijan (23%) and settled informally at Tepe Morad Ab; squatters from Sanandaj occupied the old cave dwellings of Kalak; Kurdish refugees expelled from Iraq in 1971 were settled in Shahrak-e Azimiyeh; and refugees from Khuzestan and Kurdistan arrived during the Iran–Iraq War. Middle-class households from Tehran also moved to the city. About 2,000 ha (4,900 acres) of farmland was built on without permits between 1979 and 1997.

Several of the surrounding shahraks became separate municipalities in 1976 and were reunited with Karaj in 1996. In 2010 Karaj County was separated from Tehran province to form the new Alborz province, with Karaj as its capital. Eshtehard County and Fardis County were later split off from Karaj County.

Other historical sites in the city include the mausoleum of Shahzadeh Soleyman and the shrines of Emamzadeh Rahman, Emamzadeh Zeyd and Emamzadeh Taher.

Demographics

Population

At the 2006 census the city had 1,377,450 inhabitants in 385,955 households, when it was part of Tehran province. The 2016 census recorded 1,592,492 people in 508,420 households, by which time the county had become part of the new Alborz province. Karaj County as a whole had 1,973,470 inhabitants in 2016.

Ethnicity

Karaj is one of Iran's main destinations for internal migration, and Encyclopaedia Iranica describes its population as ethnically, culturally and economically heterogeneous. Most residents are Persians; Azerbaijanis form the second-largest group, and there are also Kurds, Lurs, Gilaks and Mazanderanis.[citation needed]

Geography

Azimiyeh, Karaj

Karaj lies on a broad plain with gentle hills at the foot of the Alborz, north of the Shahriar agricultural plain and east of the Savojbolagh and Hashtgerd plains. The Karaj River flows through the city from the mountains to the north.

Urban structure

The Tehran–Qazvin highway, the railway and the metro line divide the city into northern and southern parts. The traditional centre is around Karaj Square, west of the Karaj River and the old bridge.[citation needed] The northern part includes Hesarak, the site of the Razi Vaccine and Serum Research Institute, Gohardasht (officially renamed Rajaei Shahr) and Shahrak-e Azimiyeh. The southern part includes the planned district of Mehrshahr; Kalak lies along the river. The agricultural area of Meshkin Dasht lies outside the municipal boundary. In 1997 the municipality was divided into ten districts.

Other neighbourhoods include Karaj-e Now, Baghestan, Jahanshahr, Golshahr, Haydarabad, Shahin Villa, Mehr Villa, Dehghan Villa, Homayoun Villa, Golshahr Villa, Mesbah, Zob Ahan and Kianmehr.[citation needed] Several neighbouring cities, such as Fardis, Mohammadshahr, Mahdasht and Garmdarreh, form part of the Karaj metropolitan area but are separate municipalities.

Climate

Karaj has a cold semi-arid climate (BSk in the Köppen climate classification). Average annual precipitation in 1985–2010 was about 250 mm (9.8 in), falling mostly between November and April, as in Tehran.

Climate data for Karaj (1985–2010)
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °C (°F) 18.2
(64.8)		 19.8
(67.6)		 27.4
(81.3)		 33.0
(91.4)		 34.6
(94.3)		 39.2
(102.6)		 42.0
(107.6)		 40.2
(104.4)		 37.2
(99.0)		 31.8
(89.2)		 25.0
(77.0)		 20.0
(68.0)		 42.0
(107.6)
Mean daily maximum °C (°F) 6.1
(43.0)		 9.0
(48.2)		 14.2
(57.6)		 20.7
(69.3)		 26.2
(79.2)		 32.6
(90.7)		 35.2
(95.4)		 34.5
(94.1)		 30.4
(86.7)		 23.5
(74.3)		 15.1
(59.2)		 8.9
(48.0)		 21.4
(70.5)
Daily mean °C (°F) 1.8
(35.2)		 4.1
(39.4)		 8.7
(47.7)		 14.5
(58.1)		 19.2
(66.6)		 24.6
(76.3)		 27.1
(80.8)		 26.8
(80.2)		 22.9
(73.2)		 17.1
(62.8)		 9.9
(49.8)		 4.6
(40.3)		 15.1
(59.2)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F) −2.5
(27.5)		 −0.7
(30.7)		 3.2
(37.8)		 8.4
(47.1)		 12.2
(54.0)		 16.5
(61.7)		 19.0
(66.2)		 19.1
(66.4)		 15.3
(59.5)		 10.8
(51.4)		 4.8
(40.6)		 0.3
(32.5)		 8.9
(48.0)
Record low °C (°F) −19.0
(−2.2)		 −15.6
(3.9)		 −10.5
(13.1)		 −3.5
(25.7)		 −0.4
(31.3)		 7.2
(45.0)		 10.6
(51.1)		 12.0
(53.6)		 7.0
(44.6)		 −0.5
(31.1)		 −6.0
(21.2)		 −14.6
(5.7)		 −19.0
(−2.2)
Average precipitation mm (inches) 30.8
(1.21)		 32.1
(1.26)		 45.4
(1.79)		 39.1
(1.54)		 19.5
(0.77)		 2.7
(0.11)		 3.0
(0.12)		 1.2
(0.05)		 1.6
(0.06)		 15.1
(0.59)		 27.7
(1.09)		 33.5
(1.32)		 251.7
(9.91)
Average precipitation days (≥ 1.0 mm) 6.3 5.7 6.7 5.8 3.7 1.0 0.7 0.3 0.3 3.2 4.8 5.8 44.3
Average snowy days 5.4 3.7 1.9 0.1 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.5 2.7 14.3
Average relative humidity (%) 67 60 53 48 43 34 35 34 36 44 56 66 48
Mean monthly sunshine hours 166.3 169.7 197.4 218.1 280.7 335.2 341.5 340.1 304.2 250.1 187.2 156.8 2,947.3
Source: Iran Meteorological Organization (records), (temperatures), (precipitation), (humidity), (days with precipitation and snow), (sunshine)

The Amir Kabir Dam on the Karaj River lies north of the city. Karaj is the starting point of the Karaj–Chalus road across the Alborz to the Caspian Sea.

The Karaj–Chalus Road (Road 59) and the Karaj River

Economy

Karaj is a major industrial city, with factories producing sugar, textiles and wire among other goods. Encyclopaedia Iranica, citing a study by Korby, describes its industrial zone as the largest in Iran. Its economy also benefits from its position on the main routes from Tehran to the north-west and to the Caspian coast.

The Payam special economic zone, around Payam International Airport, was established for air cargo, postal transport, cold storage and packing services and for exports of perishable and time-sensitive goods.[citation needed]

Transport

Golshahr Metro Station

Rail and metro

Karaj is on the main railway between Tehran and Qazvin. Line 5 of the Tehran Metro, a suburban line, connects Karaj with Tehran and has operated since the late 1990s.

The Karaj Urban Railway Organization was established on 21 December 2001 to build a separate Karaj Metro. Its first line, Line 2, opened for limited service on 27 February 2023 between Golshahr and Ayatollah Taleqani, and was extended to Shahid Soltani on 6 September 2025. When complete, Line 2 is planned to be 27 km (17 mi) long with 23 stations. In the city's planned network, the existing Tehran Metro Line 5 corridor counts as Line 1.

Road

The main roads are the Tehran–Karaj Freeway, the Karaj Special Road and the old Karaj road (Fath Highway). The Tehran–Karaj Freeway is one of the busiest roads in Iran, with an annual average daily traffic of 217,084 vehicles. In west Tehran it connects with the Bakeri Expressway. City buses can be paid for with the Alborz Card electronic ticket.

Air

Payam Airport

Payam International Airport, near Mehrshahr, is used mainly for cargo. It is operated as part of the Payam Special Economic Zone. Passenger flights for the area use Tehran's airports.[citation needed]

Sports

Enghelab Stadium

Karaj's main stadium is the Enghelab Stadium, with a capacity of about 15,000. It has hosted international football matches, including Iran against Indonesia in June 2009 and against Mozambique on 1 May 2012.[citation needed] The Persian Gulf Pro League club Saipa played its home matches in Karaj for several years and won its first league title while based there.[citation needed]

The Dizin ski resort lies in the Alborz north of Karaj. The Jahanshahr International Tennis Complex in Bagh-e Fateh has eight practice courts and a competition court seating 1,200.[citation needed]

Education

Kharazmi University (Karaj Campus)
Alborz University of Medical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine

Universities and research institutes in Karaj include:

Notable people

Academia

Actors

Politics and activism

Writers and journalists

Sport

See also

Wikivoyage logo Karaj travel guide from Wikivoyage

Notes

  1. ↑ Also romanized as Karadj and Karej; also known as Heredi, Karadje, Keredi Leredi, and Qaşabeh-e Karaj

References

  1. ↑ OpenStreetMap contributors (18 February 2025). "District 8, Karaj, Karaj Central District, Karaj County, Alborz Province, Iran" (Map). OpenStreetMap (in Persian). Retrieved 18 February 2025.
  2. ↑ "RXH9+M26 Karaj, Alborz Province, Iran" (Map). Google Maps. Retrieved 22 June 2025.
  3. 1 2 3 4 سرشماري عمومي نفوس و مسكن 1395 : استان البرز [General Population and Housing Census 2016: Alborz Province]. مرکز آمار ایران [Statistical Centre of Iran] (in Persian). Archived from the original (Excel) on 28 January 2020. Retrieved 22 June 2025.
  4. ↑ "World Urbanization Prospects". United Nations, Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division. Retrieved 9 October 2026.
  5. 1 2 "Alborz province planning document" (in Persian). Management and Planning Organization of Alborz Province. Archived from the original on 21 July 2020.
  6. ↑ Karaj at GEOnet Names Server
  7. 1 2 3 Larijani, Ali (23 June 2010) [تاریخ تصویب (Approval date) 1389/04/02 (Iranian Jalali calendar)]. قانون تأسیس استان البرز [‌Law on the establishment of Alborz province]. لام تا کام [Lam ta Kam] (in Persian). ‌وزارت کشور [Ministry of the Interior]. مجلس شورای اسلامی [Islamic Consultative Assembly]. نامه شماره [Letter Number] 30588/412. Archived from the original on 16 December 2023. Retrieved 20 June 2025.
  8. ↑ Habibi, Hassan (12 September 1990) [تاریخ تصویب (Approval date) 1369/06/21 (Iranian Jalali calendar)]. تصویب سازمان و سلسله تابعیت عناصر و واحدهای تقسیمات کشوری استان تهران به مرکزیت شهر تهران [‌Approval of the organization and chain of citizenship of the elements and units of the national divisions of Tehran province centered on the city of Tehran]. لام تا کام [Lam ta Kam] (in Persian). ‌وزارت کشور [Ministry of the Interior]. کمیسیون سیاسی دفاعی هیأت دولت [Political Defense Commission of the Government Board]. شناسه [ID] B559F46F-4863-4D87-ACAB-5274C02BA3C5. شماره دوره [Course number] 69, شماره جلد [Volume number] 3. Archived from the original on 21 June 2025. Retrieved 21 June 2025.
  9. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 Hourcade, Bernard (15 December 2010). "KARAJ i. Modern City". Encyclopædia Iranica. Vol. XV. pp. 537–538. Retrieved 9 October 2026.
  10. 1 2 3 "UrbanRail.Net – Karaj". UrbanRail.Net. Retrieved 9 October 2026.
  11. ↑ City Population: IRAN: Major Cities
  12. ↑ "پرجمعیت‌ترین شهرهای خاورمیانه در ۲۰۲۵ / رتبه‌ شهرهای ایران". ایمنا (in Persian). 5 January 2026. Retrieved 18 July 2026.
  13. ↑ L. van den Berghe, La nécropole de Khūrvīn, Istanbul, Nederlands Historisch-Archaeologisch Instituut in het Nabije Oosten, 1964.
  14. ↑ "Former royal palace to open doors to visitors". Tehran Times. Retrieved 9 October 2026.
  15. ↑ Rahimi, Mohammad Reza (6 June 2012) [۱۷/۳/۱۳۹۱ تاریخ ابلاغ (Notification date 17/3/1391) (Iranian Jalali calendar)]. تصویب نامه در خصوص تقسیمات کشوری در استان البرز [‌Approval letter regarding national divisions in Alborz province]. مرکز پژوهشهای مجلس شورای اسلامی ایران [Research Center of the Islamic Consultative Assembly of Iran] (in Persian). ‌وزارت کشور [Ministry of the Interior]. هیات وزیران [Council of Ministers]. 50868/ت46965ه شماره ابلاغیه [Notification Number 50868/T46965H]. Archived from the original on 5 February 2013. Retrieved 20 June 2025.
  16. ↑ Rahimi, Mohammad Reza (1 July 2013) [۱۰/۴/۱۳۹۲ تاریخ ابلاغ (Notification date 10/4/1392) (Iranian Jalali calendar)]. تصویب نامه در خصوص تقسیمات کشوری در استان البرز [‌Approval letter regarding national divisions in Alborz province]. مرکز پژوهشهای مجلس شورای اسلامی ایران [Research Center of the Islamic Consultative Assembly of Iran] (in Persian). ‌وزارت کشور [Ministry of the Interior]. هیات وزیران [Council of Ministers]. ۸۴۹۱۷/ت۴۹۱۷۳ه شماره ابلاغیه [Notification Number 84917/T49173H]. Archived from the original on 26 July 2013. Retrieved 20 June 2025.
  17. ↑ "Karaj city in Alborz province". Iran Tourism & Touring Organization. Retrieved 9 October 2026.
  18. ↑ سرشماري عمومي نفوس و مسكن 1385 : استان تهران [General Population and Housing Census 2006: Tehran Province]. مرکز آمار ایران [Statistical Centre of Iran] (in Persian). Archived from the original (Excel) on 20 September 2011. Retrieved 22 June 2025.
  19. ↑ "Climate: Karaj - Climate graph, Temperature graph, Climate table". Climate-Data.org. Retrieved 9 September 2013.
  20. 1 2
  21. ↑
  22. ↑
  23. ↑
  24. ↑
  25. ↑
  26. ↑ Iran by Andrew Burke, Mark Elliott, and Kamin Mohammadi, Lonely Planet, 2004, p. 117.
  27. ↑ "Karaj Urban Railway History". Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 27 May 2015.
  28. ↑ "Second Karaj metro line opened for limited service". Railway Gazette International. Retrieved 30 August 2023.
  29. ↑ "تردد بیش از یک میلیون خودرو از آزادراه تهران -کرج" (in Persian). Archived from the original on 12 August 2013.
  30. ↑ "Main Bridges on Tehran-Karaj Highway Commissioned". Tehran official web site. Archived from the original on 9 August 2018. Retrieved 10 March 2021.
  31. ↑ "البرزکارت: کارت بلیت الکترونیکی کرج". alborzcard.ir (in Persian).
  32. ↑ "ITTO: Dizin Ski Slope". Archived from the original on 7 March 2012. Retrieved 14 December 2010.