Gilded with the blue-domed tops of iconic mosques and spiked with countless minarets, home to world-famous madrassahs and the shrines of revered Shia clerics, Qom is every inch the place you would expect of a city entitled the Religious Capital of Iran. Dress conservatively before you join your Qom tour guide to visit the fabled tomb dedicated to Fatema È Massumeh, the Jamkaran Mosque that glows turquoise under the sky, and the great Masjid Azam with its Uzbek-style entranceways below its arabesque facades. Qom is also the home of the famous Iranian leader Ayatollah Khomeini, who lead the country's drive to religious-political rule in the late 20^th century. You will see countless bookshops and libraries dedicated to expanding on his theological teachings and the like around the town. The city is also one of the fastest growing in Iran; take a break from its crowds to attend a Persian blue beads workshop and munch on sohan sweet biscuits – a local delicacy.