# Qods

**Qods** (also known as Shahr-e Qods, and formerly Qal'eh-ye Hasan Khan until it became a municipality in 1989<sup>[10](https://www.kupi.com/en/explore/iran/qods/history)</sup>) is a city in [Tehran](https://www.edgepedia.org/tehran) province, Iran, lying about 20 km west of central Tehran on the Tehran–Karaj corridor.<sup>[1](https://paytakhtmelk.ir/%D8%A7%D9%86%D8%A8%D8%A7%D8%B1/4008-%D8%B4%D9%87%D8%B1-%D9%82%D8%AF%D8%B3-%DA%A9%D8%AC%D8%A7%D8%B3%D8%AA%D8%9F-%D9%82%D9%84%D8%B9%D9%87-%D8%AD%D8%B3%D9%86%D8%AE%D8%A7%D9%86-%D8%AA%D9%87%D8%B1%D8%A7%D9%86.html)</sup> Its name is the Arabic spelling of Jerusalem.<sup>[10](https://www.kupi.com/en/explore/iran/qods/history)</sup> The city was formed in 1368 SH (1989) by the merger of four villages: Qal'eh-Hasan Khan, Kavousiyeh, Sorkh Hesar, and Esmailabad.<sup>[2](https://amagestate.com/place/qods-county-guide/)</sup> The 2016 census recorded a population of 309,605 people in 94,532 households.<sup>[1](https://paytakhtmelk.ir/%D8%A7%D9%86%D8%A8%D8%A7%D8%B1/4008-%D8%B4%D9%87%D8%B1-%D9%82%D8%AF%D8%B3-%DA%A9%D8%AC%D8%A7%D8%B3%D8%AA%D8%9F-%D9%82%D9%84%D8%B9%D9%87-%D8%AD%D8%B3%D9%86%D8%AE%D8%A7%D9%86-%D8%AA%D9%87%D8%B1%D8%A7%D9%86.html)</sup>

| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Former name | Qal'eh-ye Hasan Khan until it became a municipality in 1989<sup>[10](https://www.kupi.com/en/explore/iran/qods/history)</sup> |
| Formation | Four villages, Qal'eh-Hasan Khan, Kavousiyeh, Sorkh Hesar, and Esmailabad, merged into the city in 1368 SH (1989)<sup>[2](https://amagestate.com/place/qods-county-guide/)</sup> |
| Location | About 20 km west of Tehran, on the Tehran–Karaj corridor<sup>[1](https://paytakhtmelk.ir/%D8%A7%D9%86%D8%A8%D8%A7%D8%B1/4008-%D8%B4%D9%87%D8%B1-%D9%82%D8%AF%D8%B3-%DA%A9%D8%AC%D8%A7%D8%B3%D8%AA%D8%9F-%D9%82%D9%84%D8%B9%D9%87-%D8%AD%D8%B3%D9%86%D8%AE%D8%A7%D9%86-%D8%AA%D9%87%D8%B1%D8%A7%D9%86.html)</sup> |
| Economy | 51% industry and mining, 30% services and trade, 19% agriculture; over 2,500 industrial units<sup>[2](https://amagestate.com/place/qods-county-guide/)</sup> |
| County | Qods County covers 82 km² with a population of about 316,000, one of the smallest but most densely settled counties of Tehran province<sup>[2](https://amagestate.com/place/qods-county-guide/)</sup> |

## Name and early history

The settlement grew from a fortified village known as Qal'eh-ye Hasan Khan (Hasan Khan's Castle). According to the most widely repeated account, in the late Qajar era a royal huntsman holding the title Amir-toman settled the area, built a castle with two fortified sections, and named it after his son Hasan Khan; the surrounding lands were irrigated by large qanats and farmed by households he settled there<sup>[1](https://paytakhtmelk.ir/%D8%A7%D9%86%D8%A8%D8%A7%D8%B1/4008-%D8%B4%D9%87%D8%B1-%D9%82%D8%AF%D8%B3-%DA%A9%D8%AC%D8%A7%D8%B3%D8%AA%D8%9F-%D9%82%D9%84%D8%B9%D9%87-%D8%AD%D8%B3%D9%86%D8%AE%D8%A7%D9%86-%D8%AA%D9%87%D8%B1%D8%A7%D9%86.html)</sup>. A local historical study reports a conflicting version: a surviving deed shows the area was sold under the name Qal'eh Hasan during the reign of Naser al-Din Shah, before Hasan Khan Mokhtari, the supposed namesake, had been born, which would rule out the Amir-toman naming story<sup>[3](https://sarezaei.blogfa.com/post/4)</sup>. Older names recorded for the area include Kavus and Kavousiyeh, and the neighborhood name Sabzeh Almas<sup>[2](https://amagestate.com/place/qods-county-guide/)</sup><sup> • </sup><sup>[3](https://sarezaei.blogfa.com/post/4)</sup>.

**From village to city.** In 1368 SH (1989), as Tehran expanded rapidly and drew workers and clerical migrants from the capital and the northern provinces, four villages, Qal'eh-Hasan Khan, Kavousiyeh, Sorkh Hesar, and Esmailabad, were merged under municipal services and named Shahr-e Qods<sup>[2](https://amagestate.com/place/qods-county-guide/)</sup>. Before that date the place was a small castle-like village on Tehran's southwestern edge<sup>[1](https://paytakhtmelk.ir/%D8%A7%D9%86%D8%A8%D8%A7%D8%B1/4008-%D8%B4%D9%87%D8%B1-%D9%82%D8%AF%D8%B3-%DA%A9%D8%AC%D8%A7%D8%B3%D8%AA%D8%9F-%D9%82%D9%84%D8%B9%D9%87-%D8%AD%D8%B3%D9%86%D8%AE%D8%A7%D9%86-%D8%AA%D9%87%D8%B1%D8%A7%D9%86.html)</sup>. Cheap land around the old village and proximity to factories along the old road and railway made it a settlement for workers who could not afford housing in Tehran<sup>[1](https://paytakhtmelk.ir/%D8%A7%D9%86%D8%A8%D8%A7%D8%B1/4008-%D8%B4%D9%87%D8%B1-%D9%82%D8%AF%D8%B3-%DA%A9%D8%AC%D8%A7%D8%B3%D8%AA%D8%9F-%D9%82%D9%84%D8%B9%D9%87-%D8%AD%D8%B3%D9%86%D8%AE%D8%A7%D9%86-%D8%AA%D9%87%D8%B1%D8%A7%D9%86.html)</sup>.

## Administrative history

Qods County has only a Central District, an arrangement unlike most counties of Tehran province<sup>[2](https://amagestate.com/place/qods-county-guide/)</sup>.

## Growth as a Tehran satellite

Qods is one of the satellite towns that grew up around Tehran in the late twentieth century. A study of the Tehran–Karaj urban region records that between 1956 and 1996 the population of Tehran city grew 2.5-fold while the rest of the province grew 4.9 times, as small peripheral settlements burgeoned, largely informally, until they were recognized as cities<sup>[4](https://www.researchgate.net/publication/269353072_Sustainable_planning_for_a_quasi-urban_region_necessities_and_challenges_the_case_of_Tehran-Karaj)</sup>. Qods County is one of the 17 counties of that urban region<sup>[4](https://www.researchgate.net/publication/269353072_Sustainable_planning_for_a_quasi-urban_region_necessities_and_challenges_the_case_of_Tehran-Karaj)</sup>, and an account of the region's towns notes that many of them, including Eslamshahr, Qods, Qarchak, Malard, and Pakdasht, first emerged as informal residences<sup>[5](https://journals.open.tudelft.nl/abe/article/download/6574/5394/22145)</sup>.

**Migration and population.** After Tehran itself, the largest migrant groups in Qods come from the Turkic-speaking regions of [Azerbaijan](https://www.edgepedia.org/azerbaijan), Ardabil, and Zanjan, in numbers far exceeding those from other provinces<sup>[1](https://paytakhtmelk.ir/%D8%A7%D9%86%D8%A8%D8%A7%D8%B1/4008-%D8%B4%D9%87%D8%B1-%D9%82%D8%AF%D8%B3-%DA%A9%D8%AC%D8%A7%D8%B3%D8%AA%D8%9F-%D9%82%D9%84%D8%B9%D9%87-%D8%AD%D8%B3%D9%86%D8%AE%D8%A7%D9%86-%D8%AA%D9%87%D8%B1%D8%A7%D9%86.html)</sup>. A social policy study describes the city as an "ultra-periphery" whose official population of about 300,000 understates the real number of residents, many of them lower-income households pushed out of Tehran by rising housing costs; newer informal construction has spread toward the city's northern and western edges<sup>[6](https://iran-bssc.ir/plans-projects/research-fields/welfare-social-policy/anti-poverty-inequality-welfare-social-policy/7051/)</sup>. Population estimates for recent years vary by source: World Population Review puts the 2026 population at 369,203, growing 1.78% a year<sup>[7](https://worldpopulationreview.com/cities/iran/qods)</sup>, while Data Commons lists 309,605, matching the 2016 census<sup>[8](https://datacommons.org/ranking/Count_Person/City/country/IRN?h=wikidataId%2FQ888941)</sup>.

## Economy

The county's economy rests on three sectors: industry and mining at 51%, services and trade at 30%, and agriculture at 19%<sup>[2](https://amagestate.com/place/qods-county-guide/)</sup>. More than 2,500 industrial and production units operate there, along with 74 sand and gravel mines and over 22 stone-crushing units; active industries include a dairy plant employing 3,000 people, industrial machinery, building materials, food processing, and consumer goods<sup>[2](https://amagestate.com/place/qods-county-guide/)</sup>. About 1,500 hectares of farmland produce grains such as wheat, barley, and corn, fruits including apples, plums, cherries, sour cherries, peaches, and nectarines, and about 5% of Tehran province's milk<sup>[2](https://amagestate.com/place/qods-county-guide/)</sup>.

Housing costs are typically 30 to 50 percent below comparable areas of Tehran, which sustains commuter flows; peak-hour travel to Tehran can take 45 to 60 minutes against 20 to 30 minutes off-peak<sup>[2](https://amagestate.com/place/qods-county-guide/)</sup>. The city is served by the Tehran–Karaj suburban rail corridor (Line 5), with local buses and minibuses connecting to Tehran and Karaj<sup>[9](https://www.traveldojo.com/qods-iran/)</sup>.

## Landmarks, education, and sport

Registered heritage sites include the old Qods bathhouse, built in the Qajar era and listed among Iran's national monuments, and Kavousiyeh Hill, a prehistoric archaeological mound registered as a national monument in 1387 SH (2008)<sup>[1](https://paytakhtmelk.ir/%D8%A7%D9%86%D8%A8%D8%A7%D8%B1/4008-%D8%B4%D9%87%D8%B1-%D9%82%D8%AF%D8%B3-%DA%A9%D8%AC%D8%A7%D8%B3%D8%AA%D8%9F-%D9%82%D9%84%D8%B9%D9%87-%D8%AD%D8%B3%D9%86%D8%AE%D8%A7%D9%86-%D8%AA%D9%87%D8%B1%D8%A7%D9%86.html)</sup><sup> • </sup><sup>[2](https://amagestate.com/place/qods-county-guide/)</sup>. The [Persian Gulf Pro League](https://www.edgepedia.org/persian-gulf-pro-league) football club Paykan plays its home matches at Shahre Qods Stadium in the city<sup>[11](https://footballtripper.com/iran/shahr-e-qods-stadium/)</sup>.

## References

1. [شهر قدس کجاست؟ تاریخچه قلعه حسنخان تهران, Paytakht Melk](https://paytakhtmelk.ir/%D8%A7%D9%86%D8%A8%D8%A7%D8%B1/4008-%D8%B4%D9%87%D8%B1-%D9%82%D8%AF%D8%B3-%DA%A9%D8%AC%D8%A7%D8%B3%D8%AA%D8%9F-%D9%82%D9%84%D8%B9%D9%87-%D8%AD%D8%B3%D9%86%D8%AE%D8%A7%D9%86-%D8%AA%D9%87%D8%B1%D8%A7%D9%86.html)
2. [معرفی شهرستان قدس | استان تهران, Amagestate](https://amagestate.com/place/qods-county-guide/)
3. [تاریخچه شهر قدس - قلعه حسن خان, Sarezaei](https://sarezaei.blogfa.com/post/4)
4. [M. Reza Shirazi (2013). Sustainable planning for a quasi-urban region, necessities and challenges: the case of Tehran-Karaj. Planning Perspectives 28(3)](https://www.researchgate.net/publication/269353072_Sustainable_planning_for_a_quasi-urban_region_necessities_and_challenges_the_case_of_Tehran-Karaj)
5. [Tehran urban region towns and informal settlements, TU Delft](https://journals.open.tudelft.nl/abe/article/download/6574/5394/22145)
6. [مقابله با فقر و نابرابری: حاشیه‌نشینی, Center for Empowerment of Governance and Society](https://iran-bssc.ir/plans-projects/research-fields/welfare-social-policy/anti-poverty-inequality-welfare-social-policy/7051/)
7. [Qods Population 2026, World Population Review](https://worldpopulationreview.com/cities/iran/qods)
8. [Ranking by Population, Cities in Iran, Data Commons](https://datacommons.org/ranking/Count_Person/City/country/IRN?h=wikidataId%2FQ888941)
9. [Qods, Iran Travel Guide 2026, TravelDojo](https://www.traveldojo.com/qods-iran/)
10. [Travel to Qods, Iran: City Guide, Best Hotels and Activities, Kupi](https://www.kupi.com/en/explore/iran/qods/history)
11. [Paykan F.C Stadium - Shahre Qods Stadium, Football Tripper](https://footballtripper.com/iran/shahr-e-qods-stadium/)

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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Places and geography › Settlements and neighborhoods › Cities and towns › Cities, towns, and villages of the Middle East, Caucasus, and Central Asia › Cities of Iran, Caucasus, and Central Asia › Cities of Iran*

*Initially written Oct 21, 2026 · Edited: Oct 25, 2026*

*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*

License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license