The following photos are from the first international festival of Islamic cooking which was held in Qom, Iran on December 27, 2008.

Qom lies 156 kilometers by road southwest of Tehran and is the capital of Qom Province. It has an estimated population of 1,042,309 in 2005. It is situated on the banks of the Qom river.  Qom is considered to be a holy city in Shi`a Islam, as it is the site of the shrine of Fatema Massume, sister of Imam Imam Reza (789-816 A.D.). The city is the largest center for Shi'a scholarship in the world, and is a significant destination of pilgrimage.