Arak

Arak is the capital of Markazi province in Iran, known as the industrial capital of the country. The 2016 census recorded 520,944 residents, the eighteenth largest population among cities in Iran. Originally founded in 1808 under the name Soltanabad by Yusef Khan-e Gorji, the city became a center of carpet production in the late nineteenth century and gained industrial prominence under Reza Shah, who renamed it Arak and established modern factories there. Today it hosts major manufacturing plants, including Machine Sazi Arak and the Iranian Aluminium Company, producing close to half of the steel, petrochemical and locomotive industry needs of Iran.