Swimming pools, gymnasiums and bodybuilding gyms across Qum — including the Abotab water park and the SIOS gym — with prices and practical tips.
Qum has a diverse array of sports facilities — gyms, indoor and outdoor courts, swimming pools, stadiums, paintball grounds and horse-riding sites. A word of caution, though: some of these facilities are dated and fall short of expected standards of care and hygiene.
Swimming pools
Qum boasts 25 swimming pools, a sign of how popular swimming is for men and women alike. Some of the most frequented are listed below.
| Pool | Address | Telephone |
|---|---|---|
| Isar | Jumhuri Islami Boulevard, Karamat Road, Isar Complex | 3242 4767 |
| Firdows | Jumhuri Islami Boulevard, intersection with Mahmmod Nejad, Firdows Complex | 3261 1111 |
| Kawther | Sadooqi Boulevard, Haydariyan Stadium | 3292 5850 · 3294 0702 |
| Takhti | Shahid Fatemi Street, Alley No. 8, Takhti Stadium | 3774 2177 |
| Yaran | Inqilab Street, Shahid Seqayati Road | 3720 8884 · 3720 8885 |
| Daryaa | Khaleej Fars Boulevard | 3720 1300 |
| Velayat | Ghadeer Boulevard, Alley No. 17, Velayat Complex | 3112 3674 |
| Hejab | Jawad al-Aimmah Street, opposite the Fire Station | 3891 2024 |
| Shahidah Sayyari (women only) | Al-Zahrah University, Yasaman Road | 3211 2373 |
Ladies’ sessions are normally in the mornings, men’s in the afternoons and evenings. Prices vary but average around $1.50 for a typical 1.5-hour session. Tickets can be bought on the day at the pool or online — often at a discount — through poolticket.org, qomticket.com or takhfifan.com; online tickets usually arrive by SMS to show at the cashier. Lessons can be arranged with the management, privately or in groups, and most pools have a shop for swim gear and a small cafeteria.
Abotab water park
Qum also has a water park inside the large Ghadeer Park. Opened in 2016, the Abotab complex spans 3 hectares and features seven water slides, a lazy river, a water playground, a wave pool, and amenities such as restaurants, shops and a massage service. Buy tickets at the complex or, often more cheaply, online. It’s typically open 10 am to midnight, with alternate days for men and women.
Indoor gymnasiums
The versatile indoor gymnasiums host a variety of sports — futsal (indoor football) is perhaps the most popular, along with badminton, basketball and volleyball. They can usually be hired in 1.5-hour slots for around $3, and with many gymnasiums around the city, finding a free slot is usually easy — you can even make block bookings in advance.
Fitness and bodybuilding gyms
Fitness and bodybuilding gyms typically offer a mix of free weights, resistance machines and cardio equipment, though some focus only on free weights given the cost of machines. As with pools, many run split timings (women in the mornings, men in the evenings), and some are exclusively for one gender.
The music issue. A common problem in these gyms is background music, which most ulema would consider haram. You can wear headphones to drown it out, or ask the management to turn it off — which they may well do, especially at quieter times.
The SIOS gym, in the dormitory, is open to all SIOS students every day from 5 am to 11 pm. It has free weights, a couple of multi-function workout stations, a power rack, a treadmill and other smaller equipment.
Other sports
There’s no shortage of other activities for men and women, with facilities for boxing, karate, wrestling, bowling, tennis, table tennis, archery, skating and horse-riding.
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