Qaem Shahr (Persian: قائم شَهر, also Romanized as Qā’em Shahr; formerly ‘Alīābād (Persian: عَلی آباد), Shāhābād (Persian: شاه آباد), and Shāhi (Persian: شاهی) is a city in and the capital of Qaem Shahr County, Mazandaran Province, Iran. At the 2006 census, its population was 174,246, in 48,055 families.
Originally known as `Aliyabad, the name Ŝâhi (Shāhi) was used until the Iranian Revolution in 1979 when the city acquired its current name.
The city is situated 237 kilometres (147 mi) north-east of Tehran; 20 kilometres (12 mi) southeast of Babol; and 23 kilometres (14 mi) south west of Sari which is the capital of Mazandaran province.
In 1951 Qa'em Shahr's population was around 18,000, growing to 123,684 in 1991. The city has a lot of problems with the growing population. Although the maze of Seyyed Mahalleh has kept its old shape, the old houses with gardens are replaced with apartment buildings. Still the roads are too small, especially in the center of the town, and the rest of the infrastructure does not match the need.
The city is where the North Iranian railway quits the fertile plains of Mazandaran to cross the highest mountain range of the Middle East, the Elburz.