Shahr-e Rey
The only region in Tehran province that has a history before the formation of Tehran was Shahr-e Rey. This city was a settlement and famous. Even for some time was considered the capital of a series of Iranian dynasties.
Rey gained strength with the migration of the Aryans and the Medes gave it such importance, that the Zoroastrian priests introduced Rey as the birthplace of Zoroaster, although this is not true. However, we can boldly say that according to the historical documents of Rey, before Zoroastrians, it was promising for human life.
A series of corpses discovered around the Shahr-e Rey date back to 8000 years ago. The first place where the name Rey appears in Iranian inscriptions is the Bisotun inscription. Bisotun inscription is the greatest historical source directly from Darius I. In this inscription, he mentions this region as Rey. Rey has seen many names, the most famous of which is Raga.
Shahr-e Rey was geographically located almost in the heart of Iran, on the Silk Road and the gateway connecting the north to the south. Later, during the Parthian period, it had the same importance, but during the Sassanid time, it became a completely religious center.
The enmity between the Sassanid and the Parthians resulted in destroyed everything the Parthians built. These destructions also included the Shahr-e Rey.
The Sassanid, who were defeated by the Arabs, handed over the entire government of Iran and the Shahr-e Rey to the Arabs. According to the sources, during the Karbala epic, one of the factors that caused Umar ibn Sa’d to march against Imam Hussein was the promise to be the ruler of Rey. Although, exactly how Hussein predicted, he never got to taste the wheat of Shahr-e Rey and died with that desire.
About 300 years later, the first Iranian ruler of Shahr-e Rey was Mardavij. Rey later became the capital of Daylamites. Ray was one of the cities that was destroyed by the Mongols and again by Timur.
When Shah Tahmasp I showed a special interest in Tehran during the Safavid period, Shahr-e Rey was rich with artisan and talented people. Shortly afterwards, an earthquake devastated the Shahr-e Rey and the people had no choice but to move to Tehran.
For this reason, it is not wrong to say that the early inhabitants of Tehran were from Rey. Rey has been able to introduce prominent figures to the history of Iran. For example, Muhammad ibn Zakariya al-Razi, Hadi Saei, Mehdi Soorian, Alireza Dabir, etc. were all from Rey.
Rey is located about ten kilometers from Tehran and is connected to the south of Tehran. The summers are extremely hot with sunshine, but in winters the temperature can drop below zero. For this reason, perhaps the first two weeks of Eid and also the middle of November is more suitable for visiting Shahr-e Rey.
If you wonder what Shahr-e Rey’s souvenirs are, it has very good high-quality Sohan. Sohan is a kind of Iranian sweet, in other words, a kind of halva that is prepared from wheat germ.
One of the most visited religious places, which is 50% of cases has a political application, is the Shah Abdol-Azim shrine in the south of Shahr-e Rey. The construction of this tomb and its surroundings is the product of three patriarchal periods, the Safavid period and to some extent related to the Qajar period.
Abdol Azim himself entered Shahr-e Rey during the anti-Shiite era of the Abbasid and lived in this city secretly until his death.
His grave was built by various Shiites who protested or fought against the status quo in Shiite history, and Abdol Azim fame grew over time until the Safavid officialised the Shiite sect, and the whole of Iran became Shiite.
During the Qajar period, this place was one of the most popular shrines of the Qajar kings, and even ordinary people used to go to this shrine for pilgrimage purposes till today. Nasser al-Din Shah Qajar, Reza Shah and several members of the Pahlavi royal family were buried near Shah Abdol-Azim, but their tombs do not exist today due to the destruction that took place after the revolution.
On the other hand, there are pieces of works in this tomb dating back to 7 to 8 centuries ago and show the longevity of this place.
The city of Rey or Raga is one of the very old cities of Iran and its works go back to different periods. On a hill facing Varamin and southeast of the city, there are the remains of a fire temple. Archaeologists consider it to be the one that Bahram V Sassanid built.
In contrast to the other fire temples left from the Sassanid period, there may be only one rotten and incomplete soul in this fire temple, otherwise, nothing can be offered on this hill. Two arched pillars and a handful of soil and jars. Unfortunately, the archaeological teams could not restore the building properly. Bahram V Fire Temple is located on a hill and can be seen from afar. If it were intact or properly restored, it would have been a nice beautiful ancient view of Shahr-e Rey.
Toghrol Historical Tower is a 20-meter tower in Shahr-e Rey, which is important in terms of construction style in the history of Iranian architecture.
Toghrol Historical Tower is known as the Seljuk Toghrol Tomb. This famous Seljuk veteran is the founder of the first branch of the Seljuk dynasty in Iran.
Rey was the capital of Toghrol for a long time. After seventy years of life after his death, he returned to Rey.
What is eyecatching about this building is not the person buried in it, but the structural form of the building, which is made of 24 congresses and is a kind of sundial. The conical shape of the dome, which has been completely destroyed today, was a new style in Iranian architecture and a model for other buildings.
In any case, if you pass by Shahr-e Rey, it may be interesting to see a tower belonging to 1000 years ago.