# Ray (Iran)

Ray is the oldest existing city of Tehran Province in Iran. It is best known for being the birthplace of Abbasid caliph, Harun al-Rashid.

## Get in

Ray is served by both metro and commuter rail.
* 35.59497251.4222781 Shahr-e-Rey Metro station. (updated Apr 2022)
* 35.580951.4252 Ray railway station (ایستگاه راه آهن شهرری). (updated Apr 2022)

## See

* 35.58555651.4352781 Shah Abdol-Azim Shrine (شاه عبدالعظیم). Contains the tomb of ‘Abdul ‘Adhīm ibn ‘Abdillāh al-Hasanī, a fifth generation descendant of Hasan ibn ‘Alī and a companion of Muhammad al-Taqī.He was entombed here after his death in the 9th century. Adjacent to the shrine, within the complex, are the mausolea of Imamzadeh Imamzadeh Tahir, son of the fourth Shī‘ah Imam Imām Sajjad and Imamzadeh Hamzeh, brother of the eighth Twelver Imām - Imām Reza. (updated Apr 2022)
* 35.60065851.4456442 Toghrol Tower. Constructed under the Seljuqs at the order of Tuğrul Beg in 1140, once he transferred the capital city from Nishapur to Ray. The tower is 20 meters high and the surface of its exterior is divided into 24 sections, which besides manifesting beauty and durability, symbolizes the figures of constellation as well as a 24-hour length of time (a day and a night). (updated Apr 2022)
* Shah Abbasi Caravanserai. One of the ancient residential and commercial complexes, which was used as a lodging by traders and located on the shrine street, close to the Bazaar. It comprises four verandas and is surrounded by stones all around, which used to serve as a market place where goods and commercial products were presented and sold by traders. (updated Apr 2022)
* Cheshmeh-Ali. Hill with a spring was the home of Aryans about 6,000 years ago. Since Ray was used as a recreation center due to its beautiful attractions under the reign of the Qajar dynasty dynasty, Fath Ali Shah often used to explore the city. In 1831 his portrait and that of some Qajar princes were engraved on a rock at Cheshmeh Ali hill and its surrounding was decorated with tablets covered by poetry. (updated Apr 2022)
* Ray Bazaar located to the north of Shah-Abdol-Azim's shrine, it comprises two sections and a crossroad is formed at their intersection. It has long been a center for the sale of spices, traditional herbs, and commercial goods which were imported by traders via the Silk Road. The structure of the bazaar is constructed from plaster, brick, raw mud brick and mud. It dates back to the Safavid era and is approximately 500 years old.
* Anyanaj Tower, an octagonal tower known as Naqareh Khaneh stands on the slopes of Tabarak mountain. A cellar is linked to the tower from underneath though a vestibule erected outside. The tower, which is constructed by stone and plaster and decorated by brickwork and zigzag vaults, dates back to the Saljuk era.
* Gebri Crypt where Zoroastrians lived in this area, who used to leave the corpses of the dead in the open air usually on a structure known as a Dakhma (Persian: دخمه) or Tower of Silence. According to their traditions, once the flesh had decayed, the remaining bones would be buried. The ancient Zoroastrians disapproved of contaminating the earth (Zam) with a corpse through regular burial, or contaminating fire (Atar) through cremation (An afront to Armaiti and Asha respectively) due to the belief that corpses are nasu (unclean and impure). Gebri crypt was built as a high circular structure, six meters high, which was constructed by stone and mortar. It dates back to the 1st millennium BCE, around 3,000 years ago and was earlier called by different names, such as Khamoushan tower, Ostvaran, Ostkhan-ran, Marg (Death) tower and Sokout (Silence) tower.
* Paintings of Monarchs on Ashkan Mountain. At the order of Fath Ali Shah Qajar, a slide was erected on the Ashkan mountain as a sliding and recreation tool for the monarchic family. At the southern slopes of the mountain, a rough image of the Sassanid kings has been carved on a rock, which was leveled for this purpose. The image was left incomplete. Later at the order of Fath Ali Shah the image was erased to be replaced by his own portrait, while he had a crown on head and a spear in hand targeted at a lion.