# Ray, Iran

> Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Ray,_Iran
> Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Ray,_Iran.md
> Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ray%2C_Iran
> Source revision: 1350700575
> License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/)

For another place, see [Ray, South Khorasan](/source/Ray,_South_Khorasan).

**Shahr-e Ray** (Persian: شهر ری)[a] (nickname: *Mother of [Tehran](/source/Tehran)*[1]) is the capital of [Ray County](/source/Ray_County,_Iran), [Tehran province](/source/Tehran_province), [Iran](/source/Iran).[2] Formerly a distinct city, it has now been absorbed into the metropolitan area of [Greater Tehran](/source/Greater_Tehran) as the 20th district of municipal [Tehran](/source/Tehran), the capital city of the country.

In historical sources also known as Rhages (/ˈreɪdʒiːz/), Rhagae, and Arsacia, Ray is the oldest existing city in Tehran province. In the [classical era](/source/Classical_antiquity), it was a prominent city belonging to [Media](/source/Media_(region)), the political and cultural base of the [Medes](/source/Medes).[3] [Ancient Persian inscriptions](/source/Old_Persian_cuneiform) and the [Avesta](/source/Avesta) ([Zoroastrian](/source/Zoroastrianism) [scriptures](/source/Religious_text)), among other sources, attest to the importance of ancient Ray.[4] Ray is mentioned several times in the [Apocrypha](/source/Biblical_apocrypha).[5] It is also shown on the fourth-century [Peutinger Map](/source/Tabula_Peutingeriana).

The city was subject to severe destruction during the [medieval](/source/Middle_Ages) invasions by the [Arabs](/source/Muslim_conquest_of_Persia), [Turks](/source/Oghuz_Turks), and [Mongols](/source/Mongol_conquest_of_Khwarezmia). Its position as a capital city was revived during the reigns of the [Buyid](/source/Buyid_dynasty) [Daylamites](/source/Daylamites) and the [Seljuk Turks](/source/Seljuk_Empire).[6]

Ray is richer than many other ancient cities in the number of its historical monuments. The [Neolithic](/source/Neolithic) site of [Cheshme-Ali](/source/Cheshmeh-Ali_(Shahr-e-Rey)), the reconstructed Median-era [Rey Castle](/source/Rey_Castle), the [Parthian](/source/Parthian_Empire)-era [Rashkan Castle](/source/Rashkan_Castle), the [Sasanian](/source/Sasanian)-era Zoroastrian [Fire Temple of Bahram](/source/Bahram_Fire_Temple), and the once Zoroastrian and now Islamic [Shrine of Bibi Shahrbanu](/source/Bibi_Shahr_Banu_Shrine) are among the many archaeological sites in Ray.

Ray has been home to many historical figures, including royalty, merchants, scholars and poets. The medieval Persian scholar [Rhazes](/source/Muhammad_ibn_Zakariya_al-Razi), one of the most important figures in medical science, was from Ray. One of the [etymologies](/source/Etymology) proposed for the name of the [Radhanites](/source/Radhanite)—a group of merchants, some of [Jewish](/source/Jews) origin, who kept open the [Eurasian](/source/Eurasia) [trade routes](/source/Trade_route) in the early [Middle Ages](/source/Middle_Ages)—links them to Ray.

Ray today has many industries and factories in operation. It is connected via the rapid [transit system](/source/Public_transport) of [Tehran Metro](/source/Tehran_Metro) to the rest of Greater Tehran.

## Etymology

*Shahr-e Ray* (شَهرِ رِی, *Šahr-e Rey*) is [Persian](/source/Persian_language) for "City of Ray". *Ray* or *Rey* (رِی) derives from [Old Persian](/source/Old_Persian) *Ragā* (*𐎼𐎥𐎠*), related to Persian رَخش *rakhsh* (red). It is recorded in [Ancient Greek](/source/Ancient_Greek) as *Rhágai* (Ῥάγαι) and *Rháges* (Ῥάγες) and in [Latin](/source/Latin) as *Rhagae* and *Rhaganae*. It was once renamed *Europos* (Ευρωπός) under the Seleucid Empire.

The name is spelled in various forms, including *Ray*, *Rey*, *Rayy* and *Rhay*. *[Encyclopædia Iranica](/source/Encyclop%C3%A6dia_Iranica)* uses *Ray*.[7]

In the past, the people of Ray were called "[Razi](/source/Razi_(disambiguation))".

## History

See also: [Military history of Ray, Iran](/source/Military_history_of_Ray,_Iran)

Agricultural settlements were long established as part of the Central Plateau Culture on local [foothills](/source/Foothills) such as that of [Cheshme-Ali](/source/Cheshmeh-Ali_(Shahr-e-Rey)) in northern Ray, which dates back to around 6,000 BC.[8] The establishment of Ray has been attributed to ancient mythological monarchs, and it is also believed that Ray was the seat of a dynasty of [Zoroastrian](/source/Zoroastrianism) leadership.

### Classical era

The [Achaemenid](/source/Achaemenid_Empire) [Behistun Inscription](/source/Behistun_Inscription) mentions Ray (Old Persian: *𐎼𐎥𐎠*, *Ragā*; Akkadian: *𒊏𒂵𒀪*, *ra-ga-*; elx: *𒊩𒋡𒀭*, *rák-ka4-an*) as a part of [Media](/source/Media_(region)), which was the political and cultural base of the ancient [Medes](/source/Medes), one of the [ancient Iranian peoples](/source/List_of_ancient_Iranian_peoples).[9]

Ray was one of the main strongholds of the [Seleucid Empire](/source/Seleucid_Empire).[10] During the [Seleucid](/source/Seleucid) period, [Alexander the Great](/source/Alexander_the_Great)'s general [Seleucus I Nicator](/source/Seleucus_I_Nicator) renamed the city as *Europos* (Ευρωπός), honoring his home city in [Macedonia](/source/Macedonia_(ancient_kingdom)).[11] In c. 148 BC, Ray was conquered by the [Parthian](/source/Parthian_Empire) king [Mithridates I](/source/Mithridates_I_of_Parthia) (r.).[12] Following the Parthian conquest of Ray, the city was renamed Arsacia.[4] The city remained an important site under the Parthians, as demonstrated by its many coin mints, under the name of ῬΑΓΑΙ/Ῥάγαι (the Greek form of *Ragā/Raγā*).[13] Ray was used as one of the shifting capitals of the Parthian Empire, according to [Athenaeus](/source/Athenaeus).[14] According to [Isidore of Charax](/source/Isidore_of_Charax), under the Parthian and Seleucid eras, Ray was surrounded by the province of Rhagiana together with four other cities.[15] Ray was amongst the bases used by the Parthians to thwart nomadic attacks and to occasionally invade the [Central Asian](/source/Central_Asia) steppe.[16]

Under the [Sasanian Empire](/source/Sasanian_Empire), Ray (Middle Persian: *𐭫𐭣𐭩*) was located near the center of the empire. It was the base of the powerful [House of Mehran](/source/House_of_Mihran) and the [House of Spandiyad](/source/House_of_Spandiyadh), two of the [Seven Great Houses of Iran](/source/Seven_Great_Houses_of_Iran) during the Sasanian period.[17]

### Middle Ages

Siyavash, the son of Mehran and the last King of Ray in the Sasanian Empire, was defeated fighting the [Muslim invasion](/source/Muslim_conquest_of_Persia) in 643.[17] Ray was then used as a camp site under Arab Muslim military occupation.[7] By the time of the [Abbasid Caliphate](/source/Abbasid_Caliphate), Ray was considerably restored and expanded into a new city named **Mohammadiya**.[7] During the early Islamic period, the language spoken in Ray was the [Razi dialect](/source/Razi_dialect), which was most likely a continuation of the [Median language](/source/Median_language).[9]

The [Shah Abdol-Azim Shrine](/source/Shah_Abdol-Azim_Shrine), a shrine containing the tomb of [Abd al-Aziz al-Hasani](/source/Abd_al-Aziz_al-Hasani), a fifth generation descendant of [Hasan ibn Ali](/source/Hasan_ibn_Ali) and a companion of [Muhammad al-Taqi](/source/Muhammad_al-Taqi), was built in the ninth century. It remains as the main Islamic sanctuary of the city to date.

A [Tower of Silence](/source/Tower_of_Silence), where Zoroastrians of Ray after the Muslim conquest had come to put the bodies of the dead in the open, was built by a wealthy inhabitant of Ray on a hill in the tenth century. The tower, today in ruins and designated as *[Gabri](/source/Gabr)* (a term denoting "Zoroastrian", adopted after the Muslim conquest), was reportedly soon taken by the Muslims.[18][19]

Also dating to the tenth century is the [Bibi Shahrbanu Shrine](/source/Bibi_Shahr_Banu_Shrine), which is the site of a former Zoroastrian temple dedicated to [Anahita](/source/Anahita), the ancient Iranian goddess of the waters. The temple has been converted into a Muslim shrine claimed to be the burial of [Shahrbanu](/source/Shahrbanu), a legendary Sasanian princess who was captured by the Muslims and married [Husayn ibn Ali](/source/Husayn_ibn_Ali), the grandson of [Muhammad](/source/Muhammad). It is likely that the name *shahrbanu*, meaning "lady of the land", is in fact an attribution to Anahita, who bore the title *banu* ("lady").[20]

Ray was one of the capital cities of the [Buyid dynasty](/source/Buyid_dynasty).[21] It was one of the cities that were equipped with rapid postal service, which was predominantly used for transferring official mails.[22] The Buyid period came to an end in 1029, when the city was sacked brutally by [Mahmud of Ghazni](/source/Mahmud_of_Ghazni). A zealous Sunni, Mahmud had large numbers of the local population, consisting of [Ismailis](/source/Isma'ilism) and [Mazdakites](/source/Mazdakites), crucified and many books of the great library of Rayy burned as he considered them heretical.[23][24]

Ray became later a capital city of the [Seljuk Empire](/source/Seljuk_Empire) in the 11th century. During this time, the city of Ray was at its greatest expanse.[7] It had developed a great urban market that also benefited its neighboring regions, including the once small town of Tehran,[8] and had become a remarkable center for silk weaving.[25] Commercial goods imported by traders via the [Silk Road](/source/Silk_Road) were brought into the bazaar of Ray. One of the monuments that survives from this period is the 12th-century [Tughrul Tower](/source/Tughrul_Tower), a brick tower built in 1140 that is attributed to [Tughrul I](/source/Tughril), the founder of the Seljuk Empire.[26]

Ray was home to a [Shia Muslim](/source/Shia_Islam) community and some of the earliest Shia [madrasas](/source/Madrasa) in Iran already in the 12th century, at least one established by Shia scholar Qazvini Razi, prior to the later [Safavid official adoption of Shiism as the state religion](/source/Safavid_conversion_of_Iran_to_Shia_Islam).[27]

In the early 13th century, following the [Mongol invasion of Iran](/source/Mongol_conquest_of_Khwarezmia), Ray was severely destructed. It was abandoned and eventually lost its importance in the presence of the nearby growing town of Tehran.[7] Ray remained abandoned throughout the time of the [Timurid Empire](/source/Timurid_Empire).

### Early modern times

[Amin Razi](/source/Am%C4%ABn_R%C4%81z%C4%AB), a Persian geographer from Ray who lived by the time of the [Safavid dynasty](/source/Safavid_dynasty), attests to the "incomparable abundance" of the gardens and canals of his hometown. In 1618, Italian author [Pietro Della Valle](/source/Pietro_Della_Valle) described Ray as a large city with large gardens that was administered by a provincial governor but was not urbanized and did not seem to be inhabited.[8]

The shrines of Shah Abdol-Azim and Bibi Shahrbanu, among other religious shrines throughout Iran, were notably reconstructed during the early modern period, using architectural techniques that were developed since the time of the Safavid dynasty to the time of the [Qajar dynasty](/source/Qajar_dynasty).[28][29][20]

There is [a relief](/source/Fath_Ali_shah_inscription_(Cheshmeh-Ali)) located at Cheshme-Ali from the time of [Fath-Ali Shah](/source/Fath-Ali_Shah_Qajar) of the Qajar dynasty, who often used to explore the city, which shows the Qajar ruler in a hunting scene, replacing a former Sasanian relief that depicted an ancient Persian emperor in the same manner.[26] It was engraved in 1831, and its surrounding was decorated with tablets covered with poetry.

### Contemporary era

In the middle of the 19th century, Ray was described as a place of ruins, the only settlement being around the Shah Abdol-Azim Shrine.[30] Being the only important pilgrimage site in vicinity to the royal court in the new capital Tehran brought more people to visit the shrine and a major restoration was sponsored by the court.[31] Thus, between the years 1886 and 1888, under the reign of Qajar ruler [Naser al-Din Shah](/source/Naser_al-Din_Shah_Qajar), Ray became the first place in Iran to be connected to the capital by a railway.[32] The railway had a short single line and transported a few steam locomotives that were colloquially called *māšin dudi* ("smoky machine"), between terminals that were called *gār* (from [French](/source/French_language) *gare*).

Excavations in the old city began in the late 19th century, and many of the findings were traded. Between 1933 and 1936, the Cheshme-Ali hill was excavated by archaeologists from the [Boston Fine Arts Museum](/source/Boston_Fine_Arts_Museum) and the University Museum at the [University of Pennsylvania](/source/University_of_Pennsylvania) headed by Erich Schmidt, which resulted in the discovery of a number of 7,000-year-old artifacts. Some of the discovered objects are displayed at museums in Iran, Chicago, and Philadelphia. Due to real estate expansions in the 1980s and 1990s, the hill is now mostly leveled out. Further excavations began in 1997, in a collaboration between the [Iranian Ministry of Cultural Heritage](/source/Cultural_Heritage,_Handicrafts_and_Tourism_Organization_of_Iran), the Department of Archaeological Sciences of the [University of Bradford](/source/University_of_Bradford) and the Department of Archaeology of the [University of Tehran](/source/University_of_Tehran).

In 1951, [Reza Shah](/source/Reza_Shah) of the [Pahlavi dynasty](/source/Pahlavi_dynasty), the second last [shah](/source/Shah) of the Imperial State of Iran, was buried by the order of his son and successor [Mohammad Reza Pahlavi](/source/Mohammad_Reza_Pahlavi) in a mausoleum dedicated to him in Ray. The mausoleum was built near the Shah Abdol-Azim Shrine. Following the [1979 Revolution](/source/Iranian_Revolution), the [Mausoleum of Reza Shah](/source/Reza_Shah's_mausoleum) was destroyed under the direction of [Sadegh Khalkhali](/source/Sadegh_Khalkhali), an infamous cleric who was appointed by [Ruhollah Khomeini](/source/Ruhollah_Khomeini) as the head of the newly established Revolutionary Courts.

## Geography

Main article: [Geography of Ray](/source/Geography_of_Ray)

### Mountain ranges

Ray County is located in the plain and its mountains are not very tall. These mountains are:

- **[Bibi Sharbanu](/source/Bibi_Shahrbanu_Shrine)** (کوه بی بی شهر بانو): The Bibi Sharbanu mountains are located in the east of Ray City, measuring 1535 meters above sea level.[33]

- **Arad mountains** (کوه آراد): located in the center of Ray County, on the border between [Kahrizak](/source/Kahrizak) and [Fashapoye](/source/Fashapuyeh_District) parts, its height is 1428 meters.[34] This range also appears in a map dated to 1307 AH, during the era of [Naser al-Din Shah Qajar](/source/Naser_al-Din_Shah_Qajar), drawn by two Iranian engineers of the time. In the book *Detailed Geography of Iran*, Mount Arad is mentioned with the name of mountains *Hasanabad* and *Kanargard* (حسن‌آباد and کنارگرد).

- **Mar_e** (mære): located in the southwest of Ray City and in the south of the cities of Hassanabad and Rudshur. Its height is 1503 meters.[35]

- **Kūh-e Qarah Bologh** (کوه کورابلاغ): This mountain is located at the intersection of four cities, Zarandiyeh, Saveh, Ray and Qom.[36]

### Rivers

- **[Karaj River](/source/Karaj_River)**: The Karaj River originates from Mount Alborz and flows into the Salt Lake after passing through several cities in Tehran Province. This river runs in a northwest-southeast direction throughout Ray City and after joining one of the branches of Jajroud flows into the salt lake.[37] It is the second largest river after [Zayandarud](/source/Zayanderud) in the central plateau region.[37]

- **[Jajrud river](/source/Jajrud_(river))**: Jajroud river is one of the permanent and important rivers of Tehran province, which flows along the southern direction and finally into the salt lake. A branch of this river passes through the eastern border of Ray City.[citation needed]

- **[Shur Fashapoye River](/source/Fashapuyeh_District#Shur_Fashapoye_River)**: The Shore River originates from Zanjan province and after passing through Qazvin province, the southwest of Tehran province and Zarandieh city, it reaches Ray City. This river crosses the width of Ray city in a northwest-southeast direction. The river is permanent and is 420 kilometers long.

### Vegetation

The climate of the city is semi-arid and therefore does not have a natural forest, But it has a hand-planted forest of 387 hectares. However, in terms of pasture, it is relatively rich and has 166,200 hectares of pasture.

### Climate

Rey has a [cold semi-arid climate](/source/Cold_semi-arid_climate) ([Köppen](/source/K%C3%B6ppen_climate_classification) *BSk*).

## Notable people

- [Muhammad ibn Zakariya al-Razi](/source/Muhammad_ibn_Zakariya_al-Razi), Persian physician, philosopher and alchemist
- [Abu Hatim al-Razi](/source/Abu_Hatim_Muhammad_ibn_Idris_al-Razi), Major Sunni Hadith scholar
- [Abu Zur’ah Ar-Razi](/source/Abu_Zur%E2%80%99ah_Ar-Razi), Major Sunni Hadith Scholar
- [Amin Razi](/source/Amin_Razi)
- [Harun al-Rashid](/source/Harun_al-Rashid), [Abbasid caliph](/source/Abbasid_caliph)
- [Fakhr al-Din al-Razi](/source/Fakhr_al-Din_al-Razi), [Ash'ari](/source/Ash'ari), Theologian and Qur'an Exegete
- [Qutb al-Din al-Razi](https://ar.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D9%82%D8%B7%D8%A8_%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%AF%D9%8A%D9%86_%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B1%D8%A7%D8%B2%D9%8A), Theologian and logician
- [Najmeddin Razi](/source/Najmeddin_Razi)
- [Morteza Avini](/source/Morteza_Avini)
- [Mohammad Reza Heydari](/source/Mohammad_Reza_Heydari)
- [Javad Nekounam](/source/Javad_Nekounam)
- [Farzad Ashoubi](/source/Farzad_Ashoubi)
- [Hadi Saei](/source/Hadi_Saei)
- [Alireza Dabir](/source/Alireza_Dabir)
- [Hamid Sourian](/source/Hamid_Sourian)
- [Mehdi Kamrani](/source/Mehdi_Kamrani)
- [Ruhollah Zam](/source/Ruhollah_Zam)
- [Hasan Irlu](/source/Hasan_Irlu)

## See also

- [Behesht-e Zahra Cemetery](/source/Behesht-e_Zahra)
- [Ibn Babawayh Cemetery](/source/Ibn_Babawayh_Cemetery)
- [Javan Mard-e Ghassab Tomb](/source/Javan_Mard-e_Ghassab_Tomb)
- [Safayieh Garden](/source/Safayieh_Garden)

## References

1. [شهر باستانی ری که میتوان آنرا بحق مادر تهران دانست ..](https://dl.karaketab.com/ram/Ry_bastan_jld_avl_va_dvm.pdf) karaketab.com

1. Habibi, Hassan (12 September 1990 [تاریخ تصویب (Approval date) 1369/06/21 (Iranian Jalali calendar)]). ["fa:تصویب سازمان و سلسله تابعیت عناصر و واحدهای تقسیمات کشوری استان تهران به مرکزیت شهر تهران"](https://lamtakam.com/law/council_of_ministers/113026) [‌Approval of the organization and chain of citizenship of the elements and units of the national divisions of Tehran province centered on the city of Tehran] (in Persian). *لام تا کام [Lam ta Kam]*. ‌وزارت کشور [Ministry of the Interior]. کمیسیون سیاسی دفاعی هیأت دولت [Political Defense Commission of the Government Board]. شناسه [ID] B559F46F-4863-4D87-ACAB-5274C02BA3C5. شماره دوره [Course number] 69, شماره جلد [Volume number] 3. [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20250621104651/https://lamtakam.com/law/council_of_ministers/113026) 21 June 2025 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 21 June 2025.

1. Baghbidi 2016, pp. 403–404.

1. Minorsky & Bosworth 1971, p. 471.

1. [Judith](/source/Book_of_Judith) 1:5, 15; [Tobit](/source/Book_of_Tobit) 1:14, 5:5, 6:10.

1. Shahbazi & Bosworth 1990, pp. 768–774.

1. Rante 2000.

1. de Planhol 2004.

1. Baghbidi 2016, p. 403.

1. Strootman 2015.

1. Kosmin 2013.

1. Olbrycht 2010, pp. 238–239.

1. Baghbidi 2016, p. 406.

1. Duchesne-Guillemin 1994, pp. 227–229.

1. Shahbazi 1991, pp. 365–366.

1. Overtoom 2020, p. 254.

1. Shahbazi 1988, pp. 514–522.

1. Shahbazi 1987, pp. 851–853.

1. Pope, Arthur Upham & Ackerman, Phillis (1964). [*A Survey of Persian Art from Prehistoric Times to the Present*](https://books.google.com/books?id=sTwxAQAAIAAJ). Vol. 4. Oxford University Press. p. 1532. [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20230227011203/https://books.google.com/books?id=sTwxAQAAIAAJ) 2023-02-27 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 2019-12-01.

1. Boyce 1989, p. 198.

1. François de Blois (28 November 2011). ["DĪVĀN"](http://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/divan). *Encyclopædia Iranica*. Vol. VII. pp. 432–438. [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20140413033059/http://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/divan) 13 April 2014 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 1 December 2019.

1. Floor, Willem (15 December 1990). ["ČĀPĀR"](http://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/capar-or-capar-turk). *Encyclopædia Iranica*. Vol. IV. pp. 764–768. [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20191116231618/http://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/capar-or-capar-turk) 16 November 2019 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 1 December 2019.

1. Tetley, G. E. (27 October 2008). [*The Ghaznavid and Seljuk Turks: Poetry as a Source for Iranian History*](https://www.google.com/books/edition/The_Ghaznavid_and_Seljuk_Turks/SVV9AgAAQBAJ). Routledge. pp. 70–71. ISBN 978-1-134-08438-8. Retrieved 22 February 2025.

1. Eilers et al. 1983, pp. 229–247.

1. Alizadeh 1990, pp. 38–39.

1. Morimoto, Kazuo (16 March 2015). ["KETĀB AL-NAQŻ"](http://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/ketab-al-naqz). *Encyclopædia Iranica*. online ed. [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20200930054604/https://iranicaonline.org/articles/ketab-al-naqz) 30 September 2020 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 1 December 2019.

1. Scarce 1986, pp. 627–637.

1. Hillenbrand 1986, pp. 345–349.

1. Brugsch, Heinrich (1862). *Reise der Königlich preussischen Gesandtschaft nach Persien 1860 und 1861*. Vol. 1. Leipzig. p. 230.

1. Madelung, W. (13 July 2011). ["ABD-AL-ʿAẒĪM AL-ḤASANĪ"](http://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/abd-al-azim-al-hasani). *Encyclopædia Iranica*. Vol. I. pp. 96–97. [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20160127132905/http://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/abd-al-azim-al-hasani) 27 January 2016 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 18 January 2016.

1. Shahvar 2008.

1. Vah and Kohnameh of Iran, Abbas Jafari. *Publications of the Institute of Geographical and Cartographic Gitaology*. p. 123.

1. 38, page 248 and map number 130, Central Alborz, Institute of Geographical and Cartographic Gitaology.

1. Map No. 130, Central Alborz. *Institute of Geography and Cartography of Gitaology; Geography of Tehran Province*. 1363. pp. 35.

1. Map 1:50,000, Qom Governorate; map 183 of the Geographical and Cartographic Institute of Gitology, Iran's Mountains and Hills, Abbasi Jafari, p. 453.

1. Hourade, Bernard (December 15, 2010). ["Karaj River"](https://iranicaonline.org/). *iranicaonline.org*. Encyclopaedia Iranica Foundation. [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20100410171658/https://iranicaonline.org/) 2010-04-10 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 2022-02-04.

## Sources

- Baghbidi, Hassan Rezai (2016). "The Linguistic History of Rayy up to the Early Islamic Period". *Der Islam*. **93** (2): 403–412. De Gruyter. [doi:10.1515/islam-2016-0034](https://doi.org/10.1515/islam-2016-0034)
- de Planhol, Xavier (2004). ["Tehran i. a Persian city at the Foot of the Alborz"](https://iranicaonline.org/articles/tehran-i). *Encyclopædia Iranica, online edition*
- Eilers, W.; Bazin, M.; Bromberger, C.; Thompson, D. (1983). ["Abrīšam"](https://iranicaonline.org/articles/abrisam-silk-index). *Encyclopædia Iranica, online edition, Vol. I, Fasc. 3*. pp. 229–247.
- Kosmin, Paul J. (2013). ["Alexander the Great and the Seleucids in Iran"](http://www.oxfordhandbooks.com/view/10.1093/oxfordhb/9780199733309.001.0001/oxfordhb-9780199733309-e-045?rskey=UUmeqh&result=4). *The Oxford Handbook of Ancient Iran*. Oxford University Press. [doi:10.1093/oxfordhb/9780199733309.013.0045](https://doi.org/10.1093/oxfordhb/9780199733309.013.0045)
- Olbrycht, Marek Jan (2010). ["Mithradates I of Parthia and His Conquests up to 141 B.C."](https://www.academia.edu/864553). pp. 229–245.
- Overtoom, Nikolaus Leo (2020). *Reign of Arrows: The Rise of the Parthian Empire in the Hellenistic Middle East*. Oxford: Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0190888329.
- Rante, Rocco (2000). ["Ray i. Archeology"](https://iranicaonline.org/articles/ray-i-archeo). *Encyclopædia Iranica, online edition*
- Shahvar, Soli (2008). ["Railroads i. The First Railroad Built and Operated in Persia"](https://iranicaonline.org/articles/railroads-i). *Encyclopædia Iranica, online edition*
- Strootman, Rolf (2015). ["Seleucid empire"](https://iranicaonline.org/articles/seleucid-empire). *Encyclopædia Iranica, online edition*

## Notes

1. Also [romanized](/source/Romanize) as **Ŝahr-e Rey**; also known as **Shahr Ray**, **Shahre Rey**, and **Shahr-e Rey** (English: **City of Rey**), or simply **Ray** and **Rey** (ری)

## External links

- [Daily Life Ornamented: The Medieval Persian City Of Rayy](https://oi.uchicago.edu/museum/special/rayy/) [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20140314143215/https://oi.uchicago.edu/museum/special/rayy/) 2014-03-14 at the Wayback Machine Special Exhibition at [Chicago Oriental Institute](/source/University_of_Chicago_Oriental_Institute) (May 15-October 14, 2007).

---
Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Ray, Iran](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ray%2C_Iran) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ray%2C_Iran?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.