Pre-Islamic monuments in Rayy

The present paper deals with a city that about 6000 years ago represented a major civilized and cultural center in Iran. Different names that designate Rayy in the primary historical and religious sources, reflects the importance and old age of this ancient city. In particular, the city is named as Raghes in the Bible, Ragha in Avesta, and Ram Firouz in the Greek texts of the Seleucids and the Europe as well as in the Sassanian period. The ancient Rayy was contemporary with Babyloniaand Nineveh, and is said to have been a prospering city of the Greater Media. The excavated objects such as painted ceramic vessels of the fifth millennium B.C. speak of the ancient culture of Cheshmeh Ali, which represents one of the earliest major centers of civilization in the central Iranian plateau. The occurrence of the name Ragha referring to the city of ray on the Achaemenian inscription in Behistun reveals the importance of the city during the Achaemenian period. Thereport in Avesta describing ray as a scared city bears witness to the spiritual status of the city in the ancient Iran. Also, the columns, stucco works and various vessels from the Sassanian period as well as several different contemporary architectural remains in Rayy all attest to the prominence of the city in the Sassanian Iran. Apart from its sacred nature and importance for the Zoroastrian priesthood system and the parallel importance of its fire temple with such fire temples as Adur Gushanasp in Azerbaijan, Azar-burzin Mehr, and Azar Farnbakh, during the pre-Islamic empires from Achaemenian to Sassanian periods it assumed a high political, and economic importance, the great defensive wall framing the city being a clear testimony to the claim. Here, architectural remains such as Tower of Silence, Rashkan Fort, Qal‘eh Gabri, Tepe Mil (Rayy fire temple), the fortification walls, and the Sassanian stone reliefs are described.