Draft:Architecture of Ray

Tappe Mil

Ray’s architectural history stretches back to the pre-Islamic era, when it served as a well-fortified, trade-linked city on the Silk Road. Zoroastrian temples and fire altars once stood proudly across its hill-framed landscape, built with sun-dried bricks and stone foundations. These early structures helped shape the city’s semi-sacred identity and drew in pilgrims from surrounding regions. After the Arab-Islamic conquest in the 7th century, Ray began to take on new architectural forms, blending Sasanian layouts with Islamic design principles. Builders had to tear down old walls and put up new mosques, often using reused materials and locally-sourced stone.

Buried Beginnings

Ray’s architectural history stretches back to the Median and Achaemenid periods, when early settlements began to take shape across its well-watered, trade-linked plains. Archaeological evidence shows that builders relied on sun-dried bricks and stone foundations to put up semi-fortified structures, including temples and administrative buildings. These early forms laid the groundwork for Ray’s later urban identity, as engineers tried to carry out irrigation projects and set up defensive walls. Though few pre-Islamic buildings have survived intact, their influence can still be picked up in later layouts and construction techniques.

Sasanian Stronghold

During the Sasanian period (224–651 CE), Ray became a densely-populated, military-centered city with strong architectural character. The Sasanians built up Ray as a strategic stronghold, putting up fire temples, barracks, and ceremonial halls across its semi-urban landscape. One of the most iconic structures was the Bahram Fire Temple at Tappe Mil, which stood out for its high-vaulted ceilings and thick-walled sanctuaries. Local craftsmen teamed up with imperial architects to carry out large-scale projects that reflected Zoroastrian ideology and state power. These buildings helped reinforce Ray’s role as a frontier city and spiritual center.

Rebuilt Sacred Core

In the early Islamic centuries, Ray’s architecture shifted toward mosque-based, community-driven design. The city saw the rise of domed madrasas, multi-arched caravanserais, and prayer-linked courtyards. Builders had to tear down damaged Sasanian structures and put up new ones using locally-sourced stone and glazed tiles. The Jameh Mosque of Ray, though mostly ruined today, once stood as a multi-functional religious and educational center. Ray’s semi-preserved city walls and underground water channels show how engineers tried to keep up with population growth and trade demands.

Scholarly Foundations

A view of Abd al-Azim al-Hasani shrine in Ray

During the medieval Islamic period, Ray flourished as a multi-functional, knowledge-centered city. Its architecture reflected this growth, with domed madrasas, multi-arched caravanserais, and intricately-tiled mosques springing up across its semi-urban core. The city’s builders teamed up with scholars and patrons to carry out large-scale projects, often drawing on Persian, Seljuk, and Arabic styles. Ray’s semi-preserved city walls and underground water channels show how engineers tried to keep up with population growth and trade demands. Though many structures were damaged by Mongol invasions, some were patched up and reused for centuries.

Toghrol Tower

Reflective Legacy

In the Qajar and early modern periods, Ray’s architectural role shifted as Tehran rose to prominence. The city was gradually pushed aside, but it held onto its religious importance through the Shah Abdol-Azim Shrine complex. This shrine, with its mirror-tiled halls and semi-European façades, became a focal point for pilgrimage and urban life. Qajar rulers helped fund repairs and set up waqf-supported bazaars nearby. Ray’s builders tried to keep up with changing tastes by adding stucco decorations and iron-framed windows to older buildings. Though the city’s influence wore down, its architecture still echoed a layered, multi-era identity.

Layered Urban Memory

In the modern era, Ray has been absorbed into Greater Tehran, but its architectural legacy continues to stand out. Archaeological teams have dug up semi-buried ruins, including Rashkan Castle and Cheshmeh-Ali, revealing brick-lined chambers and water-fed courtyards. Urban planners have tried to hold onto heritage zones while putting up new housing and metro-linked infrastructure. Some historic buildings have been restored and turned into museums, while others have been paved over or built around. Ray’s architecture now blends old-world charm with fast-changing, high-density development, offering a unique glimpse into Iran’s urban evolution.

Towering Timekeeper

Ray’s architectural legacy began to take shape in the pre-Islamic era, when Zoroastrian fire temples and early watchtowers were built to guard trade routes and sacred sites. One of the oldest surviving structures is the Tughrul Tower, a 12th-century Seljuk monument that rises up from the city’s southern edge. This brick-built, earthquake-resistant tower was designed to mark royal burials and help travelers find their way across the semi-arid, caravan-linked landscape. Over time, local rulers patched up its damaged sections and tried to hold onto its symbolic importance. The tower’s geometric brickwork and wind-cut silhouette still stand out as a masterpiece of early Islamic engineering.

Jameh Mosque of Ray

Jameh Atiq Mosque of Ray, also known as the Jameh Mosque of Ray or Mahdi Mosque, was one of the earliest Islamic monuments, built by Abu Abdullah Muhammad al-Mahdi, a ruler of the Abbasid dynasty, in the city of Ray in the year 158 AH (2nd century CE). During the Ziyarid period, it was expanded by Mardavij Ziyar, and in the time of the Buyid dynasty, the mosque reached its peak prosperity. It remained active for several centuries thereafter.

The architect of the mosque was Ammar ibn Abi al-Khasib. The name of this mosque appears in most historical sources related to Ray. It was the largest mosque in ancient Ray, though no trace of it remains today. According to al-Maqdisi in the 4th century AH, Hanafis would pray there one day, and Shafi'is the next.

In the 3rd century AH, al-Baladhuri wrote about its construction: "Ja'far ibn Muhammad al-Razi narrated to me: Mahdi, Commander of the Faithful, entered Ray during the caliphate of al-Mansur and built the Sharistan of Ray, where people now reside, and established a congregational mosque there. This was carried out by Ammar ibn Abi al-Khasib, who inscribed his name on the mosque wall and recorded the date as 158 AH.

The term "Atiq" (Ancient) was attributed to this mosque because, apart from the very first congregational mosque of Ray, it was older than the others. It was once located north of the Sharistan, in eastern Upper Ray, beneath the Tabarak Fortress (also known as Mount Naqqar Khaneh).

Vanished Minarets

Rey Castle

During the medieval Islamic period, Ray became a multi-functional religious center, with mosques and minarets springing up across its semi-urban core. The Jameh Mosque of Ray, though largely destroyed, once served as a hub for Friday prayers and scholarly gatherings. Builders teamed up with Seljuk architects to put up domed halls and multi-arched courtyards, using locally-sourced stone and glazed tiles. As Mongol invasions swept through, many mosques were torn down or converted into storage spaces, but some were later rebuilt and brought back to life. These prayer-linked, community-centered structures helped shape Ray’s spiritual identity for centuries.

Gilded Revival

In the Qajar period, Ray’s religious architecture was revitalized through the expansion of the Shah Abdol-Azim Shrine, a mirror-tiled, pilgrimage-driven complex that still draws in thousands of visitors. The shrine’s gold-plated dome and multi-layered iwans reflect a blend of Safavid, Qajar, and European styles. Local artisans teamed up with royal patrons to carry out restorations and add on new sections, including a bazaar-lined entrance and a clock-towered courtyard. Despite political shifts, the shrine held onto its role as a spiritual anchor and helped bring about a semi-modern revival of Ray’s architectural scene.

Echoing Foundations

In the modern era, Ray’s towers and mosques have been absorbed into Greater Tehran’s fast-changing urban fabric. Some historic sites have been paved over, while others were restored and turned into museums or cultural centers. The Tughrul Tower was recently reinforced with earthquake-resistant materials, and the Shah Abdol-Azim complex has expanded to include metro access and visitor facilities. Urban planners try to hold onto Ray’s layered, multi-era identity while putting up new housing and infrastructure. Though modern buildings often crowd out older ones, Ray’s architectural soul continues to shine through its semi-preserved monuments and prayer-linked heritage.

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• Ray County, Iran
• Architecture in Iran