Rhagae

Rha·gae (rāʹjē)

An ancient city of Media southeast of modern Tehran in north-central Iran. One of the greatest cities of ancient times, it was traditionally founded in 3000 B.C. and flourished until the Middle Ages. The city was finally destroyed by Tartars in the 12th century A.D.

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or Ragae Persian Rey

Ancient city, Media.

It was formerly one of the great cities of Iran; its ruins are at modern Rey, near Tehrān. Settlement there dates from the 3rd millennium BC. Under the Sāsānian dynasty (3rd–7th centuries AD), it was a centre of Zoroastrianism. It was captured by the Muslims in AD 641. It grew in importance until the 12th century, when it was weakened by religious conflicts. In 1220 it was destroyed by the Mongols, and its inhabitants were massacred. It was famous for its decorated silks and for ceramics. The ʽAbbāsid caliph Hārūn al-Rashīd, memorialized in The Thousand and One Nights, was born there с 765. The only remaining architectural features are two towers.

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