TEHRAN–The city of Rey in the southeast of Tehran holds the potential to become one of the country’s tourism hubs, Cultural Heritage, Tourism, and Handicrafts Minister Ezzatollah Zarghami has said.

Zarghami made the remarks during a visit to the historical sites and tourist attractions of the city on Thursday, CHTN reported.

In the rich history and cultural heritage of the city, one can see the old civilization of the country, the minister added.

“The city of Rey is the heart and soul of Iranians. Their religious roots are here, so its capabilities should be acknowledged,” he noted.

Rey was one of the capital cities of the Parthian empire (3rd century BC–3rd century CE) and it was captured by the Muslim Arabs in 641 CE. During the reign of the Muslim caliph al-Mahdi in the 8th century, the city grew in importance until it was rivaled in western Asia only by Damascus and Baghdad.

According to Encyclopedia Britannica, Islamic writers described it as a city of extraordinary beauty, built largely of fired brick and brilliantly ornamented with blue faience (glazed earthenware). It continued to be an important city and was briefly a capital under the rule of the Seljuks, but in the 12th century, it was weakened by the fierce quarrels of rival religious sects. In 1220, the city was almost entirely destroyed by the Mongols, and its inhabitants were massacred. Most of the survivors of the massacre moved to nearby Tehran, and the deserted remnants of Rey soon fell into complete ruin.

ABU/AM