TEHRAN –The tourism directorate of the ancient city of Rey plans to provide guided tours for young people to spend their leisure time during summer, Rey’s tourism chief has said.

During summer season, visitors can enjoy free tours that cover all the must-see attractions of the city, Noruz Naqipur explained on Tuesday.

Rey was one of the capital cities of the Parthian empire (3rd century BC–3rd century CE). According to Encyclopedia Britannica, the city was briefly a capital under the rule of the Seljuqs, but in the 12th century.

In 1220 the city was almost 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.

Seljuk, also spelled, Seljuq, was a ruling military family of the Oguz (Ghuzz) Turkic tribes that invaded southwestern Asia in the 11th century and eventually founded an empire that included Mesopotamia, Syria, Palestine, and most of Iran. Their advance marked the beginning of Turkish power in the Middle East.

ABU/