Shahr-e Rey, city in northern Iran, located about 8 km (about 5 mi) southeast of Tehran, the capital. Shahr-e Rey is an industrial and residential suburb of Tehran. Its factories produce textiles, cement, bricks, chemicals, and processed foods. Public bus routes connect Shahr-e Rey to downtown Tehran. The city is home to the Shiite Muslim shrine of Shah Abdol Azim, constructed during the reign of the Qajar King Fath Ali Shah (ruled 1797-1834). More than one million pilgrims visit the shrine every year. The mineral springs of Chesmeh Ali and the circular Toghrol Tower, built in 1140, are popular with tourists.
Shahr-e Rey occupies the site of ancient Ray (also known as Rayy and Ragha), one of the great cities of Iran for several centuries before being destroyed by Mongol conqueror Genghis Khan in 1221. Most of the people who lived in Ray were massacred, but a few survivors fled north and established the village of Tehran. The abandoned ruins of Ray gradually crumbled, except for the Toghrol Tower and other brick structures. Contemporary Shahr-e Rey developed around the Shah Abdol Azim shrine after Tehran had been selected as the Qajar dynasty's capital at the end of the 18th century. By the mid-20th century, the residential neighborhoods of Shahr-e Rey and Tehran had effectively merged, although Shahr-e Rey retained a separate identity and administration. Population (1996) 250,000.Microsoft® Encarta® Online Encyclopedia 2001
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