Tappe Mil ( fa, تپه میل or the Fire Temple of Rey fa, آتشکده ری, Fire Temple of Bahram fa, آتشکده بهرام) is one of the historical religious places in
Rey, Iran
Shahr-e Ray ( fa, شهر ری, ) or simply Ray (Shar e Ray; ) is the capital of Ray County in Tehran Province, Iran. Formerly a distinct city, it has now been absorbed into the metropolitan area of Greater Tehran as the 20th district of municip ...
which has stood since the
Sasanian Empire
The Sasanian () or Sassanid Empire, officially known as the Empire of Iranians (, ) and also referred to by historians as the Neo-Persian Empire, was the last Iranian empire before the early Muslim conquests of the 7th-8th centuries AD. Named ...
. It is named after
Bahram V
Bahram V (also spelled Wahram V or Warahran V; pal, 𐭥𐭫𐭧𐭫𐭠𐭭), also known as Bahram Gor (New Persian: , "Bahram the onager") was the Sasanian King of Kings ('' shahanshah'') from 420 to 438.
The son of the incumbent Sasanian sh ...
.
Geographical location
About 12 kilometers southeast of Ray city towards
Varamin
Varamin (; fa, ورامين, also Romanized as Varāmīn and Verāmin) is a city and capital of Varamin County, Tehran Province, Iran. At the 2011 census, its population was 218,991, and at the 2006 census, its population was 208,569, in 53,639 ...
, on the top of a wide hill in the city of Ghalenou, there are the remains of a palace or
fire temple
A fire temple, Agiary, Atashkadeh ( fa, آتشکده), Atashgah () or Dar-e Mehr () is the place of worship for the followers of Zoroastrianism, the ancient religion of Iran (Persia).
In the Zoroastrian religion, fire (see '' atar''), together w ...
, which is known as tappe mil "pillar Hill", and it is built on two big foundations, which looks like Mil from a distance. Mil (
Persian:
میل) is a word in Persian language, which in architecture refers to a special narrow and tall building that was common in the past.
Architecture
The direction of the building is east and west, and there was a
iwan
An iwan ( fa, ایوان , ar, إيوان , also spelled ivan) is a rectangular hall or space, usually vaulted, walled on three sides, with one end entirely open. The formal gateway to the iwan is called , a Persian term for a portal projectin ...
"porch" (
Persian:
ایوان) with four circular columns on the east front. A part of the fire temple was destroyed during
Alexander
Alexander is a male given name. The most prominent bearer of the name is Alexander the Great, the king of the Ancient Greek kingdom of Macedonia who created one of the largest empires in ancient history.
Variants listed here are Aleksandar, Al ...
's attack on
Iran
Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkmeni ...
, and only a part of the
chahartaq "four-arched" and beautiful structure of this fire temple remained in the form of two pillars.
Excavations and renovation
For the first time in 1913, the French "Jacques de Morgan" restored this fire temple and the surrounding structures. This building was explored and excavated in 1933 by an American archaeologist named Eric Schmidt, and recently Firouzeh Shibani from Iran followed up its excavation work.
See also
*
Verethragna
Verethragna ( ae, 𐬬𐬆𐬭𐬆𐬚𐬭𐬀𐬖𐬥𐬀 ') is an Indo-Iranian deity.
The neuter noun ''verethragna'' is related to Avestan ''verethra'', 'obstacle' and ''verethragnan'', 'victorious'. Representing this concept is the divin ...
References
External links
Photoes in Persian Wikipedia
Sasanian architecture
Buildings and structures in Tehran
{{Iran-stub
Fire temples in Iran
National works of Iran
Chahartaqis