Exploring Rayy

The archaeological site of Rayy, on the outskirts of Tehran, has been an object of fascination for centuries. Here, three accounts of the site, ignored in previous scholarly literature on the site, are presented in translation with commentary. Spanning the period from 1807 to 1874, the accounts by Hilarion Truilhier, Heinrich Karl Brugsch and Gustav Theodor Fritsch each present different perspectives on the site. In the winter of 1866–67 Ferdinand Méchin conducted excavations at Rayy on behalf of the Musée National de la Céramique in Sèvres which are known only from incidental remarks in a handful of publications. Together, these constitute valuable additions to the historiography of one of the most important archaeological and historical sites in Iran.