The city of Rayen 100 km off the south of Kerman is located at the foot of Mt. Hezar which is the 4th highest mountains in Iran and the highest peak of the southern part of our country. Rayen with its ancient civilization and antiquity has had a suitable condition during the reign of Sasanian dynasty. Since it was situated in the route of highways connecting West to East, it has been one of the centers of giving and taking merchandise as well as weaving valuable cloths which were exported even to the farthest areas such as Egypt.
Rayen because of having the monument “Rayne’s castle”, natural waterfall sceneries, several springs originating from Mt. Hezar, 1000-year old planes, 400-year old cypresses, volcanic mountains, spas and the holly shrine of 3 descendants of Imams (Imamzadeh) is considered an important area for both touring and pilgrimage.
The most important attraction of this ancient city is its historical castle. This castle which covers an area of about 20,000 square meters, is a valuable heritage and a cultural historical wealth which hosts thousands tourists each year.
It is known that several other ancient castles had existed in Rayen but were ruined due to natural disasters.
Mt Hezar has a vegetation of about 1000 various plants and this is the source where the name of the mountain originally comes from.
The rural areas at the foot of Mt. Hezar offer a pleasant weather and scenic waterfall to visiting tourist in spring and summer. The 400-year old cypresses together with Plato Boulevard can be known as other attractions of the city. The presence of lush trees has donated a special beauty to the boulevard. To introduce religious places in Rayen, on can name the holly shrine of Abolbashaer who is also known as “God’s lion”. This man is an honorable and respected descendent of the prophet of Islam (Sayed) who is one of Imam Sadeq`s grandsons and has supervised other descendent of the prophet of Islam (Sayeds) in Kerman. It can also be mentioned that the holly shrine of Sayed Ali- Imam Hasan Mojtaba`s grandson and of Zeyd- Imam Mosa Kazim`s grandson is situated in Rayen.
Besides historical, recreational and religious places considered as different attractions of the city, we can name the biggest volcanic opening located near the rural area Qale Hasan Ali. This opening also includes 14 other smaller volcanic openings as well as several spas. If you travel about 30 km toward the south of Rayen you will reach a spa in the route of one of the rivers of Mt. Hezar. The water of this spa is known as deuterium which is similar to the Oriyaz Izr spa in France. Although its water is not drinkable it can be used as a kind of medication for diseases such as rachitism, rheumatism and lymphatism.
Marble mines in Rayen have a worldwide reputation. These marbles have been used to decorate the holly shrine of Imam Ali and to build the monument Taj Meha. This fact is a direct indication of the high quality of Rayen`s marble.
Agriculturally speaking, Rayen is a rich area in producing various fruits such as pistachios, walnuts, pomegranates, grapes, pears, strawberries, cherries, peaches and apricots. It should be added that Rayen is also famous because of its handicrafts. People of this city are very skillful at metal works and specially the art of knife making. Dilettante women of Rayen are good at creating decorative arts such as pate, a kind of handmade art.
Indubitably, possessing such positive characteristics has transfigured this city into a unique stone and a shiny ring in the rosy desert of Iran. Paleontologists believe that Rayen is the undetected treasure which can divulge untold secrets of the past. Rayen requires and deserves more exploration and examination.