TEHRAN – A group of archaeology students from the University of Tehran visited several major historical and religious sites across the Varamin plain on Monday.

Jameh Mosque of Varamin, Borj-e Ala ad-din, Imamzadeh Yahya, Iraj Fortress, and the Hesarak Qanat Varamin’s were among notable attractions visited during a one-day educational tour, CHTN reported.

Mohammadreza Tajik, head of the Varamin Cultural Heritage, Tourism, and Handicrafts Office, said the tour was carried out in collaboration with the Varamin branch of the Iranian Association of History. Undergraduate and graduate archaeology students from the University of Tehran, led by archaeologist and faculty member Mostafa Dehpahlavan, took part in the field visit.

Tajik explained that the purpose of the program was to familiarize students with the historical, religious, and tourism potential of Varamin county and to enable them to conduct on-site observations of key monuments in the region.

He added that specialists from the cultural heritage office provided detailed explanations on the history and historical periods of the monuments, construction dates, architectural plans, elements of Iranian and Islamic art, building materials, restoration efforts, and the original functions of each structure.

Varamin served as Ray's main agricultural hub until the 1220s. The raiding of Ray by the invading Mongols led to a migration wave and economic growth.

Varamin became a major city as a result. The Jameh Mosque of Varamin was constructed by Yusuf Quhadhi, a vizier of Ilkhanid Abu Sa'id. Imamzadeh Shah Husayn, Imamzadeh Yahya, and Sharif Mosque are a few other noteworthy structures since this period.

Due to invasions by the armies of the Timurid Empire, Varamin began to decline at the beginning of the 14th century. Castilian traveler and writer Ruy González de Clavijo described the city as mostly deserted in 1405 CE when he was the ambassador of Henry III of Castile to the court of Timur, founder and ruler of the Timurid Empire.

AM