Charax (; ) was a

Seleucid The Seleucid Empire ( ) was a Greek state in West Asia during the Hellenistic period. It was founded in 312 BC by the Macedonian general Seleucus I Nicator, following the division of the Macedonian Empire founded by Alexander the Great, a ...

and Parthian town located in the province of Rhagiana, near the city of Rhaga (present-day Rey). According to its Greek name, which translates as "

palisade A palisade, sometimes called a stakewall or a paling, is typically a row of closely placed, high vertical standing tree trunks or wooden or iron stakes used as a fence for enclosure or as a defensive wall. Palisades can form a stockade. Etymo ...

", Charax was a fortified town. Founded by the Seleucids, it was located nearby Apameia according to

Ptolemy Claudius Ptolemy (; , ; ; – 160s/170s AD) was a Greco-Roman mathematician, astronomer, astrologer, geographer, and music theorist who wrote about a dozen scientific treatises, three of which were important to later Byzantine science, Byzant ...

(''

Geography Geography (from Ancient Greek ; combining 'Earth' and 'write', literally 'Earth writing') is the study of the lands, features, inhabitants, and phenomena of Earth. Geography is an all-encompassing discipline that seeks an understanding o ...

'' 6.4.4). According to

Isidore of Charax Isidore of Charax (; , ''Isídōros o Charakēnós''; ) was a Greek geographer of the 1st century BC and 1st century AD, a citizen of the Parthian Empire, about whom nothing is known but his name and that he wrote at least one work. Name Isidore ...

, who is considered to be the principal primary source, Charax was one of five cities located in Rhagiana, its main city being Rhaga. He also notes that it was situated "at the foot of a mountain called Caspius (...)", which is identified with the

Alborz Mountains The Alborz ( ) range, also spelled as Alburz, Elburz or Elborz, is a mountain range in northern Iran that stretches from the border of Azerbaijan along the western and entire southern coast of the Caspian Sea and finally runs northeast and merge ...

. When

Phraates I of Parthia Phraates I () was king of the Arsacid dynasty from 170/168 BC to 165/64 BC. He subdued the Mardians, conquered their territory in the Alborz mountains, and reclaimed Hyrcania from the Seleucid Empire. He died in 165/64 BC, and was succeeded by ...

extended the Parthian realm eastwards in about 176 BC, he conquered the Amardioi/Mardi tribe, and relocated a part of them in Charax. This was reportedly done in order to create a stronghold needed for the conquest of

Media Media may refer to: Communication * Means of communication, tools and channels used to deliver information or data ** Advertising media, various media, content, buying and placement for advertising ** Interactive media, media that is inter ...

. The actual site of Charax remains uncertain. Proposed options include modern Eyvānekey and Arazi.

Sources

* * {{Encyclopaedia Iranica , volume=5 , fascicle=4 , title = CHARAX , last = Shahbazi , first = A. Shapur , author-link = , url = http://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/charax-town-in-the-seleucid-and-parthian-province-of-rhagiana-the-area-around-modern-ray , pages = 365–366 Former populated places in Iran Seleucid colonies Parthian cities Lost ancient cities and towns