چشمه‌علی

A spring is an important landscape in Iranian traditions. The formation and consistency of the spring landscape are reflected by legendary beliefs about its source, mythical names, liturgical -narrative carving on the cliffs adjacent to the spring, mythological and authoritative architectures, and different social customs held in particular times.
Land comes to existence when humans start assigning it a special meaning based on their experience or interpretation or when it turns to a landmark for locating a place. Land with many key landmarks in a system forms a single entity known as a country. Therefore, the country refers to land having an identity, symbols, and the signs of human life
Cheshmeh Ali in Rey is a natural entity flowing from the cliff to the bottom of the foothills. It is formed when the layers of the earth at that point find a way to the upper water tables.
On the top of this spot, there is the Parthian Fortress, which is still a mystery, and today is known by this name. This suggests the importance of this place for its people before the advent of Islam. It was named Ali based on the tradition of the Islamic period. This signifies two points: first, it shows the importance of the land for the inhabitants who chose the name of the first leader of the Shiite, and the second, it shows how the ancient Iranian beliefs are associated with the name of Imam Ali (PBUH) and how changing the religion of Iranians influenced the name of place. During Islam, many of the ancient Iranian beliefs associated with Izadmehr were blessed with Ali’s name not to be destructed (Such as Cheshmeh Ali in Damghan and Morteza Ali in Tabas).
One can also use the name of the source in the same way. The ritual of washing the carpet in the spring to be bright and shimmering (Dehkhoda dictionary), and belief in some features in the spring water, is another evidence reflecting the identity of the landscape of Cheshmeh Ali in Rey.
Unfortunately, these days there is news about the disruption of water due to the construction of the subway. This is quite saddening because the spring has a potential for reflecting and protecting Iran's identity. Therefore, it should not be endangered by some small benefits such as subway. The survival of the land of Iran and Iranian landscape depends on its symbols, including Cheshmeh Ali.