Does arteries ever carry oxygen - rich blood?

No, arteries do not ever carry oxygen-rich blood.

Arteries are blood vessels that carry oxygenated blood away from the heart to the rest of the body. This oxygenated blood is pumped out of the heart's left ventricle and travels through the aorta, which is the largest artery in the body. From the aorta, the oxygenated blood is then distributed to smaller arteries, which branch off and reach all the tissues and organs in the body.

In contrast, veins are blood vessels that carry deoxygenated blood back to the heart. Deoxygenated blood is blood that has released its oxygen to the tissues and organs and is now carrying carbon dioxide, a waste product of cellular respiration. Deoxygenated blood flows into the heart's right atrium and is then pumped to the lungs, where it is reoxygenated. The reoxygenated blood then returns to the heart's left atrium and is pumped out to the body through the arteries.

So, arteries always carry oxygenated blood, while veins always carry deoxygenated blood. This is essential for the proper circulation of blood and the delivery of oxygen to the body's tissues and organs.