Alborz

Coordinates: 35°57′20″N 52°06′36″E / 35.95556°N 52.11000°E / 35.95556; 52.11000
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Not to be confused with Mount Erebus or Mount Elbrus.
For other uses, see Alborz (disambiguation).
Alborz
Mount Damavand, Iran's highest mountain
Highest point
Elevation5,610 m (18,410 ft) Edit this on Wikidata
Listing
Coordinates35°57′20″N 52°06′36″E / 35.95556°N 52.11000°E / 35.95556; 52.11000
Dimensions
Length600 km (370 mi) Edit this on Wikidata
Width130 km (81 mi) Edit this on Wikidata
Area155,970 km2 (60,220 sq mi) Edit this on Wikidata
Geography
Alborz is located in Iran
Alborz
Alborz

The Alborz (listen

12th most prominent peak in the world and the second most prominent in Asia after Mount Everest
.

Alborz on a geographic map of Iran
Damavand, the highest summit of Alborz

Etymology

The name Alborz is derived from Harā Barazaitī, a legendary mountain in the Avesta, the main text of Zoroastrianism. Harā Barazaitī is from a Proto-Iranian name, Harā Bṛzatī, meaning "Mountain Rampart." Bṛzatī is the feminine form of the adjective bṛzant- "high", the ancestor of modern Persian bouland and BarzBerazandeh, cognate with Sanskrit Brihat. Harā may be interpreted as "watch" or "guard", from an Indo-European root *ser- "protect". In Middle Persian, Harā Barazaitī became Harborz, Modern Persian Alborz, which is a cognate with Elbrus, the highest peak of the Caucasus.[1]

Alborz Mountain range seen from Tehran
Milad Tower's view to the city and mountains

Mythology

Ilm-e-Kshnoom sect identifies Mount Davamand as the home of the Saheb-e-Dilan ('Masters of the Heart'). In his epic Shahnameh, the poet Ferdowsi speaks of the mountains "as though they lay in India."[1] This could reflect older usage, for numerous high peaks were given the name, and some even reflect it to this day, including Mount Elbrus in the Caucasus Mountains and Mount Elbariz (Albariz, Jebal Barez) in the Kerman area above the Strait of Hormuz. All these names reflect the same Iranian language compound, and have been speculatively identified, at one time or another, as the legendary mountain Hara Berezaiti of the Avesta
.

Geology

The Alborz mountain range forms a barrier between the south Caspian and the

Tethys Sea was closed and the Arabian Plate collided with the Iranian Plate, and was pushed against it, and with the clockwise movement of the Eurasian Plate towards the Iranian Plate and their final collision, the Iranian Plate was pressed from both sides. The collisions finally caused the folding of the Upper Paleozoic, Mesozoic, and Paleogene rocks and the Cenozoic (chiefly the Eocene) volcanism, to form the Alborz Mountains, primarily during the Miocene. The Alpine orogeny began, therefore, with Eocene volcanism in southwestern and south-central parts of the Alborz, and continued with the uplift and folding of the older sedimentary rocks in the northwestern, central and eastern parts of the range, during the most important orogenic phases, which date from the Miocene and Pliocene
epochs.

Ecoregions, flora and fauna

While the southern slopes of the Alborz Mountains are usually semiarid or arid, with irregular and low precipitation, the northern slopes of the range are usually humid, especially in the western parts of the Central Alborz. The Alborz is the easternmost extent of many European plant species. In the southern slopes or the

Caspian Hyrcanian mixed forests ecoregion is lush and forested. The natural vegetation of this region
grows in distinct zones:

  • Hyrcanian forests on the lowest levels,
  • beech forests in the middle zone,
  • oak forests in higher regions.

The wild

griffon vulture, and eagle are among important animals and birds found in the Alborz Mountains. The extinct Caspian tiger
also lived in the Alborz Mountains.

Prehistory

Alborz mountains in Amol county, Mazandaran, Iran. taken from Haraz road

Mazandaran Province which dates back to about 30,000 years ago.[4]

Ski resorts

Due to the snowy winters of the Alborz Mountains, there are several

ski resorts in different places across the range. Some of them, according to ski enthusiasts, are among the best in the world.[5]

Mounts, summits, alpine lakes and attractions

The Alborz four-thousanders with at least 300 meters of topographic prominence:

Name Height (m) Prominence (m)
1 Damavand 5610 4661
2 Alam-Kuh 4828 1848
3 Kalahoo 4412 345
4
Azad Kuh
 4398 980
5 Kholeno 4375 746
6 Do Khaharan 4310 644
7 Avidar 4286 503
8 Great Nazer 4260 510
9 Kaman-Kuh 4234 533
10 Zarrin-Kuh 4198 451
11 Sarakchal 4194 317
12 Sialan 4160 1160
13 Kolunbastak 4156 359
14 Shah Alborz 4125 931
15
Naz
 4108 1018
16
Do Berar
 4082 1352
17 Kahoun 4075 342
18
Varavašt
 4025 852
19 Korma-Kuh 4020 359
20 Parchenan 4015 1144
21 Saat 4003 428

The peaks with altitude of 3800 m - 4000 m, with at least 300 meters of topographic prominence:

Name Height (m) Prominence (m)
1 Mishineh Marg 3990 562
2 Tochal 3964 1164
3 Karkas Neshin 3950 537
4 Khashechal 3945 645
5 Vantar 3944 544
South Kharsang 3940 293
6 Sechal 3936 436
7 Sineza 3933 336
8 Shahvar 3932 1923
9 Mehrchal 3912 759
10 Keyoonchal 3910 390
11 Pashooreh 3896 814
12 Small Nazer 3881 444
13 Gavingchal 3880 344
14 Deev Asiab (Alarm) 3880 421
15 Zarrin-Kuh 3850 858
Kushgak (Sorkhak) 3843 299
16 Gavkoshan 3840 1160
17 Khozanak 3840 402
18 Asemankuh 3819 499

The peaks with at least 1000 meters of topographic prominence:

Name Height (m) Prominence (m)
1 Damavand 5610 4661
2 Shahvar 3932 1923
3 Alam-Kuh 4828 1848
4 Neyzeva 3730 1510
5
Do Berar
 4082 1352
6 Tochal 3964 1164
7 Sialan 4160 1160
8 Gavkoshan 3840 1160
9 Parchenan 4015 1144
10 Shahdar Kuh 3252 1107
11 Ghadamgah 3563 1057
12 Badleh Kuh 3203 1036
13
Naz
 4108 1018
  • Mazandaran
  • Tochal mount and summit
  • Tangeh Savashi
    , a popular attraction
  • Alam Kuh
    , a mountain in Alborz mountain range
  • Alamut
  • Dizin
  • Ovan lake
Map of central Alborz Peaks: 1 Alam-Kuh
  −25 to 500 m (−82 to 1,640 ft)
  500 to 1,500 m (1,600 to 4,900 ft)
  1,500 to 2,500 m (4,900 to 8,200 ft)
  2,500 to 3,500 m (8,200 to 11,500 ft)
  3,500 to 4,500 m (11,500 to 14,800 ft)
  4,500 to 5,610 m (14,760 to 18,410 ft)
 2
Azad Kuh
 3 Damavand
4
Do Berar
 5 Do Khaharan
6
Ghal'eh Gardan
 7
Gorg
8 Kholeno 9
Mehr Chal
10
Mishineh Marg
 11
Naz
12 Shah Alborz 13 Sialan
14 Tochal 15
Varavašt
Rivers: 0
1 Alamut 2 Chalus
3 Do Hezar 4 Haraz
5
Jajrood
 6 Karaj
7 Kojoor 8 Lar
9 Noor 10 Sardab
11
Seh Hazar
 12
Shahrood
Cities: 1 Amol
2 Chalus 3 Karaj
Other: D Dizin
E Emamzadeh Hashem K Kandovan Tunnel
* Latyan Dam ** Lar Dam

See also

Sources

  • North, S.J.R., Guide to Biblical Iran, Rome 1956, p. 50

References

  1. ^ a b electricpulp.com. "ALBORZ". Archived from the original on 2019-09-03. Retrieved 2016-02-17.
  2. ^ Biglari, F., V. Jahani 2011 The Pleistocene Human Settlement in Gilan, Southwest Caspian Sea: Recent Research, Eurasian Prehistory 8 (1-2): 3-28
  3. ^ Biglari, F. (2019). Lower and Middle Paleolithic Occupation of the Northern Alborz and Talesh, South of the Caspian Sea. Tourism Research, 1(3), 90-106 (access: http://journal.richt.ir/browse.php?a_id=76&sid=7&slc_lang=en Archived 2020-10-10 at the Wayback Machine
  4. ^ Berillon G., Asgari Khaneghah A. (dir.) 2016. Garm Roud : une halte de chasse en Iran, Paléolithique supérieur, Garm Roud : Hunting place in Iran, Upper Paleolithic. Prigonrieux : @rchéo-éditions, IFRI,
  5. ^ Dom Joly (24 February 2008). "Iran's biggest secret: the skiing's great". the Guardian. Archived from the original on 20 February 2021. Retrieved 16 December 2016.

External links

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