Alborz
|
Alborz chain, seen from Tehran |
Alborz (in
Persian البرز), also written as
Alburz or
Elburz, is a mountain range in northern
Iran, stretching from the borders of
Armenia in the north-west to the southern end of the
Caspian (Mazandaran) Sea, where also
Tehran and Iran's highest peak,
Damavand (5604m) are, and ending in the east at the borders of
Turkmenistan and
Afghanistan.
The Alborz mountain range forms a barrier between the south Caspian and the Qazvin-Tehran plateau. It is only 60-130 km wide and consists of sedimentary series dating from Upper Devonian to
Oligocene, prevalently jurassic limestone over a granite core.
Alborz enjoys a central role in the historical texts of Iran such as the
Shahnama, and also in
Persian mythology.
Also due to its great snowy winters there are several
ski resorts that some of them are among the best in the world. Some of most important ones are:
Dizin,
Shemshak,
Tochal, and
Darbandsar.
It should not be confused with
Mount Elbrus in the
Caucasus Mountains, which also derives its name from the legendary mountain
Harā Bərəzaitī of
Persian mythology.
|
Alborz Mountains underneath clouds seen from Tehran |
*
Mount Damavand*
Tochal mount and summit
*
Tangeh Savashi, A popular attraction
*
Alam Kuh*
Alamut*
Dizin*
List of mountains in IranNoah's Ark in the Alborz mountains?
|
Mount Damavand, Iran's tallest mountain is located in this range. |
In June of 2006, a team of religious scholars led by
Bob Cornuke of the
BASE Institute claimed to have found
Noah's Ark in the Alborz mountains.[
1][
2][
3] Expedition members describe a large object of petrified wood. No geologists or archaeologists were included in the expedition.
* North, S.J.R., Guide to Biblical Iran, Rome 1956, p. 50
*
Maps, Photos and a List of peaks*
Alborz entries in the
Encyclopædia Iranica
