Alborz

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Image:IranElevationMap.gif
Map of Iran showing the relative location of the two main mountain ranges: Alborz and Zagros, and the two main deserts: Dasht-e Kavir and Dasht-e Lut
Alborz Mountains
Alborz Mountains
Mount Damavand, Iran's tallest mountain is located in Alborz mountain range.
Mount Damavand, Iran's tallest mountain is located in Alborz mountain range.

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, and ending in the east at the borders of Turkmenistan and Afghanistan. The largest mountain in the Middle East, Mount Damavand, is located in the range.

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. Additionally, it is thought to be the dwelling place of the Peshotan, a Messiah like figure awaited by devotees of Zoroastrianism.

Also due to its great snowy winters there are several ski resorts, some consider that a few of these 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.

Contents

[edit] Mounts, summits, and attractions

Map of central Alborz
     -25m to 500m     500m to 1500m     1500m to 2500m     2500 to 3500m     3500m to 4500m     4500m to 5671m
     -25m to 500m     500m to 1500m     1500m to 2500m     2500 to 3500m     3500m to 4500m     4500m to 5671m
Peaks: 1 `Alam Kūh
2 Āzād Kūh 3 Damāvand
4 Do Berar 5 Do Khaharan
6 Ghal`eh Gardan 7 Kūh-e Gorg
8 Kholeno 9 Mehr Chal
10 Kūh-e Mīšīneh Marg 11 Naz
12 Shah Alborz 13 Sīālān
14 Tochal 15 Varavašt
Rivers: 0
1 Alamūt 2 Chālūs
3 Do Hezār 4 Harāz
5 Jājrūd 6 Karaj
7 Kojūr 8 Lār
9 Nūr 10 Sardāb
11 Seh Hazār 12 Shāh Rūd
Cities: 1 Āmol
2 Chālūs 3 Karaj
Other: D Dīzīn
E Emāmzādeh Hāšem K Kandovān Tunnel
* Latīān Dam ** Lār Dam

[edit] Noah's Ark in the Alborz mountains?

Temperate rainforest on Northern Slopes of the Alborz mountain ranges
Temperate rainforest on Northern Slopes of the Alborz mountain ranges

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.

Dizin ski resort, Alborz
Dizin ski resort, Alborz

[edit] Source

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

[edit] External links

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