Mount Damavand

Damāvand
Damavand in winter.jpg
Damāvand in winter
Damāvand (Iran)
Damāvand
Damāvand
Elevation 5,610 metres (18,406 ft)[1]
Location Māzandarān, Iran
Range Alborz
Prominence 4,667 m (15,312 ft) Ranked 12th
Coordinates
Type Stratovolcano
Last eruption Unknown
First ascent 1837 by W. T. Thomson
Easiest route Hike
Listing Volcanic Seven Summits
Country high point
Ultra

Mount Damāvand (Persian: دماوند ) also known as Donbavand, is a dormant volcano and the highest peak in Iran with a special place in the Persian mythology and folklore. Located in the middle Alborz Range, adjacent to Varārū, Sesang, Gol-e Zard and Mīānrūd, it is the highest point in the Middle East and the highest volcano in all of Asia. Though not volcanically active[2], there are fumaroles near the summit crater that deposit sulfur, which were most recently known to be active since July 6, 2007[3]. The mountain is located near the southern coast of the Caspian Sea, in Āmol county, Māzandarān, 66 kilometres (41 miles) northeast of Tehran.

Contents

Symbolism and mythology

Damavand is, as any cursory reading of Persian literature will indicate, the Mount Olympus of Persian mythology.[4]

Damāvand is the symbol of Iranian resistance against foreign rule in Persian poetry and literature. In Zoroastrian texts and mythology, the three-headed dragon Aži Dahāka was chained within Mount Damāvand, there to remain until the end of the world. In a later version of the same legend, the tyrant Zahhāk was also chained in a cave somewhere in mount Damāvand after being defeated by Kāveh and Fereydūn. Damāvand is also significant to the Iranian legend of Arash. The mountain is said to hold magical powers in the Šahnameh.

The famous poem Damāvand by Mohammad Taqī Bahār is one of the finest examples of the mountain's place in Persian literature.

The first verse of this poem is:

ای دیو سپید پای در بند
Ay dīve sepīde pāī dar band,
Oh white demon with feet in chains
ای گنبد گیتی ای دماوند
Ay gonbade gītī, ay Damāvand
Oh terrestrial dome, Oh Mount Damāvand

Thermal Springs

Mt Damavand Thermal Springs [2] Abe Garm Larijan Mt Damavand has some thermal springs with therapeutic qualities, these minral hot springs are mainly located on the volcano's flanks and at the base , giving evidence of volcanic heat comparatively near the surface of the earth . Although Damavand is believed to be extinct and while no historic eruptions are recorded , hot springs on the flanks and fumaroles (steam vents) in the summit suggest that a hot or cooling magma body is still present beneath the Volcano Damavand. This continuing activity, while minor, sulphorous fumaroles still emit gases at the peak, and hot springs in the valleys testify to a remaining heat source , indicates that Mount Damavand is a dormant rather than an extinct volcano. The most important of these hot springs are located in Abe garm Larijan . Larijan is located in a village by the same name in the district of Larijan in Lar Valley . The water from this spring is useful in the treatment of chronic wounds, and skin diseases. Near these springs there are public baths with small pools for public use.

Routes to the summit

The best major settlement for mountain climbers is the new Iranian Mountain Federation Camp in Polour village, located on the south of the mountain.

There are at least 16 known routes [3] to the summit which have different difficulties. Some of them are very dangerous and need rock climbing. The most popular route is the Southern Route which has step stamps and also a camp midway called Bargah Sevom Camp /Shelter [4] at 4220 m (about 13,845 ft). The longest route is the Northeastern and it takes two whole days to reach the summit starting from downhill village of Nāndal and a night stay at Takht-e Fereydoun (elevation 4300 m - about 13,000 ft), a two-story shelter. The western route is famous for its sunset view. Sīmorgh shelter in this route at 4100 m (about 13,500 ft) is a newly constructed shelter with two stories. There is a frozen waterfall / Icefall[5](Persian name Ābshār Yakhī)about 12m tall and the elevation of 5100m is the highest fall in Iran and Middle East.

Geographical location

Map of Māzandarān province showing the location of mount Damāvand in the south
Map of central Alborz Peaks: 1 `Alam Kūh
     -25m to 500m     500m to 1500m     1500m to 2500m     2500 to 3500m     3500m to 4500m     4500m to 5671m
 2 Āzād Kūh 3 Damāvand
4 Do Berar 5 Do Khaharan
6 Ghal`eh Gardan 7 Gorg
8 Kholeno 9 Mehr Chal
10 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

Nomination as National Heritage Site

An anthropologist of Mazandaran Cultural Heritage and Tourism Department, Touba Osanlou, has said that a proposal has been made by a group of Iranian mountaineers to register the highest peak in the Middle East, Mount Damavand as a national heritage site. Mazandaran Cultural Heritage and Tourism Department has accepted the proposal, the Persian daily Jam-e Jam reported. Osanlou noted that the Iranian Cultural Heritage and Tourism Organization is presently in the process of renaming an upcoming ancient festivity after Mount Damavand. "We have proposed Tirgan Festivity, Tabari Nowruz, to be named as Damavand National Day," he added. Tirgan Festivity is held in Amol County’s Rineh region in Mazandaran province. [6]

Damāvand photos

See also

Footnotes

  1. ↑ The 5,610 metre height given here is from the Statistical Centre of Iran, which states that "the highest point in Iran is Mount Damāvand being 5,610 metres high". This elevation is consistent with SRTM data. A 2007 GPS measurement [1] reports a slightly higher elevations, 5623m, but also reports -17m for the nearby Caspian Sea despite its accepted -28m. This suggests that there is slight local geoid inaccuracy built into hand held GPS measurements in this area, and that the official Iranian elevation is accurate. An older elevation, 5,671 m, is not consistent with the above sources and there is no evidence that it is based on any modern measurement, although it is still the most frequently given elevation on the web.
  2. ↑ Smithsonian Institution Global Volcanism Program: Damavand
  3. ↑ "Volcanic Hole on Damavand". Retrieved on 2007-08-23.
  4. ↑ Milani, A. Lost Wisdom. 2004. Washington. ISBN 0934211906 p.67

External links

Volcanic Seven Summits