Alborz Mountains travel guide

For the Iranian Frigate Alborz see: Iranian frigate Alborz.
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 northwest 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.
Zoroastrians may identify the range with the dwelling place of the Peshyotan, and the Zoroastrian Ilm-e-Kshnoom sect identify Mount Davamand as the home of the Saheb-e-Dilan ('Masters of the Heart'). In his epic Shahnameh, the poet Ferdowsi speaks of the Alborz as if it lay in India.
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 the Avesta. (...) » more