Top 4 Mountains of Iran

About 55% area of Iran’s land consists of mountains and mountain plateaus. These mountains can be divided into four main areas; Alburz, Zagros, Central Iran and East of Iran. So if you are interested in mountain climbing, Iran can be one of the best destinations for mountain climbing.

In this article, we are going to introduce all these mountains and mountainous areas in Iran. About 55% area of Iran’s land consists of mountains and mountain plateaus. These mountains can be divided into four main areas; Alburz, Zagros, Central Iran and East of Iran.

So if you are interested in mountain climbing, Iran can be one of the best destinations for mountain climbing. In this article, we are going to introduce all these mountains and mountainous areas in Iran.

1) Alburz mountain

Alburz mountain is a mountain range in the northern part of Iran which stretches from the border of Azerbaijan in the west, along with the entire southern coast of the Caspian Sea and finally runs northeast and merges into the Aladagh Mountains in the northeast.

This mountain range is divided into three areas of Western, Central, and Eastern. The Western Alborz Range usually called the Talish Mountains.

The Central Alborz runs from west to east along the entire southern coast of the Caspian Sea, and the Eastern Alborz runs in a northeasterly direction towards the northern parts of the Khorasan region. 

Iran’s tallest summit is Mount Damavand 5671 meters’ height which is located in the Central Alborz Mountains. 

2) Zagros mountain

The Zagros Mountain range stretches south and west from the borders of Turkey to the Persian Gulf and is Iran's largest mountain range. This range consists of folded mountains made up mostly of limestone and dolomite.

Snow is common in winter, and many peaks have some snow even in summer. The winters are severe, with temperatures often dropping below 0° F. The Karun and Zayandeh-Rud rivers start in these mountains.

Zagros region is home to a rich and complex flora, including wheat, barley, lentil, almond, walnut, pistachio, apricot, plum, and pomegranate. Persian oak (Quercus brantii) is the most important tree species of the Zagros in Iran.

3) Qahrud and Banan mountain

There are uninterrupted altitudes in central Iran. Some of them are connected to the Alborz or the Zagros. They can mainly be categorized into “Qahrud” and “Banan” mountains.

“Qahrud”, which are longer and higher, start from around Kashan and the south of Tehran to Kerman. “Banan” is the continuation of the former one to “Makran” area in Sistan and Baluchestan province.  At these ranges, “Shir Kuh” near Yazd is 4075m ASL.

4) The mountains in the East

The Mountains in the East extended from Khorasan to Sistan and Baluchestan provinces, which can be categorized into three major zones: a) “Jaam” in South Khorasan, is generally extended an E-W direction.b) “Qaen ” to the south of “Jaam”, includes “Ahangaran” peak, 2877m ASL.c) “Makran” is extended from “Zabol” to “Bam Posht” at Sistan and Baluchestan province.

The highest peak in this region is called “Taftan”, a burned-out volcano, which stands in the SE of Iran with an altitude of 4050m ASL.