Mount Damavand

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Damāvand

Damāvand in winter
Elevation 5,610 metres (18,406 ft)[1]
Location Māzandarān, Iran
Range Alborz
Prominence 4,667 m (15,312 ft) Ranked 12th
Coordinates 35°57′19″N 52°06′33″E / 35.95528, 52.10917Coordinates: 35°57′19″N 52°06′33″E / 35.95528, 52.10917
Type Stratovolcano
Last eruption Unknown
First ascent 1837 by W. T. Thomson
Easiest route Hike
Listing Volcanic Seven Summits

Mount Damāvand (Persian: دماوند ) also known as Donbavand, is a dormant volcano in Iran. Located in the middle Alborz Range, adjacent to Varārū, Sesang, Gol-e Zard and Mīānrūd, it is the highest point in both Iran and the wider Middle East. It is also 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 on July 6, 2007[3]. The mountain is located near the southern coast of the Caspian Sea, in Āmol county, Māzandarān, 66 km (41 miles) northeast of Tehran.

Damavand is, as any cursory reading of Persian literature will indicate, the Mount Olympus of Persian mythology.[4] The best major settlement for mount climbers is new Iranian Mountain Federation Camp in village Polour, located at the south of the mountain.

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Mount Damāvand has its own special place in Iranian mythology and folklore. 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 on some cave in mount Damāvand after being defeated by Kāveh and Fereydūn. Damāvand is also significant to the patriotic Iranian legend of Arash.

Damāvand is the symbol of Iranian resistance against the foreign rule in Persian poetry and literature. The famous poem Damāvand by Mohammad Taqī Bahār is one of the many poetic creations about Damāvand.

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

In Persian mythology, the mountain is where Zahhāk the Dragon King is slain by the hero Fereydūn. The mountain is said to hold magical powers in the Šahnameh.

There are at least 16 known routes [2] 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 [3] 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[4](Farsi name Ābshār Yakhī)about 12m tall and the elevation of 5100m is the highest fall in Iran and Middle East.

Map of Māzandarān province showing the location of mount Damāvand in the south
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
     -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

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 Norouz, to be named as Damavand National Day," he added. Tirgan Festivity is held in Amol County’s Rineh region in Mazandaran province. [5]

Foot of Damāvand

Summit Crater of Mt. Damāvand from space.

Damāvand from space.

Damāvand Mountain.

Damāvand in summer

Damavand in winter

East View of Damāvand in October

Damavand from foggy Tehran.

  1. ^ The 5,610 m 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

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