Commemorating Mount Damavand Day The Myths, Legends & Majesty of Iran’s Highest Mountain Every year on the 13th of Tir (July 4), Iranians commemorate Mount Damavand Day, honoring the country’s highest peak and one of its most enduring national symbols. More than simply celebrating a mountain, this day recognizes the natural heritage, mythology, literature, and cultural identity that have made Mount Damavand an icon throughout Persian history. Standing proudly above the Alborz Mountains, Damavand has inspired generations of climbers, poets, artists, and travelers. It represents resilience, freedom, and the timeless connection between nature and Persian civilization. Today, Mount Damavand Day reminds us that some landscapes are more than geographical landmarks—they become part of a nation’s identity. Mount Damavand: The Roof of Iran Towering at 5,610 meters (18,406 feet) above sea level, Mount Damavand is the highest mountain in Iran, the highest volcano in Asia, and the tallest peak in the Middle East. Located about 70 kilometers northeast of Tehran within the central Alborz Mountain Range, its perfectly symmetrical, snow-covered cone dominates the northern Iranian skyline. Damavand is also a dormant stratovolcano. Its volcanic origins are still visible through sulfur vents, hot springs, and colorful mineral deposits scattered across its slopes. For mountaineers around the world, reaching its summit is a remarkable achievement. For Iranians, however, Damavand represents something far greater than altitude—it is a symbol of perseverance, justice, and national pride. The Mountain of Legends Few mountains anywhere in the world possess a mythology as rich as Mount Damavand. Its towering silhouette has inspired countless legends, the most famous preserved in the Shahnameh (The Book of Kings) by the great Persian poet Abu al-Qasim Ferdowsi. Completed over a thousand years ago, the Shahnameh is the world’s longest epic poem written by a single author. It preserves the myths,
Commemorating Mount Damavand Day The Myths, Legends & Majesty of Iran’s Highest Mountain Every year on the 13th of Tir (July 4), Iranians commemorate Mount Damavand Day, honoring the country’s highest peak and one of its most enduring national symbols. More than simply celebrating a mountain, this day recognizes the natural heritage, mythology, literature, and
Mount Damavand: Iran's Iconic Peak In the heart of Iran's Alborz mountain range stands a towering symbol of natural beauty and cultural significance—Mount Damavand. As the highest peak in Iran and the highest volcano in all of Asia, this majestic mountain has captured the imagination of adventurers and poets alike for centuries. Damavand is one of the most amazing mountain regions in Iran, which is proper for wide range of adventure activities. Along the ascent to the peak and trekking, which is the most popular activity, you could do other adventures as well. Mountain Biking, Ski Touring, Ultra Trail Running, moderate hiking, Photography Tour and 4x4 off road trip around the mountain and base camp would be amazing experiences for adventurous travelers. Mount Damavand is surrounded by many other attractions as well. Lar National Park, Larigan mineral hot-spring, Dobarar Mountain Chains, Lar dam, Nomadic tribes in the summer, Flora and Fauna and the wild life of the mountains are some of the most important attractions of Mount Damavnad. The south base camp of Mt Damavand is very accessible from the capital. The distance from downtown Tehran is about 75 km and takes about 1.5 hours. This is another important good element to compare to other mountain regions of Iran. 1. A Geological Wonder At an impressive elevation of 5,610 meters (18,405 feet), Mount Damavand proudly dominates the skyline, its snow-capped summit piercing the clouds. Formed by volcanic activity millions of years ago, Damavand is a stratovolcano, characterized by its conical shape and volcanic crater. 2. Cultural Significance Beyond its geological marvels, Mount Damavand holds deep cultural significance in Persian mythology and folklore. Revered as a symbol of resilience, strength, and purity, Damavand features prominently in Persian literature, poetry, and art, serving as a source of inspiration for
Mount Damavand: Iran’s Iconic Peak In the heart of Iran’s Alborz mountain range stands a towering symbol of natural beauty and cultural significance—Mount Damavand. As the highest peak in Iran and the highest volcano in all of Asia, this majestic mountain has captured the imagination of adventurers and poets alike for centuries. Damavand is
Iran Mountain Ranges Iran with 1.64 million km2 has two major mountain ranges called Alborz and Zagros Mountain Ranges. Alborz Mountain Range The first range is Alborz Mountains, also spelled Elburz, Albourz, Alburz, or Elburs. In the Persian language, it is called Reshte Koohe Alborz or Koohhayeh Alborz. This 900 km (560 miles) long mountain is the major mountain range in northern Iran. It stretches from Azerbaijan in the northwest of Iran (also southwest of the Caspian Sea) towards northeastern Iran in the Khorasan region (southeast of the Caspian Sea). The Alborz Mountains range made a big wall between the Caspian Sea and Iran Plateau. It created two different climate systems on the northern slopes of Alborz against the southern side of the huge mountain range. There are a few famous mountain chains and a lot of high peaks in different parts of the Alborz ranges. Talesh mountain chains, Takht-e Soleyman mountain chains, and Shahkuh mountain chains are subranges of the Alborz range located in the western, central, and eastern parts of the range. Moreover, two of Iran’s highest mountains, Mt Damavand 5610m and MT Alamkuh 4850m, are located in the Alborz range. The Alburz mountain system traverses virtually all of the northernmost portions of Iran from east to west. In addition, there are plenty of high-altitude famous mountains above 4000m extended in the Central Alborz Mountains which is in the north of Tehran province. Mt Kholeno (4375m), MT Azadkuh (4355m), MT Kolonbastak (4150m), MT Sarakchal (4210m), and MT Tochal (3963m) are the most famous high peaks located in central Alborz Mountains. The weather on the northern side of Alborz, called the Caspian slopes, has a distinctly humid climate. The famous Hyrcanian forests, which are Iran's natural UNESCO heritage site, are located in that region too. On
Iran Mountain Ranges Iran with 1.64 million km2 has two major mountain ranges called Alborz and Zagros Mountain Ranges. Alborz Mountain Range The first range is Alborz Mountains, also spelled Elburz, Albourz, Alburz, or Elburs. In the Persian language, it is called Reshte Koohe Alborz or Koohhayeh Alborz. This 900 km (560 miles) long
Ski Touring Mount Damavand The video is about an adventure ski touring trip performed for a bunch of young Spanish adventurers who had a lot of experience in mountains and ski areas. 21th of March is Persians' New Year and this tour was performed after the New Year. Damavand Mountain is one of the most challenging mountains of Iran in the winter season and if the weather is bad, it's not going to be an easy climb. They had very bad weather during this trip but all the group climbed the peak and had a successful ascend. As the weather was bad it wasn't possible to take videos from this challenging trip but I hope that the few pictures and videos shown can speak for themselves. Hope you enjoy the video and if you like it subscribe to our channel to see more of the beauty of our country. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4o0lK2YJML0 https://www.adventureiran.com/mount-damavand/
Ski Touring Mount Damavand The video is about an adventure ski touring trip performed for a bunch of young Spanish adventurers who had a lot of experience in mountains and ski areas. 21th of March is Persians’ New Year and this tour was performed after the New Year. Damavand Mountain is one of the most
Ultra Trail Mount Damavand The video is made of the highlights of our two races in the Junes of 2017 and 2018 . The race was an ultra-trail running through Iran’s famous national park of Lar towards Damavand Mountain which is the highest peak in Iran. Lar is a protected area located in the south west of Damavand and it’s managed by Iran Environmental Organization and needs a permit for entering. It was an international race and people joined us from different countries. The trip starts from Tehran and finishes in Tehran as well. The group slept one night inside the park and a night in the Damavand shelter in the base camp which is located at the south face of Damavand nearby Polour village. It was a combination of running and adventuring in Iran during a three days race. The runners carried a small bag with all of their requirements for the three days and with crossing Lar reveres, passing through the nomadic region of the valley and seeing the local with goats and sheep, hiking in a canyon, sleeping in the nature in the park and the spectacular view of Mt Damavand they were very pleased by the whole thing. Hope you enjoy the video and if you like it subscribe to our channel to see more of the beauty of our country. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cq6vTmMu2TI https://www.adventureiran.com/mount-damavand/ https://www.adventureiran.com/lar-national-park/
Ultra Trail Mount Damavand The video is made of the highlights of our two races in the Junes of 2017 and 2018 . The race was an ultra–trail running through Iran’s famous national park of Lar towards Damavand Mountain which is the highest peak in Iran. Lar is a protected area located in the
Ski Touring in MT Damavand The video is about our expedition ski touring trip in Mt Damavand in April of 2019 that was made for a Spanish couple. Damavand is a symbol of Iran and ascending it is the dream of many adventurous travelers. The Majority of people climb Mt Damavand in the summer as a trekking activity but at the end of winter or beginning of spring when the mountain has a lot of snow is perfect for ski touring. We have created a trip to ascend Damavand with skis for challenger skiers. The trip is designed to have a few days of ski touring in Dobarar Mountains for the start. Dobarar mountains has a couple of peaks about 4000m which is in the southern side of Mt Damavand and has a very good quality snow for ski touring. Besides that, it’s perfect for warm up and acclimatization before the actual climb to mount Damavand. The plan in Dobarar was to stay in a nearby village and make base and choose a different peak to ascend and ski in every day. luck was on their side on this trip as they had perfect weather most of the days. They did a lot of photography in the high mountains of Dobarar which you can see in here. After this part, we transferred the group toward Mt Damavand base camp where they rested and the next day drove them from the 1st camp towards the 2nd camp. In the midway, they started skiing towards the 3rd camp and carried the bags with porters. In March and April and most of the year, we have snow above the 2nd camp (3100m) so they couldn’t use mules to transfer their baggage. The next day was acclimatization day and they climbed towards 5000m without
Ski Touring in MT Damavand The video is about our expedition ski touring trip in Mt Damavand in April of 2019 that was made for a Spanish couple. Damavand is a symbol of Iran and ascending it is the dream of many adventurous travelers. The Majority of people climb Mt Damavand in the summer as
MT Damavand with bicycle The video is about an expedition mountain biking trip to ascent Damavand Mountain (5610m) which was performed in July of 2019. Mt Damavand is Iran’s highest peak and it’s the highest volcanic mountain of Asia. The mountain is in the southern coast of the Caspian Sea and is in the north west of Tehran province. The group was from Slovenia and the Adventure Iran’s team led this expedition trip. It was a one-week tour starting and finishing in Tehran. The journey started with a two days MTB tour in the Lar national park as a warm-up. Lar is a protected area located on the foothills of MT Damavand and it's in the south west of the mountain. They also slept one night inside the park in high altitudes which is perfect for acclimatization when you come around the sea level. After finishing the Lar trip they continued cycling towards the southern part of Mt Damavand and slept one night in the Mount Damavand shelter which is the first camp of Damavand and The next day transferred the bicycles to the 2nd camp. From there they loaded all of the camping equipment and other stuff to the mules and started mountain biking from the 2nd camp at an altitude of about 3100m toward the 3rd camp(4200m). In our original plan the next day was acclimatization day, the day we generally ascend with bicycles up to 5000m and then leave the bikes somewhere in the mountains and descend to the 3rd camp. On this trip the physical fitness of the group was very good and they decided to skip the acclimatization phase. They woke in the dusk and packed to ascend towards the peak. They were at the summit around noon and all of the group reached
MT Damavand with bicycle The video is about an expedition mountain biking trip to ascent Damavand Mountain (5610m) which was performed in July of 2019. Mt Damavand is Iran’s highest peak and it’s the highest volcanic mountain of Asia. The mountain is in the southern coast of the Caspian Sea and is in the north
Mountain Biking in Lavasan This video is made of the highlights of a mountain biking tour in Lavasan that we did for a group of professional cyclists from Slovenia. They arrived in the June of 2019 as it is in the middle of summer, it’s the best time to ascend the mountains. They even brought their own bikes to ascend Mt Damavand (5610m), Iran’s highest mountain. Beside MT. Damavand, we prepared another MTB trip for them for a much exciting and adventurous mountain biking experience in Iran. They started their trip from Adventure Iran’s office in Lavasan by bicycle and ascended one of the mountains around the city. From there they had a single track MTB through a canyon and forest and a stop by Latian lake. the trip came to an end with them returning to our office. Lavasan city is the center of Lavasanat which is something of a suburb for Tehran, it is located in the north east of Tehran province with an average altitude of 1700m. It's located in a huge valley and now it's one of the most famous cities in the country with plenty of mountains. It's located in the central Alborz Mountains. plenty of villages surround the city. The southern part of central Alborz mountains has a bunch of high mountains like Mt. Kholeno, Mt Sarakchal, Mt Kolon Bastak and Mt Kharsang, that create a famous river called Jajrood. The end of this river reaches Lavasan and has made a lake called Latian in the southern part of the city. Also there is a dam with the same name “Latian dam” located in the south east of Lavasan, which you can see in most parts of the video. Hope you enjoy the video, if you like it subscribe to our channel to see
Mountain Biking in Lavasan This video is made of the highlights of a mountain biking tour in Lavasan that we did for a group of professional cyclists from Slovenia. They arrived in the June of 2019 as it is in the middle of summer, it’s the best time to ascend the mountains. They even brought
Ultra Trail Mount Damavand in Iran UTMD (Ultra Trail Mount Damavand) is an Ultra Trail Marathon in Iran conducted in the Lar National Park and on the west side of volcanic Mt Damavand (5,610 meters, the highest mountain in the Middle East). Adventure Iran started organizing this approximately 100 km race in 2017. It is an annual summer competition, with many runners from all over the world participating in this contest, simultaneously enjoying the race itself, and the experience of being in the foothills of Damavand Mountain. The race takes place in the beautiful Lar National Park, run by the Mountaineering Federation of Iran. This is a race for everyone: UTMD 100 km, PLP 61 km, and PGP 22 km. Both the start point and finish point are at the Polour Mountain Federation hut. The race route covers some of the most stunning scenery of Lar National Park and Mt. Damavand, including remote and unspoiled grasslands, nature trails, Lar reservoir, and exquisite steep hills. This is a unique, unparalleled, and challenging running competition for trail running enthusiasts. It is also a great opportunity to participate in an unforgettable event. The race has a website that is organized by Adventure Iran and other co-organizers since 2018. https://www.adventureiran.com/lar-national-park/
Ultra Trail Mount Damavand in Iran UTMD (Ultra Trail Mount Damavand) is an Ultra Trail Marathon in Iran conducted in the Lar National Park and on the west side of volcanic Mt Damavand (5,610 meters, the highest mountain in the Middle East). Adventure Iran started organizing this approximately 100 km race in 2017. It
Shemshak Village Alborz Ski Region Shemshak village is one of the highest villages in Iran, situated in the heart of the Central Alborz Mountain, at 2,700 m altitude. It is only 65 km from the center of Tehran, about a 1 ½ hour drive to reach through a mountainous road. There is also a ski resort beside Shemshak village called Shemshak Ski resort. This ski resort is famous as it was the first to open in Iran in 1958, and is now the third largest ski resort in the country after Dizin and Darbandsar. Shemshak village is surrounded by numerous mountains above 3,000 m and 4,000 m, which makes the area ideal for hiking and mountain biking in Iran during spring, early summer, and summer. It is perfect for skiing in the winter. The 3,000m mountains are just right for easy and moderate hikes and are close to the village. For strenuous and challenging trekkers, the renowned mountains above 4,000 m. are perfect. There is a 15 Km mountain ridge above Shemshak village, stretching from Kolon Bastak (4,170m) in the west to Sarakchal (4,210m) in the east. Between the two peaks, there are even more mountains over 4,000m (Sarakchal 2 & Sarakchal 3), making this ridgeline very challenging. In the south, there is Mt Abak (3,520m) which is above Shemshak Ski Piste. If the weather is clear, you can view a number of Iran’s high mountains such as Kholeno (4,387m), Azadkuh (4,350m), Borj (4,326m), and the roof of Iran, Mt Damavand (5,610m). On the Adventure Iran website, we have a variety of hiking, mountain biking, and ski tours in this region, with different difficulty levels suitable for all travelers. We will briefly introduce some of these tours so that you can get a general idea. Shemshak Wall
Shemshak Village Alborz Ski Region Shemshak village is one of the highest villages in Iran, situated in the heart of the Central Alborz Mountain, at 2,700 m altitude. It is only 65 km from the center of Tehran, about a 1 ½ hour drive to reach through a mountainous road. There is also a ski
