Zagros mountains

Plateau of Iran resembles a triangle between two recesses. Western and northern parts of this triangle are limited to Zagros and Alborz mountain ranges respectively.

Zagros mountains extends from NW to SE of Iran. At its far southern end, after passing along the eastern coasts of Persian Gulf, Baluchestan an Afghanistan and the sparsely populated coastal areas of Indian Ocean, it turns to join Hendukosh Mountains separating from Pamir.
Like other highlands of Iran, Zagros is the result of orgenetic movements during Pliocene era. During this period, sea water retreated from Iran’s mainland for the last time, leaving behind thick layers of sedimentary conglomerates.

Zagros is 1250 km long (from Marivan Valley to Hormoz) and 160-360 km wide. Relatively wet, warm and cold climates can be found in Zagros. The vegetation is rich and diverse including 10 million ha of oak forest and also wild pistachio forests at its south-eastern end.

Hillocks are up to 1000 m high while mountain peaks elevation varies from 2000m to 4000m. The highest peaks of Zagros, of which the highest one is Ghashmastan (4435m), are located in the high mountains of Dena.

Zagros region includes provinces of Kordestan, Kermanshahan, Hamedan, Lorestan, Ilam, Isfahan, Chahar-Mahal-Bakhtiari, Kohkiluyeh & Boyer-Ahmad, Fars, Bushehr, and parts of Markazi, Khuzestan, and Hormozgan Provinces.

Kurd, Lor and Lak nomadic people live in Zagros. Kurds live in Kurdestan, Ilam, and west of Urmieh Lake, Lak nomads live in the north and northwest of Lorestan, while Lors reside in other parts of Lorestan as well as parts of Ilam, Chahar-Mahal-Bakhtiari, Kohkiluyeh & Boyer-Ahmad, Fars, and Busher provinces.

Lors who live in Lorestan are called Junior Lors while others who reside in other regions are called Senior Lors. Members of Bakhtiari group, the largest migratory group in the country, live in Chahar-Mahal-Bakhtiari, while members of other reside in Kohkiluyeh & Boyer-Ahmad, Bahmani and Mamasani.
The southern end of Zagros down to Larestan has a warm climate (250 mm annual precipitation) with diverse vegetation and large areas of rangeland where mountain dwellers and nomads, especially Arabs and Ghashghais, earn a living by livestock farming, hunting and gathering and irrigated or dry farming. The region includes 3000 km2 of forest with diverse vegetation called Kuhmareh located in the south of Shiraz and between Kazerun and Firuzabad.

The Zagros Mountains can be divided into the following four parts:

• North Zagros
• Central Zagros
• South Zagros

North Zagros :

The North Zagros mountains is a relatively smaller region than other parts of the Zagros. This region leads from the north and west to the Cesar River valley, from the south to the deep and mountainous valley of Zalki water and Sirok pass and Kogan water, and from the east to Abgarmak river and includes the following four mountainous areas:
Oshtrankooh range to Gohar lake
Parzkooh mountainous area
Ghalikuh range up to Shast Mahro river
Kings and people
There are many unknown heights and areas around this part, especially in the western part.

Central Zagros

This part of Zagros mountains , unlike the northern part, is a vast area where the Bakhtiari nomads and the Haft Lang group live. The northern side of this part reaches the valley of Ab Zalki and Ab Zareh and Kogan river and Sirok pass and from the south to Karun and Shalmzar rivers, from the west to Dez river valley and Khuzestan plain, and from the east to Shahrekord and Borujen.

Central Zagros has many mountainous areas that can be studied in general in the following four parts:

Zardkuh Bakhtiari mountain range
Lines of the Mafaroon
Munar Mountain Area
Saldaran Mountain
Each of these areas has innumerable totally unknown peaks and elevations in the middle of it, especially in its more western region.

South Zagros

This part of the Zagros, like its central part, is very large and its boundaries are from the north to Karun and Shalmzar rivers, from the west to Shoor and Maroon rivers to Fahlian and Zohreh, from the south to Shash Pir river and from the eastern part to the distance plains. Borujen reaches Jahrom and Marvdasht.

This part of Zagros also includes the following 5 parts:

Sabzkooh and Hezar Darreh
The mountains did not move
String Dena
Line of the heads of Nile and Khamenei
Similar to the more northern elevations in the western part near the Dez River, it consists of a series of highlands and very pristine and untouched areas.