Iran is home to Mount Damavand, a volcanic peak rising to about 5,610 metres in the Alborz Mountains. It is Iran’s highest mountain and is commonly identified as the highest volcano in Asia.
Damavand lies south of the Caspian Sea, in Mazandaran Province, and is visible from parts of the surrounding region. It is a dormant stratovolcano rather than an extinct one, with fumaroles and hot springs indicating continuing geothermal activity.
The mountain has an important place in Persian mythology and literature. In the national epic Shahnameh, the hero Fereydun imprisons the tyrant Zahhak on Damavand. The peak therefore carries both geographical and cultural significance.
Mount Damavand is often compared with Turkey’s Mount Ararat and the Caucasus’s Mount Elbrus. Those peaks are prominent regional mountains, but Damavand is the highest point within Iran and a defining symbol of the country.