Zagros Mountains
The Zagros Mountains are the most important mountain range of Persia. They have a length of 1500 kilometres from western Iran (from Kordestan at the border with Irak) to the southern Gulf region). Here the range ends at the Straits of Hormuz, across from the Arabian Peninsula.
The mountains are divided into many parallel ranges (up to 10, or 250 km). They have the same age and orogenesis as the Alps, and the country's main oilfields in its western central foothills. The highest point is Zard Kuh (4548 metres). The southern ranges of the Fars Province have lower summits (up to 4000 m) and some limestone rocks show a lot of fossils. Joining a special surveyor group, fossile snails of 2 kilograms can be found at altitudes of 3000 metres. It is hard to imagine that these summits were part of the deep ocean some 50 million years ago.
In the Persian language the Zagros (or Sagros) mountains are called Kuhha ye Zagros. The salt lakes, create a good environment for agriculture and commerce.
See also: Isfahan, Persepolis, Shiraz.
