ʿAlam-Kūh ( fa, علم‌کوه; also: ''Alam Kooh'') – Mount Alam – is a mountain in

Alborz The Alborz ( fa, البرز) range, also spelled as Alburz, Elburz or Elborz, is a mountain range in northern Iran that stretches from the border of Azerbaijan along the western and entire southern coast of the Caspian Sea and finally runs nort ...

mountain range A mountain range or hill range is a series of mountains or hills arranged in a line and connected by high ground. A mountain system or mountain belt is a group of mountain ranges with similarity in form, structure, and alignment that have arise ...

in north of

Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkmeni ...

, Mazandaran Province, forming a peak of

Takht-e Suleyman Massif Takht-e Soleyman Massif ( fa, گرانکوه تخت سليمان) is a subrange of central Alborz The Alborz ( fa, البرز) range, also spelled as Alburz, Elburz or Elborz, is a mountain range in northern Iran that stretches from the border ...

. It is located in

Kelardasht District Kelardasht District ( fa, بخش کلاردشت) is a district (bakhsh) in Chalus County, Mazandaran Province, Iran. At the 2006 census, its population was 36,458, in 10,092 families. The District has two cities: Kelardasht and Marzanabad. Th ...

of Mazandaran Province of Iran. With an elevation of 4,805 meters, it is the second-highest peak in Iran after

Mount Damavand Mount Damavand ( fa, دماوند ) is a dormant stratovolcano, the highest peak in Iran and Western Asia and the highest volcano in Asia and the 2nd highest volcano in the Eastern Hemisphere (after Mount Kilimanjaro), at an elevation of ...

Climbing history

The first recorded ascent of the peak was made from Hazarchal over the south face by the German brothers Bornmüller during their six-month botanical exploration of the Alborz in 1902.

Douglas Busk Douglas Laird Busk (1906–1990) was a British diplomat, mountaineer and geographer. Personal life Busk was born on 15 July 1906 and educated at Eton and New College, Oxford, also spending some time at Princeton University. He married Bridget ...

, a British mountaineer, climbed Alam-Kuh via the east ridge in 1933 and again in 1934 from over the west ridge. The 800 m high, steep granite north face provides some of the most difficult and interesting

mountaineering Mountaineering or alpinism, is a set of outdoor activities that involves ascending tall mountains. Mountaineering-related activities include traditional outdoor climbing, skiing, and traversing via ferratas. Indoor climbing, sport climbing, a ...

routes in the country and the climbs rank alongside major climbing routes in the European

Alps The Alps () ; german: Alpen ; it, Alpi ; rm, Alps ; sl, Alpe . are the highest and most extensive mountain range system that lies entirely in Europe, stretching approximately across seven Alpine countries (from west to east): France, Sw ...

. In addition to local climbers, the north face attracts European climbing teams. The first known ascent from the north was by a German party (Gorter/Steinauer) in 1936 via the northwest ridge. Subsequently, French and Polish teams established other routes on the north face during the 1960s and 1970, these being multi-day routes of high alpine standard. A British team followed with a successful ascent in 1978. The first winter ascent of the north face was made by Mohammad Nouri in 1991.

2004 earthquake

Most of the fixed ropes were damaged severely during a major 6.3 magnitude earthquake"Deadly earthquake rocks Iran"
CNN.com. Retrieved 2012-02-25. and consequent rockfall in 2004. The mountain was closed to climbers for some months because of the hazard of rockfall and loose cables.

Terrain and approach

The mountain range supports permanent snow and glaciers. Although the southern slopes of the range tend to be dry and barren, the northern valleys leading to the

Caspian Sea The Caspian Sea is the world's largest inland body of water, often described as the world's largest lake or a full-fledged sea. An endorheic basin, it lies between Europe and Asia; east of the Caucasus, west of the broad steppe of Central Asia ...

(which offer the best approaches to the mountains) are wet and lush with vegetation.

Location

References

External links