Damawand
| Damawand | ||
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 Winter shot of the Damawand |
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| height | 5609.2 m | |
| location | Northern Iran | |
| Mountains | Elburs Mountains | |
| Dominance | 1,164.8 km → Elbrus | |
| Notch height | 4660 m | |
| Coordinates | 35 ° 57 '14 " N , 52 ° 6' 43" E | |
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| Type | Stratovolcano | |
| Last eruption | 5350 BC Chr. ± 200 years | |
| Normal way | South route | |
| particularities | highest mountain in Iran and the Middle East | |
The Damawand or Demawend (also Damāvand , short for Persian كوه دماوند, DMG Kūh-e Damāwand , literal meaning: "the mountain containing steam", imagery for "smoking mountain") is the highest mountain in Iran in the Elburs Mountains in the province of Māzandarān .
geography
The Damawand rises as a dormant, only slightly smoking volcanic cone about 70 km east-northeast of Tehran south of the Caspian Sea 5604 m high and towers over all the surrounding mountains by far. In the literature, 5610 m or 5671 m are also used as alternative heights. The Damāwand is thus the highest mountain in Iran, but is also, depending on the geographical definition , the highest peak in the entire Middle East . With a notch height of 4660 m, it is one of the highest free-standing mountains in the world.
Alpinism
There are routes on all sides of the uniform volcanic cone, most of which lead to the summit without difficulty over scree and sand, sometimes also by climbing. The best-known and most popular route is the route from the south: From the last village, Reyneh (also known as "Camp 1"), there are roads to Gūsfandsara ("Camp 2"). From here a hiking trail leads up to the new Bargah-e-Sewom hut (approx. 4180 m - "Camp 3") - slightly above the old, bunker-like building - with overnight accommodation and a water point. This is where you usually spend the night before setting off to the summit in the dark the next day; Even the last part has no technical difficulties, but ultimately only consists of 1500 meters of even hiking on narrow debris paths. In the uppermost part of the mountain you cross sandy slopes with numerous small holes in the ground from which sulfur gases rise. With a bit of luck, you can climb the Damāwand in August without any snow or ice contact; Normally, however, you should be prepared for the fact that the summit is not aperous . Those who stand at the summit in the dark can marvel at the sea of lights in Tehran on the horizon .
Reinhold Messner failed in an attempt to climb the Damawand in winter in 1970 due to adverse weather conditions. In 2014, the German extreme unicyclist Lutz Eichholz climbed the Damāwand and descended the entire mountain on his unicycle. In doing so, he set a new world record for the highest downhill descent ever made on a unicycle.
Myth and legends about the Damāwand
In Zoroastrian texts and mythology, the three-headed dragon Azhi Dahaka was chained to the mountain, where it must remain until the end of time. The legend of Arasch also takes place around the mountain.
The events around this mountain are impressively described in the Shāhnāmeh , the Persian book of kings by the poet Abū l-Qāsem-e Ferdousī . In it, Fereydun freed Iran from the thousand-year-long rule of the Zahak by capturing him and nailing it to a rock face of the Damāwand:
“On Mount Demawand he puts it in a ribbon.
...
A narrow place he chose for him there,
A cave that got lost for no reason.
Then he fixes it strong with nails,
In places where it does not hit the marrow,
And forges his hands to the stone, So
long he must live in pain. "
There is also a fine example of the importance of the mountain in Persian literature in the poem Damāvand by Mohammad-Taqi Bahar . The first verse:
« ای دیو سپید پای در بند
ای گنبد گیتی ای دماوند »
"Ey dīw-e sepīd-e pāy-e dar band,
Ey gonbad-e gītī, ey Damāwand"
"Oh white demon with feet in the band
, oh dome of the world, oh you damāwand"
photos
Summer 2005, an almost snow-free Damawand.
Almost snow-free Damawand.
The summit crater of the Damawand.
Satellite image with summit crater and lava traces on the Dama Wall.
Penitence in the summit region of the Damawand.
Damawand crater in August
See also
literature
- Sven Anders Hedin : The Demavend according to our own observation . Halle 1892 (dissertation).
- Karl Gratzl, Robert Kostka : Damavand. The highest mountain in Iran . Weishaupt Verlag, Gnas 2001, ISBN 3-7059-0135-4 ( austria-forum.org - scientific monograph).
- Nasrollah Kasraian : Damavand . Tehran 1992 (Persian, English, illustrated book).
- Gerhard and Lydia Schmidt: 5000s. Trekking and mountaineering worldwide . Munich 1993, p. 192-202 .
Web links
- Damawand in the Global Volcanism Program of the Smithsonian Institution (English)
- Demāvend on Peakbagger.com (English)
- Ascent report, photos and information
Individual evidence
- ↑ See Junker / Alavi: German-Persian Dictionary , Leipzig / Teheran 1970, p. 68, p. 324.
- ↑ a b Extreme Collect
- ↑ peakbagger.com
- ^ Earthobservatory.nasa.gov
- ↑ The Elbrus on the border between Europe and Asia is higher, but its affiliation to Asia or Europe is disputed.
- ↑ Drinking vodka in a tyrant prison in: FAZ from November 11, 2010, page R 3.
- ^ Lutz Eichholz: Damavand. Retrieved January 14, 2015 .
- ↑ Friedrich Rückert : Firdosi's King Book (Schahname) Sage I-XIII. 1890. Reprint: epubli, Berlin 2010, p. 62.