Elburz Mountains

The western Elburz belongs to the mountain barrier between the Caspian shores and the Iranian plateau. In this part of the larger Alborz system, the Talysh ranges run south-southeast beside the western Caspian; the central ranges then turn east along the sea's southern coast. The name carries a history older than the later division of the mountains. Alborz derives from Hara Barazaiti, the legendary mountain named in the Avesta, the principal sacred text of Zoroastrianism. Its Iranian name has been interpreted as Mountain Rampart, and passed through the Middle Persian form Harborz before becoming Alborz. The mountain tradition also entered Persian literature. Ferdowsi's Shahnameh describes the mountains as though they were in India, reflecting a name whose legendary setting did not always match one precisely bounded range. Related names were applied to other high peaks, including Elbrus in the Caucasus.