Elburz Mountains

The northern slopes of the Alborz descend towards the Caspian Sea between Chalus and Nur. Here the Kojoor forests contain beech, hornbeam and chestnut-leaved oak, with evergreen shrubs and climbing plants beneath their canopy. Rivers cut through the mountains; the Chalus flows north from the range into the Caspian. The humid Hyrcanian woods contrast with the drier lands beyond the crest.