Khorasan Mountains

South of the Nishapur plain, the Khorasan uplands rise into the rugged country of Kuh Sorkh. Ridges and high valleys stretch between Nishapur, Kashmar and Torbat-e Heydarieh, with conical volcanic peaks and mineral springs among the heights. The red colour of the soil gives the region its name, meaning “Red Mountain”. Its cooler mountain valleys stand above the dry plains to the south.