Zagros Mountains
The Zagros Mountains, in western Iran, lie along and across the border between Iraq and Iran. Consisting of a series of ridges running parallel to the Persian Gulf and northward along portions of Iran's borders with Turkey and Iraq, the range is characterized by sheer, high cliffs and steep-walled canyons. Several of the highest peaks rise over 4,000 meters, with the highest, Zardeh Kuh, reaching 4,548 meters.
The range's rugged topography and high altitudes have made it virtually impassable, especially during winter months when heavy snows fall across the region. Throughout history, the Zagros have thus buffered the neighboring Iranian Plateau from invasions from the west. Iran's ethnic minority group, the Kurds, also found refuge in the Zagros, which form an important part of the larger but politically unrecognized Kurdistan region that occupies part of northern Iran, Iraq, and Turkey.
Archeologists estimate that the Zagros Mountains also served as one of the world's earliest cultural hearths for both plant and livestock domestication some 10,000 years ago. Today, sheep, goat, and cattle herding remain important industries, with herders seasonally moving their animals between high-altitude summer and lower-altitude winter pastures. Millennia of intensive human use, however, have led to the destruction of many of the region's native oak and juniper forests.
Further Reading
Fisher, W. B., ed. (1968) The Cambridge History of Iran. Vol 1. Cambridge, U.K.: Cambridge University Press.
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