Visit the magnificent scenery of Arasbaran in northern Iran
On top of the enchanting mountains in Arasbaran at dawn, through the radiant beams of sunshine, one could observe how mist spreads out from the jungle. This magnificent scenery recalls other-worldly postcards.
Arasbaran is a high mountainous region with an elevation ranging from 256 meters to 2,896 meters. It is located in northern Iran, at the border with Armenia and Azerbaijan, visitiran.ir wrote.
The nomads aren’t obliged to travel far for their sheep and goats to graze, since the area is utterly green. Arasbaran, or Qareh Daq, is a vast mountainous area, south of Aras River, in East Azarbaijan Province. It is bordered by the Aras River from the north, Moghan in the east, Sarab in the south, and Marand in the west.
The region owes its significance partly to being home to an extremely diverse range of vegetation and animal species, and in part to the occurrence of a number of momentous historical events.
Due to the importance of the area in having a rich flora and fauna, and the presence of quite rare species, in 1976, UNESCO registered Arasbaran Protected Area, spreading in an area of 75,000 hectares, as the 9th biosphere reserve in Iran and listed it as a wildlife refuge.
A unique feature of Arasbaran Forest is the ubiquity of edible wild trees. Hornbeam, sumac, a wide range of berries, walnuts, hazelnuts, redcurrants and a variety of herbs with application in traditional medicine are some of the local flora.
Moreover, the region is a natural habitat to various species of birds, reptiles, fish and mammals, namely, wild boar, brown bear, wolf, leopard and Caspian red deer, which, apparently, was in danger of extinction but has recently been revitalized.
While traveling in the area, visiting the road from Kaleybar to Asheqlu is recommended. A large number of magnificent attractions of the region are located in this vicinity, for instance, Mikandi valley, Aynali Forest, and Babak Castle. Nevertheless, there are also some other attractions less frequently visited by tourists, including the traditional lifestyle of the summer camps of the tribes local to the area.
Hot springs, some of which are equipped with therapeutic facilities, are plentiful in the area and ready to help visitors relax.
Due to the high altitude difference, Arasbaran enjoys a variety of climates. Kaleybar is the closest residential area. The average annual precipitation at the Kaleybar weather station during a period of 20 years was 461mm. Precipitation in this area is relatively high and it snows most of the time.