The seasoned traveler in Iran is so used to seeing gaunt, rugged precipice , jagged peaks and bare deserts, that the sight of Damavand is a relief and surprise to the eye. Visible From many kilometers away, thought it is surrounded on every side by the peaks and ridges of the albroz, its superior height and singular outline compel attention. A small and picturesque town bearing the name of Damavand is beautifully situated on the southern slopes and is much used as a summer resort by the people of Tehran. There has been no eruption of the mountain in historical times and it is now regarded as virtually extinct thought some hot springs are found on its lower slopes. At the summit there is a crater, some 300 meters across, with a profusion of yellow sulfurous rocks and pumice stones.
Snow covers the crater and upper slopes in winter and spring.
On most days of the year the summit can be seen from Tehran and, when the air is clear from far away kasahn to the south of the great salt desert. It is not surprising that such a prominent mountain should figure in Iranian legend. The great tenth-century Iranian poet, Firdausi, relates in his epic Shahnama how the tyrant Zohak is overthrown by the young Feridun and imprisoned in chains to die in a cavern on the slops of Damavand. Other Legend Associated Damavand with the arc, claiming that it rested here, and not ararat. Damavand has been frequently climbed since W.T.Thamson s first assent.