They extend 1000 Km, averaging 3,000 m elevation, with some peaks considerably higher. The abrupt south face of Damavand invokes awe as it looms over the streets of Tehran, just a few miles south. Alborz is a major climatic barrier between the Caspian Sea and the central Iranian plateau. The north side, facing the sea, receives heavy snow and rainfall, and lush forests sweep down to the coastal plain. The south side, in contrast, has few trees, just barren brown wind-swept slopes merging with desert below.
Snow covers the tops of the higher mountains for most of the year.