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Published: October 6th 2007
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Demovend Peak
Picture taken enroute, from the demonvend, or Firoozkooh road, one of the main three roads crossing the Alborz to the Caspian Basin. Day 4 Tehran to Demavend.
The Demavend peak is a spectacular site to watch. On clear days it is easily seen in the Tehran's northeastern skyline. It stands above 18000 feet and even in this latitude and beginning of the fall it is covered with snow. It is a cone shaped structure and is an active volcano. It is a about 60 km north east of Tehran and the road that takes you there cuts though the Alborz mountains which is quite scenic. Huge barren mountains surround the road on every side. There are countless small villages and settlements along the way up. My destination is the village of Reineh, which is a launching area for the climbers to the Demavend peak. A small windy side road off the main high way takes you uphill towards the village.
The driver, Behzad, is a very friendly and talkative Tehran resident who tells me his whole life story on the way up without any reservation. He goes on in detail to describe the underground social scene in Tehran. He is critical of power as we are generally in the West but says that in case of an attack by western powers
Enroute to the peak
Starting from Tehran people will likely rally behind the government despite their general dissatisfaction with the state of affairs. This is the impression that most folks I talked to seemed to convey. He is also very scared of heights and says he usually avoids this road and complained about it all the way up.
Rudehen, a ritual mourning procession
On the way up while passing small town, Rudehen, we come across a procession of men, of all ages, dressed in black marching with the sound of drums and symbols, engaged in a ritual mourning procession. Each has either one of two bundle of chains connected to a wooden handle and stroke their backs as they march with the sound of drums and music. They are commemorating the martyrdom anniversary of Ali, which is a public holiday.
Ali, son in law of the Prophet, is a highly influential historic figure in the early Islamic History. He is a highly revered saint for the Shites and is respected by the Sunnis as the 4th Caliph after Mohammad's death. Behzad goes on the describe his reverence for Ali, shared by most Shite Iranians. Ali is said to have been very generous and
Ritual Mourning procession
On way to Demovend in Rudehen. an advocate of the poor and especially the orphans. He was more a spiritual guide than a statesman and soon fell into disagreement with course Islam took soon after the Prophet's death, including the expansion conquests led by Omar the second Khalif. He was eventually killed in a power struggle by the Omayyad's an ellite clan, who found their position threatened by Ali's more egalitarian approach to governance.
As we approach Rieneh, we see stunning views of the Demavend peak in the late afternoon sunlight. The road to Reineh is windy and fog starts to descend. This adds to Behzad's anxiety, which would of course later translate to a higher fee for the ride. Once we reach the village at sunset we find that there are no hotel accommodations there, so we move on the next village a bit higher up, called the Ab Garm, meaning hot water, so named for its now famous natural hot spring.
Ab-Garm
The village is very picturesque, located at an altitude of at least 13,000 feet. It is set on a steep hill part green part barren. The greenery is confined to the course of small streams making their way down
Rudehen
Ritual mourning procession commemorating the Martyrdom of Ali. the Demavend peak which is very close to the village. The main occupation of the folks here for centuries have been cattle ranching with some agriculture. The consturction of modern roads which makes the area easily accesable ti countess tourists mainly from Tehran and the Emirates during the summer has altered their relatively quiet and isolated life styels.
The Hike
The village has two parts, the lower part built around the main road has been transformed into the main tourist area and to me the less interesting part. Like most authentic places on the verge change, this part of the village the inhabitants have witnessed a gradual change in their occupation towards the service industry catering to wealthy Tehrani tourists. The flow of money and tourists has had a tendency to turn some of the locals into hustlers, whome I had the pleasure meeting right on arrival. The place is now mainly know for its natrual hot spring which pours out a mineral rich water of 80 deg C. Most inns or hotels or small houses turned into inns have this hot water piped into the houses for private baths, but there are public facilities as well.
The real village is more rural in charecter, is located on higher ground and harder to reach. You have to climb steep trails to get to it, which is quite an effort for an unacclmatized visitor at 13,000 feet. As you climb you pass small pasture land oasis in the course o the streams, small houses built in the local Mazandarani style made with wood, clay and slanting roofs. The sound of roosters and, barking dogs and mowing cows is all you here. Unfortuanely you also see some heaps of garbage full of plastic bags, wrappings and soda bottltes which suddenly reminds you of the the century you live in, but the occasional mounds of garbage also disappear as you climb higher. On the way up the occasional green pasture lands filled with trees and fed by a stream provide a pleasant resting area and great views of the village and the surrounding mountains. The stream's water is ice cold, and delicious, filled with minerals.
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