While watching Tehran, a miniseries on Apple TV (which I recommend), one repeatedly sees the majestic mountain wall just north of the city. These are the Alborz Mountains and the snowy massif near Tehran is Tochal, elevation 13,005 feet.
Wrapped along the southwest and southern coasts of the Caspian Sea, the Alborz Range crumpled up during the mid-late Tertiary Period as the Tethys Sea closed and the Arabian Plate collided with the Eurasian Plate, a process that continues today. In concert with that uplift, volcanism occurred in some areas and Mt. Damavand, northeast of Tehran, is a volcanic cone that rises to 18,406 feet, the highest point in the Middle East.
Though less famous than the Alps and the Himalayas, the geologic and natural history of the Alborz Mountains is very similar; indeed, they are one of multiple smaller ranges that connect the Alps and Himalayas, creating a mountain corridor from France to Southeast Asia.
