Sabalan

For the depopulated village near Safad, see Sabalan, Safad. For the administrative subdivision, see Sabalan District. For the Iranian Frigate Sabalan, see Iranian frigate Sabalan.

Sabalan
Mount Sabalan in July 2006.
Elevation	4,811 m (15,784 ft) [1]
Prominence	3,283 m (10,771 ft) [1]
Listing	Ultra
Location
Sabalan Location in Iran
Location	Ardabil, Iran.
Coordinates	38°16′09″N 47°50′15″E / 38.26917°N 47.8375°E / 38.26917; 47.8375Coordinates: 38°16′09″N 47°50′15″E / 38.26917°N 47.8375°E / 38.26917; 47.8375[1]
Geology
Type	Stratovolcano
Age of rock	5.6–1.4 million years
Last eruption	Unknown, possibly Holocene.
Climbing
Easiest route	hiking / scrambling

Sabalan (Persian/Azerbaijani: سبلان) is an inactive stratovolcano in Ardabil province of northwestern Iran. It is the third highest mountain in Iran with a permanent crater lake formed at its summit. Sabalan has a ski resort (Alvares) and different tourist areas such as the Sarein spa. The mountain is known for its beautiful vistas, including the Shirvan gorge, where few climbers ever venture.

Map of summit region and glaciers of Sabalan

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The Sabalan mountain

Savalan (The Wonder Peak)

Located in the extreme north west of Iran, this is the country's third-highest peak. At 4,811 metres it is taller than Mount Blanc in the Alps. The mountain offers many attractions throughout the year. On the slopes of the mountain the mineral water from springs attracts large amounts of tourists each year, many have faith in healing properties believed to be in the springs. The nomadic people of the area live in small villages, with their round "Yurt" tents appealing to tourism. Sabalan is a volcanic peak, and at 3,600 metres you can see gigantic 'sculptures' which are eroded volcanic stone outcrops which resemble animals, birds and insects.

Geology

Savalan is a large andesite stratovolcano, the second highest volcano in Iranian Azerbaijan (North West Iran) after Mount Damavand. The volcano is quite old, as its rocks have been dated to 5.6–1.4 million years. Some references state that volcanic activity continued into the Holocene, less than 10,000 years ago.

The summit region has several peaks exceeding 4,500 metres (14,800 ft), primarily along a southwest-northeast trending ridge. The highest point 4,811 metres (15,784 ft) is at the northeast end of the ridge, and is separated from the 4,620 metres (15,160 ft)+ group of southwestern summits by a 4,190 m (13,750 ft) col.

The mountain is located in a continental climate with hot, dry summers and extremely cold, snowy winters. Precipitation falls primarily as snow in late autumn, winter, and spring, and is sufficient to sustain seven glaciers near the summit above 4,000 metres (13,000 ft). The largest of these were more than 1.5 kilometres (1 mi) in length as of the 1970s. There are also extensive rock glaciers, several of which are more than 3 km (2 mi) in length.

Climbing

The climbing surface includes rocks of various sizes (Class 2 scrambling), and a moderate degree of fitness is required to climb it. The climb from the base camp starts easy, becomes challenging mid way, then eases in gradient near the top. The lake on the top remains frozen except for about four weeks in late July to early August.

Some climbers start by driving to hot springs of Meshkin Shehr, where they start their climb. This climb takes about two days, reaching to the base camp on the first day. Others take a taxi to base camp early in the morning, and climb the mountain in one day. In 2006, there was talk of improving the road to the base camp. If this is done, a regular car should be able to make it to the base camp during the climbing season. The road goes through multiple nomadic encampments of shepherds.

One or two days of acclimatization in Tehran or Ardabil may be advisable. Mountaineering has been popular among the youth in Iran. On a Friday during the climbing season (late June to mid August), one may find hundreds of people on the mountain. Guides can also be found in Ardabil. Adequate climbing equipment can be purchased in Ardabil or Tehran.

Surrounding area

The area around Sabalan, particularly near Meshkin and Dasht-eh Moghan produces large quantities of grain, including wheat. Thanks to the climate produced by the mountain, Ardabil remains pleasantly cool in the summers. There are lots of hot springs all around the slopes of Sabalan; and a main concentration is within Sareyn county having 10 various hot springs. Furthermore, there are some really proper slopes for skiing with a lot of snow even in near-summer; along with a very beautiful and useful ski piste named "Alvares" within an hour's drive from Sareyn to the Sabalan South ridge.

Mount Sabalan and Alvares ski piste seen from South

Gallery

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  Arshoq Castle, a.k.a. Kohneh Qaleh (old castle) in Meshgin Shahr in foreground, Sabalan in background.

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  Shelter on Sabalan at 3,600m.

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  Crater lake of Sabalan.

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  Combined Iranian/Serbian expedition at summit lake.

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  Sabalan landscape at 4,100m.

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  Sabalan.

See also

• List of mountains in Iran
• List of volcanoes in Iran
• List of Ultras of West Asia

References

1. ^ ^{a b c} "Iran: 54 Mountain Summits with Prominence of 1,500 meters or greater" Peaklist.org. Retrieved 2011-11-21.

• Global Volcanism Program: Sabalan
• Williams, Richard S., Jr.; Ferrigno, Jane G. (eds.) (1991). Satellite Image Atlas of Glaciers of the World -- Middle East and Africa. USGS Professional Paper 1386-G. pp. 37–39. http://pubs.usgs.gov/pp/p1386g/. 
• Peaklist.org: Iran Mountain Ultra-Prominence

External links

• Story of a climb to Mount Sabalan
• Hamed Tohidi's Blog about Mt. Savalan