Mount Dena

Dena is a long chain of high peaks in the Zagros mountains, rising north of the town of Yasuj in Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad province. It stretches for many kilometres as a single high wall, with dozens of summits above 4,000 metres, among the highest in the Zagros. Much of the range is protected, and its slopes are a refuge for wildlife, including wild goats and brown bears.

Below the bare limestone crests the lower slopes are wooded with oak, the characteristic tree of the Zagros, and the valleys are full of springs, streams and waterfalls. Snow covers the heights for much of the year and feeds rivers that run down towards the Persian Gulf. Lor herding communities of the region, among them the Boyer-Ahmadi, have long brought their flocks up to its high pastures in summer.

For climbers, Dena offers long ridge traverses and serious winter ascents. Many summer walkers start from villages around Sisakht, a small hill town at the foot of the range known for its cool climate and gardens. In spring the meadows under Dena bloom with wild flowers, among them the crown imperial, a tall orange-red fritillary that the people of the Zagros call laleh-ye vazhgun, “the upside-down tulip”, because its bell-shaped flowers hang downwards.