Arasbaran

Arasbaran (Persian: ارسباران, romanized: Arasbârân, lit. 'banks of the Aras'), also known as Qaradagh (Azerbaijani: Qaradağ; قره‌داغ, lit. 'black mountain'; Armenian: Ղարադաղ), is a large mountainous area stretching from the Qūshā Dāgh massif, south of Ahar, to the Aras River in East Azerbaijan province of Iran. The region is confined to Aras River in the north, Meshgin Shahr County and Mughan plain in the east, Sarab County in the south, and Tabriz and Marand counties in the west. Since 1976, UNESCO has registered 72,460 hectares of the region, confined to 38°40' to 39°08'N and 46°39' to 47°02'E, as biosphere reserve with the following general description: This biosphere reserve situated in the north of Iran at the border to Azerbaijan belongs to the Caucasus Iranian Highlands. In-between the Caspian, Caucasus and Mediterranean region, the area covers mountains up to 2,200 metres, high alpine meadows, semi-arid steppes, rangelands and forests, rivers and springs. Arasbaran is the territory of about 23,500 nomads who are mainly living in the buffer and transition zones (2000). Economic activities in the biosphere reserve are mainly agriculture, animal husbandry, horticulture, apiculture, handicrafts and tourism, but business activities can also be found in urbanized areas. In 2023, Jolfa County in the north was designated UNESCO Aras Geopark.