Mount Damavand, Iran (legend)

The Chained Tyrant of Damavand

Folklore — not a documented case

Deep inside Mount Damavand, Iran's highest peak, the serpent-shouldered tyrant Zahhak is said to lie in chains, waiting for the end of time.

At 5,609 metres, Damavand is the highest mountain in Iran and the Middle East. This dormant volcano in the Alborz range, northeast of Tehran, also holds a central place in Persian mythology. One of the most famous stories of Ferdowsi's Shahnameh, completed in the 11th century, ends on this mountain.

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The stories in this section are folk tales and legends; they are not verified, real events and should not be confused with the rest of the archive.

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