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66-666: The name Alborz is derived from Harā Barazaitī , a legendary mountain in the Avesta , the main text of Zoroastrianism . Harā Barazaitī is from a Proto-Iranian name, Harā Bṛzatī , meaning "Mountain Rampart." Bṛzatī is the feminine form of the adjective bṛzant- "high", the ancestor of modern Persian bouland and BarzBerazandeh , cognate with Sanskrit Brihat . Harā may be interpreted as "watch" or "guard", from an Indo-European root * ser- "protect". In Middle Persian, Harā Barazaitī became Harborz , Modern Persian Alborz , which

132-544: A barrier between the south Caspian and the Iranian plateau . It is only 60–130 km wide and consists of sedimentary series dating from Upper Devonian to Oligocene , prevalently Jurassic limestone over a granite core. Continental conditions regarding sedimentation are reflected by thick Devonian sandstones and by Jurassic shales containing coal seams. Marine conditions are reflected by Carboniferous and Permian strata that are composed mainly of limestones. In

198-483: A boom of dinosaurian evolution on land as the continents began to separate from each other (Nyasasaurus from 243 to 210 million years ago, approximately 235–30 ma, some of them separated into Sauropodomorphs, Theropods and Herrerasaurids), as well as the first pterosaurs . During the Late Triassic, some advanced cynodonts gave rise to the first Mammaliaformes . All this climatic change, however, resulted in

264-594: A coating. This contrasts with the earth's current flora, in which the dominant land plants in terms of number of species are angiosperms . The earliest members of the genus Ginkgo first appeared during the Middle Jurassic. This genus is represented today by a single species, Ginkgo biloba . Modern conifer groups began to radiate during the Jurassic. Bennettitales , an extinct group of gymnosperms with foliage superficially resembling that of cycads gained

330-600: A decline in diversity of sauropods, stegosaurs, and other high-browsing groups, with sauropods particularly scarce in North America. Some island-hopping dinosaurs, such as Eustreptospondylus , evolved to cope with the coastal shallows and small islands of ancient Europe. Other dinosaurs rose up to fill the empty space that the Jurassic-Cretaceous extinction left behind, such as Carcharodontosaurus and Spinosaurus . Seasons came back into effect and

396-477: A few million years before the Triassic–Jurassic extinction event. Sea levels began to rise during the Jurassic, probably caused by an increase in seafloor spreading . The formation of new crust beneath the surface displaced ocean waters by as much as 200 m (656 ft) above today's sea level, flooding coastal areas. Furthermore, Pangaea began to rift into smaller divisions, creating new shoreline around

462-483: A global distribution during the Late Triassic, and represented one of the most common groups of Mesozoic seed plants. Flowering plants radiated during the early Cretaceous, first in the tropics , but the even temperature gradient allowed them to spread toward the poles throughout the period. By the end of the Cretaceous, angiosperms dominated tree floras in many areas, although some evidence suggests that biomass

528-671: A large die-out known as the Triassic–Jurassic extinction event, in which many archosaurs (excluding pterosaurs, dinosaurs and crocodylomorphs ), most synapsids , and almost all large amphibians became extinct, as well as 34% of marine life, in the Earth's fourth mass extinction event. The cause is debatable; flood basalt eruptions at the Central Atlantic magmatic province is cited as one possible cause. The Jurassic ranges from 200 million years to 145 million years ago and features three major epochs: The Early Jurassic,

594-435: A variety of niches, beginning in the mid-Triassic 4 million to 6 million years after the extinction, and not fully proliferated until 30 million years after the extinction. Animal life was then dominated by various archosaurs: dinosaurs , pterosaurs, and aquatic reptiles such as ichthyosaurs, plesiosaurs, and mosasaurs . The climatic changes of the late Jurassic and Cretaceous favored further adaptive radiation. The Jurassic

660-584: Is a mythical mountain or mountain range in Zoroastrian tradition. Over time, it has been associated with a number of real-world mountains in Iran and neighboring regions. In the Avesta , Mount Hara is the home of Mithra . In later texts like the Bundahishn , it appears as a center of the world around which the stars and planets revolve. It is also the gateway to the afterlife. In Iranian legend, it

726-805: Is a cognate with Elbrus , the highest peak of the Caucasus . Zoroastrians seem to identify the range with the dwelling place of the Peshyotan , and the Zoroastrian Ilm-e-Kshnoom sect identifies Mount Damavand as the home of the Saheb-e-Dilan ('Masters of the Heart'). In his epic Shahnameh , the poet Ferdowsi speaks of the mountains "as though they lay in India ." This could reflect older usage, for numerous high peaks were given

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792-415: Is assumed to be derived from Proto-Indo-European (PIE) *ser- with the meaning of to keep watch or to guard (compare e.g. English conserve or observe ). The second term ( Avestan : 𐬠𐬆𐬭𐬆𐬰𐬀𐬧𐬙 , bərəzat ; Middle Persian : bwlč ) derives from PIE *bʰérǵʰonts and PIE *bʰerǵʰ- , respectively, both with the meaning of tall or lofty (compare e.g. English barrow or borough ). It

858-522: Is continued in Persian borz ( برز ), meaning tall. Avestan Hara Berezaiti and Middle Persian Harborz are the origin of Persian Alborz ( البرز ) and derivatives like Elbrus . These appear as toponyms for a number of real-world mountains and mountain ranges in Iran (see below). The Avesta is the collection of canocial scriptures of Zoroastrianism and presents the world view of the Iranians during

924-638: Is lush and forested. The natural vegetation of this region grows in distinct zones: The wild cypress is the dominant form of vegetation in some valleys, while olive trees grow in the western valleys of the Central Alborz near the Sefidrud . The bezoar ibex , Blanford's fox , Rüppell's fox , red fox , Persian fallow deer , wild boar , Syrian brown bear , Persian leopard , Indian wolf , buzzard , goose , woodpecker , griffon vulture , and eagle are among important animals and birds found in

990-532: Is sought for by the spies of Zahhāk . It is the dwelling-place of the Simorgh , where he brings up the infant Zāl . It is also the region where Kai Kobad dwells before being summoned to the throne of Iran by Rostam . Although Mount Hara appears in Zoroastrian texts as a mythological mountain, it has been variously identified with real mountains and mountain ranges throughout Iranian history. One example

1056-685: Is the Alborz mountain range, which contains Iran's highest peak, Mount Damavand . Another example is Mount Elbrus the highest mountain of the Caucasus Mountains . Next to these prominent examples, many smaller mountains have been name after Mount Hara. One example is Mount Alborz located in the Jahrom County of Fars province . Mesozoic The Mesozoic Era is the era of Earth's geological history , lasting from about 252 to 66 million years ago , comprising

1122-537: Is thought that a large meteor smashed into earth 66 million years ago, creating the Chicxulub Crater in an event known as the K-Pg Extinction (formerly K-T), the fifth and most recent mass extinction event, in which 75% of life became extinct, including all non-avian dinosaurs. Compared to the vigorous convergent plate mountain-building of the late Paleozoic, Mesozoic tectonic deformation

1188-749: The Anahita , Drvaspa , and Vayu in the Yashts dedicated to these divinities. Verse Y. 42.3 also shows that Hara was sometimes called Hukairya (of good activity). Mount Hara is most often mentioned in the Mihr Yasht dedicated to Mithra . Verses Yt. 10.12-14 describe how Mithra reaches Mount Hara and survey the lands of the Iranians, where "navigable rivers rush with wide a swell towards Parutian Ishkata, Haraivian Margu , Sogdian Gava, and Chorasmia ." Verses Yt. 10.50-51 state how his abode above Mount Hara

1254-669: The Cenozoic . The era began in the wake of the Permian–Triassic extinction event , the largest mass extinction in Earth's history, and ended with the Cretaceous–Paleogene extinction event , another mass extinction whose victims included the non-avian dinosaurs , pterosaurs , mosasaurs , and plesiosaurs . The Mesozoic was a time of significant tectonic, climatic, and evolutionary activity. The supercontinent Pangaea began to break apart into separate landmasses. The climate of

1320-533: The Department of Paleolithic of the National Museum of Iran and ICHTO of Gilan . The presence of large numbers of cave bear and brown bear remains and sparse stone artifacts at the site indicates that Darband primarily represents a bear den. The co-occurrence of artifacts and bear bones does not imply human predation or scavenging. Because there are no clear cut marks, except a few burning signs on

1386-704: The Greek prefix meso- ( μεσο- 'between') and zōon ( ζῷον 'animal, living being'). In this way, the Mesozoic is comparable to the Cenozoic ( lit.   ' new life ' ) and Paleozoic ('old life') eras as well as the Proterozoic ('earlier life') Eon. The Mesozoic Era was originally described as the "secondary" era, following the "primary" ( Paleozoic ), and preceding the Tertiary . Following

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1452-711: The Indian subcontinent , which collided with the Asian plate during the Cenozoic, giving rise to the Himalayas . The Triassic was generally dry, a trend that began in the late Carboniferous , and highly seasonal, especially in the interior of Pangaea. Low sea levels may have also exacerbated temperature extremes. With its high specific heat capacity , water acts as a temperature-stabilizing heat reservoir, and land areas near large bodies of water—especially oceans—experience less variation in temperature. Because much of Pangaea's land

1518-707: The Iranian plate and their final collision, the Iranian plate was pressed from both sides. The collisions finally caused the folding of the Upper Paleozoic, Mesozoic , and Paleogene rocks and the Cenozoic (chiefly the Eocene ) volcanism , to form the Alborz Mountains, primarily during the Miocene . The Alpine orogeny began, therefore, with Eocene volcanism in southwestern and south-central parts of

1584-722: The Mazandaran Province which dates back to about 30,000 years ago. Due to the snowy winters of the Alborz Mountains, there are several ski resorts in different places across the range. Some of them, according to ski enthusiasts, are among the best in the world. The Alborz four-thousanders with at least 300 meters of topographic prominence : The peaks with altitude of 3800 m - 4000 m, with at least 300 meters of topographic prominence : The peaks with at least 1000 meters of topographic prominence : Hara Berezaiti Hara Berezaiti ( Avestan : 𐬵𐬀𐬭𐬁⸱𐬠𐬆𐬭𐬆𐬰𐬀𐬌𐬙𐬍 , lit.   'High Watch')

1650-584: The Old Iranian period . In these texts, Mount Hara is mentioned several times in the Yasna and a number of Yashts . In verse Y. 57.19 the personification of Haoma is mentioned offering to the Zoroastrian divinity Sraosha on Mount Hara. The same is said in the Mihr Yasht with respect to Mithra (see below) and figures like Hushang and Yima are likewise said to have offered sacrifice there, to

1716-561: The Permian Period allowed for the radiation of many new lifeforms. In particular, the extinction of the large herbivorous pareiasaurs and carnivorous gorgonopsians left those ecological niches empty. Some were filled by the surviving cynodonts and dicynodonts , the latter of which subsequently became extinct. Recent research indicates that it took much longer for the reestablishment of complex ecosystems with high biodiversity, complex food webs, and specialized animals in

1782-645: The Talish Mountains , is mainly made up of Upper Cretaceous volcano-sedimentary deposits, with a strip of Paleozoic rocks and a band of Triassic and Jurassic rocks in the southern parts, both in a northwest–southeast direction. As the Tethys Sea was closed and the Arabian plate collided with the Iranian plate , and was pushed against it, and with the clockwise movement of the Eurasian plate towards

1848-516: The Triassic , Jurassic and Cretaceous Periods . It is characterized by the dominance of gymnosperms such as cycads , ginkgoaceae and araucarian conifers, and of archosaurian reptiles such as the dinosaurs ; a hot greenhouse climate; and the tectonic break-up of Pangaea . The Mesozoic is the middle of the three eras since complex life evolved : the Paleozoic , the Mesozoic, and

1914-476: The Alborz Mountains. The extinct Caspian tiger also lived in the Alborz Mountains. Archaeological evidence from Alborz indicates that early human groups were present in the region since at least late Lower Paleolithic . The Darband Cave located at the Gilan Province contains evidence for late Lower Paleolithic . Stone artifacts and animal fossils were discovered by a group of archaeologists of

1980-533: The Alborz, and continued with the uplift and folding of the older sedimentary rocks in the northwestern, central and eastern parts of the range, during the most important orogenic phases, which date from the Miocene and Pliocene epochs. While the southern slopes of the Alborz Mountains are usually semiarid or arid, with irregular and low precipitation, the northern slopes of the range are usually humid, especially in

2046-458: The Atlantic seaway, which has grown continually larger until today. The further separation of the continents gave opportunity for the diversification of new dinosaurs. The Cretaceous is the longest period of the Mesozoic, but has only two epochs: Early and Late Cretaceous. The Early Cretaceous spans from 145 to 100 million years ago. The Early Cretaceous saw the expansion of seaways and

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2112-549: The Central Alborz Range is formed mainly of Triassic and Jurassic rocks, while the northwestern section of the range is mainly composed of Jurassic rocks. Very thick beds of Tertiary (mostly Eocene ) green volcanic tuffs and lavas are found mainly in the southwestern and south-central parts of the range. The far northwestern part of the Alborz, that constitutes the Western Alborz Range or

2178-778: The Cretaceous–Paleogene extinction event. Approximately 50% of all genera became extinct, including all of the non- avian dinosaurs. The Triassic ranges roughly from 252 million to 201 million years ago, preceding the Jurassic Period. The period is bracketed between the Permian–Triassic extinction event and the Triassic–Jurassic extinction event , two of the " big five ", and it is divided into three major epochs: Early, Middle, and Late Triassic. The Early Triassic, about 252 to 247 million years ago,

2244-566: The Eastern Alborz Range, the far eastern section is formed by Mesozoic (chiefly Triassic and Jurassic) rocks, while the western part of the Eastern Alborz Range is made primarily of Paleozoic rocks. Precambrian rocks can be found chiefly south of the city of Gorgan situated in the southeast of the Caspian Sea and, in much smaller amounts, in the central and western parts of the Central Alborz Range. The central part of

2310-545: The Jurassic, having evolved from a branch of theropod dinosaurs, then true toothless birds appeared in the Cretaceous. The first mammals also appeared during the Mesozoic, but would remain small—less than 15 kg (33 lb)—until the Cenozoic. Flowering plants appeared in the Early Cretaceous and would rapidly diversify through the end of the era, replacing conifers and other gymnosperms ( sensu lato ), such as ginkgoales , cycads and bennettitales as

2376-465: The Late Cretaceous declined for poorly understood reasons, though this might be due to tendencies of the fossil record, as their diversity seems to be much higher than previously thought. Birds became increasingly common and diversified into a variety of enantiornithe and ornithurine forms. Though mostly small, marine hesperornithes became relatively large and flightless, adapted to life in

2442-469: The Mesozoic was varied, alternating between warming and cooling periods. Overall, however, the Earth was hotter than it is today. Dinosaurs first appeared in the Mid-Triassic, and became the dominant terrestrial vertebrates in the Late Triassic or Early Jurassic, occupying this position for about 150 or 135 million years until their demise at the end of the Cretaceous. Archaic birds appeared in

2508-561: The Middle Jurassic, and the Late Jurassic. The Early Jurassic spans from 200 to 175 million years ago. The climate was tropical and much more humid than the Triassic, as a result of the large seas appearing between the land masses. In the oceans, plesiosaurs , ichthyosaurs and ammonites were abundant. On land, dinosaurs and other archosaurs staked their claim as the dominant race, with theropods such as Dilophosaurus at

2574-628: The Paleozoic, the Mesozoic extended roughly 186 million years, from 251.902 to 66 million years ago when the Cenozoic Era began. This time frame is separated into three geologic periods . From oldest to youngest: The lower boundary of the Mesozoic is set by the Permian–Triassic extinction event , during which it has been estimated that up to 90-96% of marine species became extinct although those approximations have been brought into question with some paleontologists estimating

2640-474: The Tethys Ocean. Temperatures continued to increase, then began to stabilize. Humidity also increased with the proximity of water, and deserts retreated. The climate of the Cretaceous is less certain and more widely disputed. Probably, higher levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere are thought to have almost eliminated the north–south temperature gradient : temperatures were about the same across

2706-540: The actual numbers as low as 81%. It is also known as the "Great Dying" because it is considered the largest mass extinction in the Earth's history. The upper boundary of the Mesozoic is set at the Cretaceous–Paleogene extinction event (or K–Pg extinction event ), which may have been caused by an asteroid impactor that created Chicxulub Crater on the Yucatán Peninsula . Towards the Late Cretaceous, large volcanic eruptions are also believed to have contributed to

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2772-533: The bear bones, they probably accumulated through natural processes. During Middle Paleolithic period, Neanderthals were most probably were present in the region as their fossil have been found at northwest of Alborz, in the Azykh Cave . Their stone tools found in the Buzeir Cave and Kiaram cave and number of other surveyed sites. Evidence for Modern human comes from a river side site called Garm Roud in

2838-521: The beginnings of the breakup of Pangaea and the opening of the Tethys Ocean . Ecosystems had recovered from the Permian extinction. Algae, sponge, corals, and crustaceans all had recovered, and new aquatic reptiles evolved, such as ichthyosaurs and nothosaurs . On land, pine forests flourished, as did groups of insects such as mosquitoes and fruit flies. Reptiles began to get bigger and bigger, and

2904-431: The current level (about 21%) throughout the Mesozoic, some concluding they were lower in the Triassic and part of the Jurassic but higher in the Cretaceous, and some concluding they were higher throughout most or all of the Triassic, Jurassic and Cretaceous. The dominant land plant species of the time were gymnosperms , which are vascular, cone-bearing, non-flowering plants such as conifers that produce seeds without

2970-457: The dominant group of plants. The phrase "Age of Reptiles" was introduced by the 19th century paleontologist Gideon Mantell who viewed it as dominated by diapsids such as Iguanodon , Megalosaurus , Plesiosaurus , and Pterodactylus . The current name was proposed in 1840 by the British geologist John Phillips (1800–1874). "Mesozoic" literally means 'middle life', deriving from

3036-605: The dramatic rifting of the supercontinent Pangaea, which gradually split into a northern continent, Laurasia , and a southern continent, Gondwana . This created the passive continental margin that characterizes most of the Atlantic coastline (such as along the U.S. East Coast ) today. By the end of the era, the continents had rifted into nearly their present forms, though not their present positions. Laurasia became North America and Eurasia , while Gondwana split into South America , Africa , Australia , Antarctica and

3102-467: The fern prairies, chased by many new predators such as Allosaurus . Conifer forests made up a large portion of the forests. In the oceans, plesiosaurs were quite common, and ichthyosaurs flourished. This epoch was the peak of the reptiles. The Late Jurassic spans from 163 to 145 million years ago. During this epoch, the first avialans , such as Archaeopteryx , evolved from small coelurosaurian dinosaurs. The increase in sea levels opened up

3168-467: The first crocodilians and dinosaurs evolved, which sparked competition with the large amphibians that had previously ruled the freshwater world, respectively mammal-like reptiles on land. Following the bloom of the Middle Triassic, the Late Triassic, from 237 to 201 million years ago, featured frequent heat spells and moderate precipitation (10–20 inches per year). The recent warming led to

3234-487: The food web. In the oceans, mosasaurs ruled, filling the role of the ichthyosaurs, which, after declining, had disappeared in the Cenomanian-Turonian boundary event . Though pliosaurs had gone extinct in the same event, long-necked plesiosaurs such as Elasmosaurus continued to thrive. Flowering plants, possibly appearing as far back as the Triassic, became truly dominant for the first time. Pterosaurs in

3300-432: The fossil record. The Late Cretaceous spans from 100 to 66 million years ago. The Late Cretaceous featured a cooling trend that would continue in the Cenozoic Era. Eventually, tropics were restricted to the equator and areas beyond the tropic lines experienced extreme seasonal changes in weather. Dinosaurs still thrived, as new taxa such as Tyrannosaurus , Ankylosaurus , Triceratops and hadrosaurs dominated

3366-581: The name, and some even reflect it to this day, including Mount Elbrus in the Caucasus Mountains and Mount Elbariz (Albariz, Jebal Barez ) in the Kerman area above the Strait of Hormuz . All these names reflect the same Iranian language compound, and have been speculatively identified, at one time or another, as the legendary mountain Hara Berezaiti of the Avesta . The Alborz mountain range forms

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3432-459: The open sea. Metatherians and primitive eutherian also became common and even produced large and specialised genera such as Didelphodon and Schowalteria . Still, the dominant mammals were multituberculates, cimolodonts in the north and gondwanatheres in the south. At the end of the Cretaceous, the Deccan traps and other volcanic eruptions were poisoning the atmosphere. As this continued, it

3498-437: The planet, and about 10° C higher than today. The circulation of oxygen to the deep ocean may also have been disrupted, preventing the decomposition of large volumes of organic matter, which was eventually deposited as " black shale ". Different studies have come to different conclusions about the amount of oxygen in the atmosphere during different parts of the Mesozoic, with some concluding oxygen levels were lower than

3564-641: The poles got seasonally colder, but some dinosaurs still inhabited the polar forests year round, such as Leaellynasaura and Muttaburrasaurus . The poles were too cold for crocodiles, and became the last stronghold for large amphibians such as Koolasuchus . Pterosaurs got larger as genera such as Tapejara and Ornithocheirus evolved. Mammals continued to expand their range: eutriconodonts produced fairly large, wolverine -like predators such as Repenomamus and Gobiconodon , early therians began to expand into metatherians and eutherians , and cimolodont multituberculates went on to become common in

3630-506: The top of the food chain. The first true crocodiles evolved, pushing the large amphibians to near extinction. All-in-all, archosaurs rose to rule the world. Meanwhile, the first true mammals evolved, remaining relatively small, but spreading widely; the Jurassic Castorocauda , for example, had adaptations for swimming, digging and catching fish. Fruitafossor , from the late Jurassic Period about 150 million years ago,

3696-572: The western parts of the Central Alborz. The Alborz is the easternmost extent of many European plant species. In the southern slopes or the Elburz Range forest steppe ecoregion , the higher elevations are arid with few trees. Juniper is the most common tree in inaccessible areas and at high elevation, while common shrubs are pistachio , maple , and almond . But in the northern slopes, the Caspian Hyrcanian mixed forests ecoregion

3762-531: Was about the size of a chipmunk, and its teeth, forelimbs and back suggest that it dug open the nests of social insects (probably termites , as ants had not yet appeared) ; Volaticotherium was able to glide for short distances, such as modern flying squirrels . The first multituberculates such as Rugosodon evolved. The Middle Jurassic spans from 175 to 163 million years ago. During this epoch, dinosaurs flourished as huge herds of sauropods, such as Brachiosaurus and Diplodocus , filled

3828-421: Was also the place from where the dead could pass the bridge of judgement to either the House of Lies or the House of Song. Due to its centrality in the cosmic world order, Mount Hara has been compared to Mount Meru found in the closely-related Old Indic texts . Mount Hara also appears in Ferdowsi 's Shahnameh under the name Alborz situated in Ērānvēj . It is the place of refuge for Fereydun when he

3894-525: Was built by Ahura Mazda and the Amesha Spentas and verses Yt. 10.88-94 describe how he is worshipped on the highest peak of Hara by Haoma. Additional material on the Zoroastrian view of Mount Hara is given in the Bundahishn , an encyclopedia on Zoroastrian knowledge, compiled in Sassanian times and written in Middle Persian . According to the Bundahishn, earth was initially created as flat. Out of this flat earth, Mount Hara would grow for 800 years until finally reaching to highest point in heaven. Hara

3960-403: Was comparatively mild. The sole major Mesozoic orogeny occurred in what is now the Arctic , creating the Innuitian orogeny , the Brooks Range , the Verkhoyansk and Cherskiy Ranges in Siberia, and the Khingan Mountains in Manchuria. This orogeny was related to the opening of the Arctic Ocean and suturing of the North China and Siberian cratons to Asia. In contrast, the era featured

4026-410: Was distant from its shores, temperatures fluctuated greatly, and the interior probably included expansive deserts . Abundant red beds and evaporites such as halite support these conclusions, but some evidence suggests the generally dry climate of the Triassic was punctuated by episodes of increased rainfall. The most important humid episodes were the Carnian Pluvial Event and one in the Rhaetian ,

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4092-483: Was dominated by deserts in the interior of the Pangaea supercontinent. The Earth had just witnessed a massive die-off in which 95% of all life became extinct, and the most common vertebrate life on land were Lystrosaurus , labyrinthodonts , and Euparkeria along with many other creatures that managed to survive the Permian extinction. Temnospondyls reached peak diversity during the early Triassic. The Middle Triassic, from 247 to 237 million years ago, featured

4158-530: Was on Hara Berezaiti that the hero Fereydun fettered Zahhak . Modern version of its name appear in many mountains and mountain ranges over the Iranian world . Hara Berezaiti ( Avestan : 𐬵𐬀𐬭𐬁⸱𐬠𐬆𐬭𐬆𐬰𐬀𐬌𐬙𐬍 , harā.bərəzaitī ) is the term used in the Avesta , whereas Sassanian era texts, like the Bundahishn use Harborz ( Middle Persian : hlbwlc ). They are generally interpreted to mean High Watch or High Guard . The first term ( Avestan : 𐬀𐬌𐬙𐬍 , harā ; Middle Persian : hl )

4224-402: Was still dominated by cycads and ferns until after the Cretaceous–Paleogene extinction. Some plant species had distributions that were markedly different from succeeding periods; for example, the Schizeales , a fern order, were skewed to the Northern Hemisphere in the Mesozoic, but are now better represented in the Southern Hemisphere. The extinction of nearly all animal species at the end of

4290-485: Was the height of archosaur diversity, and the first birds and eutherian mammals also appeared. Some have argued that insects diversified in symbiosis with angiosperms, because insect anatomy , especially the mouth parts, seems particularly well-suited for flowering plants. However, all major insect mouth parts preceded angiosperms, and insect diversification actually slowed when they arrived, so their anatomy originally must have been suited for some other purpose. At

4356-424: Was thought to be situated at the center of the seven climes that formed the world. It is the source of all waters and from its peak Aredvi Sura Anahita would flow into the world ocean vourukasha. Night and day were caused by the mountain blocking the sun during the daily cycle. Its peak was supposed to be a place of primordial purity, unaffected by the works of Angra Mainyu like darkness, diseases or pollution. It

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