The
Central Plateau of Iran is a wide region, reaching in the
north to the Alborz Mountains, in the west to the Zagros
mountain range, and in the east to Afghanistan and Pakistan.
Landscapes special to Desert such as sand dunes, wide open
lands with no vegetation, and salt lakes can be commonly
seen in this area.
Three
main deserts_ the “Great Kavir”, “Dasht-e Kavir”
(Kavir-e Namak) and the “Lut” cover the main part of The
central plateau. The Lut Desert is known as one of the
driest and most undiscovered places in the
world,
and is
full of geological wonders. The midpoint of the “Lut”
has an altitude of about 300 meters from the sea level and
is one of the hottest places in the world. Dasht-e Kavir
Desert also has it’s own attractions. There are watery
salt plates, the water of which evaporates quickly and
leaves the wide flat mosaic-like plates of salt. The most
beautiful of them can be seen in the great slat lake in the
western part of Dasht-e Kavir.
 In
this part of Iran, most of the Plant species including
Shrubs, bushes and grasses, and tree elements do not have
any distribution except for some of the valleys and mountain
tops. The most widespread plant is Artemisia,
existing either pure or mixed with other plant
species. Some of the
other desert plants such as Calligonum, Zygophyllum
and Tamarix are also common.
The wildlife
combination at the central plateau varies according to different
habitats from mountainous to desert. The only endemic bird of Iran,
The Pleske’s ground jay Podoces pleskei, lives in some parts
of this plateau. Other desert birds like Houbara bustard, various
Larks, Sand grouses and ... are common.
Beautiful
Persian Gazelles _ Goitred gazelle and Jebeer _ live in parts of
steppe and desert habitats of the central plateau. The last
reminiscence of the Asian Cheetah can still be seen in some places
in the deserts. In the mountains, Wild sheep, Wild goats and
Leopards are common. In some parts of the Dasht-e Kavir,
considerable populations of The Persian Wild Ass scroll around. In
the night, these areas are arena to various Wild Cats, Wolf, Fox,
and other carnivores. Different places in the central plateau are
home to Lizards and Snakes.
Hard-working
and enduring people live around the deserts, accepting the harsh
conditions of the area. Camel and Sheep breeding and agriculture are
the only sources of living to them. The main population-limiting
factor in the area is lack of water. For a best use of water, these
people have created a complicated well-system known as “Ghanat”.
Dating back to thousands of years ago and still working, these
“Ghanats” are comparable to the most modern Technologies of
water-revenue. Researches say the total length of the Ghanats in
Iran is as long as the distance between the Earth and the Moon! |
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