The forests of northern Iran, known as Hyrcani, are one of the oldest dense forests in Iran. According to fossils and other available evidence, the life of Hyrcanian forest trees dates back to the Ice Age and the third geological period, which is related to dinosaurs. Hyrcanian forests have survived from the Paleogene. That is a period about 66 million years ago. During the Paleogene, the temperate northern regions of the planet were full of Hyrcanian forests. But these beautiful green forests got smaller and smaller with the freezing of the Ice Age.
These forests start in the south of the Caspian Sea from the Hyrcan region of the Republic of Azerbaijan and continue in Iran from near Astara to Gorgan. Geographically, the Hyrcanian forests of Iran are located 800 km from Astara to the east of Gorgan and its width is about 110 km. These forests are not able to survive in Europe and Siberia due to lack of cold resistance and exist in the temperate climate of the southern Caspian Sea. With a total area of 8.1 million hectares, this forest is known as one of the oldest forests in the world. Its height starts from the sea level and reaches 2800 meters. About half of these forests have been destroyed and now only 10.3% of them are protected. 53% of forests are in Mazandaran, 26% in Gilan and 21% in Golestan. It is definitely interesting to see them in different parts of the north. It does not matter which of the beautiful Northern provinces you go to, in any case, both in Golestan and in Mazandaran and Gilan you can visit spectacular and old Hyrcanians. In places such as Golestan National Park, Alimestan Haraz Forest, Afratakhteh Forest, Shahroud Abr Forest, Arasbaran Forests, Bibi Yanloo Forest Park and Gorgan NaharkhoranForest Park, you can access Hyrkanian forests. Also, Bola, Vaz forest, Kojour area of Nowshahr, Palang Darreh, Chaharbagh Chalous, Khoshkdaran forest, Gasht-e Rudkhan, Siah Rudbar of Gilan and Lisar protected area are among these old forests.
The name Hyrcan was actually the old name of Gorgan in the Mazani dialect, which was also known as Jorjan or Varkan. It is said that the name of Varkan is also written in the inscriptions left from the Achaemenid period. Which is a proof of its antiquity. In fact, it included parts of Mazandaran, Semnan and the surrounding areas. Later, this word became Gorgan and included the Gorgan plain and Gorgan Bay. Other names for Hyrcanian forests include the Natural Museum, Living Fossils, The World’s Oldest Forest, and the Remains of the Early Forest on Earth. Iran’s Hyrcanian forests are among the 200 ecological zones introduced by the World Wildlife Fund. These forests are very resistant to climate change as we see that they have survived for millions of years and during this time have been the habitat of various animals.
The Hyrcanian forest in different parts of Iran hosts brown bears, cats and of course leopards. A variety of birds also roam and live in this forest, such as eagles, owls, gray ducks, hawks, vultures, woodpeckers, which come here in the fall. Caspian pheasant is another bird that is considered an endangered species. The trees of these forests are broad-leaved mixed species on the southern shores of the Caspian Sea, which are adapted to the sub-Mediterranean and humid climate. Hyrcanian forests often have different vegetation based on the altitude at which they are (sea level, low foothills, high foothills, very high points). Forest trees are also tall trees with broad leaves. For example, beech, alder, elm and oak are abundant in these forests. These trees, along with other types of vegetation, both release a lot of oxygen into the air and play an important role in storing water. In addition to their effect on creating clean air and water storage, they also prevent flooding.
According to available statistics, every 10,000 square meters of Hyrcanian forests hold between 500 and 2,000 square meters of water. It is said that there are no beech forests at latitudes above 40 degrees, but the Hyrcanian forests of Iran, which are located at an average latitude of 38 degrees, have compact beech stands that are unique in this respect. Water infiltration into the soil of forest areas is very high and therefore these old forests can play an important role in the ecosystem. This region with the rarest forest species in the world, which includes 150 native species of trees and shrubs, as well as about 60 species of mammals, 340 species of birds, 67 species of fish, 29 species of reptiles and 9 species of amphibians as one of the most unique ecology Introduced to the world. One of the most famous carnivorous species in the Hyrcanian forest region of Iran is the Mazandaran tiger, which unfortunately has been extinct for 20 years. You may be interested to know that the Hyrcanian forests are also listed as an International Area for Birds (IBA).
Climatic conditions in Hyrcanian forests considering that all tropical forests in the world have 4 types of climate during the year, but these living fossil forests in Iran have three climatic layers. The climate in the Hyrcanian National Park of Azerbaijan is humid, its summers are dry, its autumns are humid, and its winters are temperate. Many tourists are eager for adventure in this ancient heritage of the planet. If you are interested in staying in the jungle and camp, you no longer need information about hotels and you can spend the night in a safe area of forests. The trees are very tall and you have to keep your head up to see the sky.
The age of these forests and the rarity of their plant texture and type of trees led to the application for their global registration in UNESCO. Of course, the Republic of Azerbaijan initially announced this request, but since most of the forests are located in Iran, Iran proposed a joint request with Azerbaijan, and this request was submitted to UNESCO and was registered on July 5, 2009.
