Although most of Iran is fairly flat and desolate, its average elevation is an impressive 4,000 ft/1,200 m, thanks to a scattering of towering mountain ranges, including the majestic Elburz Mountains (with 18,386-ft/5,600-m Mt. Demavend) in the north, the Zagros Mountains (with Zardeh Kuh, 14,921 ft/4,550 m) in the southwest and the Central Mountains in the east. Damavand Mount, also called Mount Demavend, extinct volcano in northern Iran, near Tehran (Teheran). It rises 5604 m (18,386 ft) above sea level and is the loftiest peak of the Elburz Mountains. The summit is conical and the crater still intact. At the base are many hot springs, giving evidence of volcanic heat comparatively near the surface of the earth. Mount Damavand was first ascended by a European, W. Taylor Thomson, in 1837. The nearby town of Damavand is a popular summer resort.