On the alpine meadows of Alborz Mountains, above 2,500 m, we can see different xerophilous plants, including the spiny cushions of various species of Astragalus, like this purple one.

Alborz Mountains in northern Iran is stretching from west to east, in the southern coast of the Caspian Sea. This mountain range forms a natural barrier between the south part of the the Caspian Sea and the central plateau of Iran.
Elborz Chain is more than 1500 km long and its width varies from 30 to 130 km in different partss, its avarage height is about 3000m, with several peaks over 4000m.