The mountain is located near the southern coast of the Caspian Sea, in Āmol county, Māzandarān, 66 km (41 miles) northeast of Tehran .

Damavand is, as any cursory reading of Persian literature will indicate, the Mount Olympus of Persian mythology.
The nearest major settlement is the city of Rineh , located at the south of the mountain.

 History

Mount Damāvand has its own special place in Iranian mythology and folklore. In Zoroastrian texts and mythology, the three-headed dragon Aži Dahāka was chained within Mount Damāvand , there to remain until the end of the world. In a later version of the same legend, the tyrant Zahhāk was also chained on some cave in mount Damāvand after being defeated by Kāveh and Fereydūn. Damāvand is also significant to the patriotic Iranian legend of Arash.

    Routes to the summit      

There are at least 16 known routes to the summit which have different difficulties. Some of them are very dangerous and need rock climbing. The most popular route is the Southern Route which has step stamps and also a camp midway at 4000 m (about 13,000 ft). The longest route is the Northeastern and it takes two whole days to reach the summit starting from downhill village of Nandal and a night stay at Takht-e Fereydoun (elevation 4300 m - about 13,000 ft), a two-story shelter. The western route is famous for its sunset view. Simorgh shelter in this route at 4100 m (about 13,500 ft) is a newly constructed shelter with two stories. There is a frozen waterfall (Ābshar-e Yakhi), which often causes major avalanches