Arasbaran (, ), also
Romanized as
Arasbārān and formerly known as
Qarājadāḡ,
Qaradagh,
Karadağ,
Karacadağ, or
Qaraja dagh, is a large mountainous area stretching from the Qūshā Dāgh massif, south of
Ahar, to the
Aras River in
East Azerbaijan Province of
Iran. The region is confined to
Aras River in the north,
Meshgin Shahr County and Moghan in the east,
Sarab County in the south, and
Tabriz and
Marand counties in the west. Since 1976,
UNESCO has registered 72,460 hectares of the region, confined to 38°40' to 39°08'N and 46°39' to 47°02'E, as
biosphere reserve with the following general description:
History
There is no mention of Arasbaran as a geo-political entity in written sources dating prior to
Safavid era. There is a speculation that the region referred to as
Syah Kuh by the 10th-century
Muslim geographer,
Ibn Hawqal, corresponds to the present day Arasbaran. However, the said Syahkoh has more similarities with Manghishlaq in the eastern shores of
Caspian Sea. Therefore, Arasbaran's history should be considered in the context of its two main towns,
Ahar and
Kaleybar.