Badab-e Surt
Rust-coloured edges mark Badab-e Surt’s stepped spring pools. Mineral-bearing water has built these travertine terraces layer by layer, leaving the formation itself as a record of water flowing, depositing and changing the hillside.
Northern Iran · Caspian coast and Alborz
Mazandaran
Between Alborz peaks and the Caspian Sea
Mazandaran is best read as a climb from the Caspian shore towards the Alborz. Hyrcanian woodland, high villages and Damavand’s slopes change the surroundings along the way. Near Behshahr, Abbasabad places Safavid garden design and water engineering within that forested landscape.
Sari, Babolsar and Ramsar provide starting points for routes that alternate coast and mountains. Badab-e Surt brings mineral terraces into the picture; highland villages bring weather and cloud. Markets and dishes flavoured with pomegranate make room for the province’s everyday tastes between landscape stops.
Province highlights
Mazandaran at a Glance
- Capital
- Sari
- Region
- Northern Iran · Caspian coast and Alborz
- Best season
- Spring to autumn
- Suggested stay
- 3–4 days for one route; 5–7 days for the province
- Best for
- Nature · Sea · Gardens · Food
- Main access
- Airport · Rail · Road
06
6 essential places
Ramsar Palace
Marble and European furnishings meet citrus trees and palms at Ramsar Palace. The Pahlavi summer residence places a twentieth-century royal interior within a subtropical garden near the Caspian Sea, making setting and house equally worth noticing.
Abbasabad Garden
Water engineering gives Abbasabad its shape on Behshahr’s wooded slopes. The Safavid garden joins a lake, dam and channels; when levels rise, its chahar-taq pavilion takes on the appearance of an island among the trees.
Mount Damavand
Damavand’s volcanic cone anchors the central Alborz and Iran’s literary imagination. The country’s highest peak combines glaciers and sulphurous springs with a mountain silhouette that can be appreciated without undertaking its demanding summit climb.
Filband Village
Cloud can gather below Filband’s high ridges, leaving the village above a shifting white layer. This Mazandaran highland outlook brings the moist Caspian climate into view against the mountain forms of the Alborz.
Kandelous
A village museum gives everyday objects a place in Kandelous’s story. Traditional houses, Alborz lanes and medicinal-herb cultivation shape this Mazandaran settlement, selected among UN Tourism’s Best Tourism Villages in 2025.
More about Mazandaran
Important Cities
- Sari — provincial capital
- Babolsar — river and coast
- Ramsar — forest slopes and sea
- Behshahr — Abbasabad Garden
- Amol — Alborz routes
Food & Souvenirs
Local food
- Mazandarani sour chicken
- Kadu Bareh
- Aghooz Mosama
Souvenirs & crafts
- Pottery and ceramics
- Jajim weaving
- Mat weaving
- Poshtzik — sesame sweet
Culture & Arts
Lucho wrestling and Amol’s Tirgan festival are among Mazandaran’s local traditions. Provincial markets also make the connection between farming, seasonal produce, food and handmade goods visible to visitors.
UNESCO & Heritage
Selected UNESCO World Heritage properties
- Hyrcanian Forests — inscribed component areas in Mazandaran
- The Persian Garden — Abbasabad Garden at Behshahr
- Trans-Iranian Railway — its northern route in Mazandaran
Other historic places
Other heritage highlights: Farahabad’s historic complex and Ramsar Palace, without separate World Heritage inscriptions.
Selected Universities
- University of Mazandaran
