On both sides of the road connecting Aligoodarz to Daran, visitors can see several peaks with the height of nearly 4000m. These are called Tamandar, Golestankooh, Qeblehkooh, Shahankooh, and Oghabankooh. Not only are these natural mountains beautiful to by-passers, but they also provide verdant grazing land for livestock. Intricate limestone aqueducts that connect these peaks to each collect precious water that supports much of the agriculture in the region.

These mountains are the twisting frontal range of the Lorestan Zagros* and they stretch all the way to the Khuzestan plain. Qeblehkooh with its bounteous spring source is one of these mountains. It looks like a crescent moon engulfing the Efus village to its south. Since its summit faces Qebleh, or the Muslim prayer direction, it is called Qeblehkooh. The mountain is composed, in the main, of limestone. Erosion has created interesting formations. One of these formations is a crevice with a diameter of 6 m and height of 10 m, qualifying it as a glacier, one that preserves snow year-round. In the warmer season, residents of Daran make ample use of the water stored in this natural reservoir. This glacier is located in a green valley. The vegatation of Qeblehkooh is of various Zagros-type plants, mostly goat's-thorn that, owing to its rapid growth, makes passage rather difficult. The wildlife of the area is comprised of deer, bear, and goat.

Routes to the Summit

To get to the foot of the mountain, hikers first need to reach the town of Miandasht. They can do so by going through the towns of Aligoodarz, Khansar, or Daran. From Miandasht, and having covered 5 km of dirt road, the Efus spring awaits visitors for a freshening up. The area surrounding the spring is actually a very good place to set camp. Due to water scarcity in higher altitutes, wild animals gather at the headspring for drinking early in the morning.

Therefore the location of the tents must be farther from the stream running from the headspring; otherwise, bears may pose a danger. This is what happened to our group when we hiked Qeblehkooh. A huge bear had come down to drink water when it spotted our tents and immediately let out an ear-piercing growl. Our offering of two full melons was necessary to calm the ursus and send him back satisfied.

The best route for ascending is the western valley leading to the headspring where there is a path that is stretched to the summit. Ascend time is 3 hours non-stop.

* The Zagros Mountain Range covers several Iranian provinces, from the north western part of the country to the south east