On the way from Tehran to Amol near the Caspian coast you drive past the foot of the imposing Mount Damavand. Majestically, this former volcano dominates all the other peaks. With its height of 5671 m above sea level, it is Iran's highest mountain and at the same time the highest volcano in Asia. The summit is covered with snow all year round. The mountain can also be climbed. The ascent is long but requires no special climbing experience. However, one should not underestimate the mountain. Avalanches, rockfalls and especially the escaping sulfur vapors as well as the thin air make the ascent difficult. Therefore, most of us will have to be content to admire Mount Damavand by simply looking at its perfect shape without having any ambitions of climbing to the top.

Dugh is something like the Iranian national drink, next to tea of course. You will find the refreshing drink of yoghurt, water, a little salt and mint on every restaurant menu, but it is a must to drink when you eat grilled meat. Traditionally, dugh was freshly prepared at home and supplemented with a few ice cubes before serving. In the mid-sixties of the last century, an inventive man in the village of Ab'ali north of Tehran came up with the idea of producing dugh industrially. He carbonated the drink and then filled it into practical bottles. The sparkling yoghurt drink was immediately a true selling success and quickly became known throughout the whole country. Even today, the Ab'ali factory is one of the largest manufacturing locations for dugh. The village now lives on the selling of its national drink. On the main street, you will find one shop next to the other, all of them selling the same Ab’ali dugh.