Bahabad Desert

Bahabad Desert lies 200 kilometres east of Yazd. It is bordered by the Saghand Desert to the north, Kerman Province to the south, the town of Bafq to the west, and the Lut Desert and the pristine Naybandan Protected Area to the east. Together with the neighbouring Naybandan region, Bahabad Desert is considered one of the most unspoiled deserts in Iran. The Bahabad region is made up of two parallel series of highlands stretching from northwest to southeast. Its highest point is in the Asfich Mountains (5.5 kilometres south of Jafarabad, on the border with Kerman Province), at 3,069 metres, and its lowest point, at 1,045 metres, is where the Shur River leaves the region. In terms of erosion, the rocks in the south, southwest and west of the region are mostly resistant to erosion and weathering, and for this reason they have formed high peaks that are the main recharge area for the region's groundwater aquifer. By contrast, the eastern and northwestern highlands, which resist erosion poorly, are lower and appear mostly as rolling hills and low mountains. They receive far less precipitation and play little part in recharging the groundwater.

The Shur River flows through this desert and is one of its attractions and distinctive features. It rises in the Asfich and Bonestan mountains and empties into the desert plain. The region has a hot, dry climate. Because of its shifting sands, sand dunes and bare plains and mountains, violent sandstorms with winds of up to 90 kilometres per hour sweep through it. Rainfall is very low, with an annual average of between 100 and 350 millimetres. Temperatures vary enormously, at times swinging from 45 degrees Celsius above zero to 20 degrees below zero.

One of the desert's great attractions is its clear, pollution-free sky; at night you can see the stars and enjoy their beauty. High, snow-capped mountains, salt flats, large sand dunes and playa terrain are other features and beauties of this desert. A variety of animal species live here, including the houbara bustard, Turkestan ground jay, goitered gazelle, leopard, owl, cheetah, caracal, fox and more. The area can also be regarded as one of the habitats of the Asiatic cheetah.