Dasht-e Kavir

In the center of the desert lies the Kavir Buzurg (Great Kavir), which is about 320 km long and 160 km (99 mi) wide. In the western part of the desert lies the Daryahcheh-e Namak ("salt lake"), 1,800 km² (690 sq mi). It contains some large salt plates in a mosaic-like shape. It is part of a 4,000 km² (1,500 sq mi) protected ecological zone, the Kavir National Park. One of the most desolate parts of Dasht-e Kavir is the Rig-e Jenn ("devil's dunes").

Map of biotopes of Iran, showing location of Dasht-e Kavir (beige oval at right center).

  Forest steppe

  Forests and woodlands

  Semi-desert

  Desert lowlands

  Steppe

  Salted alluvial marshes

Dasht-e Kavir's climate is arid; it receives little rain or snow. However, the mountains that surround it provide plenty of runoff—enough to create vast seasonal lakes, marshlands and playas. Temperatures can reach 50 °C (122 °F) in summer, and the average temperature in January is 22 °C (72 °F). Daytime and nighttime temperatures can vary by as much as 70 °C (130 °F) over the course of a year. Rain usually falls in winter.

The desert soil is covered with sand and pebbles; there are marshes, seasonal lakes and seasonal river beds. The hot temperatures cause extreme vaporization, which leaves the marshes and mud grounds with large crusts of salt. Heavy storms frequently occur and they can cause sand hills reaching up to 40 m in height. Some parts of Dasht-e Kavir have a more steppe-like appearance.

Almost 3,000 years ago, at the start of the post-glacial era, the Kavir was a series of vast lakes: the Asian monsoon reached deep into central Iran, bringing heavy summer rain that formed numerous lakes in the closed basins of the central Iranian Plateau that today comprises the Kavir and other deserts in the area. There are inscriptions at teppeh Sialk noting that a local queen had traveled to visit the ruler of a town (identified as Tell-i Bakun, southeast of Yazd) by "sailing the sea"! Copious shorelines at various elevations still extant in the Kavir are telltale signs of the post-glacial, monsoonal lakes in central Iran, where desert now dominates.

Vegetation in the Dasht-e Kavir is adapted to the hot and arid climate as well as to the saline soil in which it is rooted. Common plant species like shrubs and grasses can only be found in some valleys and on mountain tops. The most widespread plant is mugwort.

The Persian ground jay is a bird species living in some parts of the desert plateaus, along with Hairy bustards, larks and sandgrouse.

Persian gazelles live in parts of steppe and desert areas of the central plateau. Wild sheep (Ovis orientalis), camels, goats (Capra aegagrus)[2] and Persian leopards are common in mountainous areas. Night life brings on wild cats, wolves, foxes, and other carnivores. In some parts of the desert, the Persian onager (gur in Persian) and sometimes even the Asiatic cheetah can be seen. Lizards and snakes live in different places in the central plateau.

The extreme heat and many storms in Dasht-e Kavir cause extensive erosion, which makes it almost impossible to cultivate the lands. The desert is almost uninhabited and knows little exploitation. Camel and sheep breeding and agriculture are the sources of living to the few people living on its soil. Human settlement is restricted to some oases, where wind-blocking housing constructions are raised to deal with the harsh weather conditions. For irrigation, Iranians developed a sophisticated system of water-wells known as qanats. These are still in use, and modern globally used water-revenue systems are based on their techniques.

• Dasht-e Lut ('Desert of Emptiness')
• Geography of Iran
• International rankings of Iran
• List of deserts by area