[2] Formed as part of the Zagros orogeny in the late Jurassic and early Cretaceous, the mountains rise sharply from the surrounding plains and are scored by many deep valleys.

[2] One important plant that commonly grows in the Alvand valleys is the gavar or goat's thorn, which produces the gum known as tragacanth which is used in medicine and industry.

[2] These settlements are supported by a highly productive agricultural base which includes wheat growing and livestock breeding (sheep, goats, and cattle).

[2] The historic site of Ganj Nameh, where two trilingual inscriptions were left in Achaemenid times, is located at the foot of the Alvand mountains, 10 km south of Hamadan.

[3] The Talvar begins at Kuh-e Safid in the northwest and ultimately joins the Sefidrud, the longest river in Iran, which flows to the Caspian Sea.

[2] The Torkeshvand, who speak the Laki language, have their summer pasture on the western slopes of Alvand, while the Yarimtoghlu have theirs on the east side.