Our planet is filled with bright, vibrant, and eye-catching destinations. You may feel every color of the rainbow on a walk on mountains with colorful soils, an amazing example of which is situated in northwest Iran.

On the drive traveling from Zanjan to Tabriz, you may see some scenery that for a moment you might think you are on another planet.

The natural phenomenon is named the Aladaglar mountains or Rainbow mountains! ‘’Ala’’ in Azeri Turkish language means colorful and ‘’Dag’’ means mountain.

Over millions of years, the different minerals in these stones have become oxidized in such a way that they now resemble the insides of the jawbreakers.

The golden and copper colors of these mountains get a maximum glow when the sun shines at the right angle. These mountains provide a unique opportunity for eco-tourists who would like to do their professional photography.

There are a variety of colors in this attractive place containing red, copper, brown, yellow, white, green, and blue in beauty different spectrums and especially red, copper, and yellow in hot weather. As the setting sun casts golden rays and a lacework of shadows across the landscape, the visual effect becomes even more stunning.

This work of art by mother nature, the Aladaglar mountains, shares its name with a mountain range in Turkey, but the two should not be confused.

These painted mountains exist in a few places on earth, such as the Zhangye National Geopark in China, the Hornocal mountain range in Argentina, and the Ausangate mountains in Peru. In China, these mountains are said to be the result of millions of years of minerals and sandstone being pressed together and oxidized. This is likely what happened elsewhere in the world, too, making these phenomenal mountains look like giant layer cakes. Everywhere in the Aladaglar mountains has a unique form and the color and type of stones are different.

It’s the perfect spot for a picnic stop, this magical place is otherworldly, giving the feeling of walking on Mars. You’ll surely be delighted to explore it on foot, capture the colors on film and discover hidden villages nearby.

Summer is the best season to have the best opportunity and capture the colors; you can get the Aladaglar mountains when the sun shines with a straight angle to get a maximum glow.

Many tourists go about their travels through Iran not even hearing about these fantastic hills, let alone seeing them. The very picturesque landscape is almost mesmerizing; hills and mountains, all turning into beautiful red, orange, yellow and green candy.

AFM