Hazarajat

mountains in the eastern part of the Iranian Plateau in Afghanistan, located primarily in the basins of two rivers, the Hari Rud and the Farah Rud. The Hazarajat, a system of desolate ranges of primarily moderate elevation, measures approximately 600 km in length and up to 300 km in width. It rises to a maximum elevation of 4,182 m in the Koh-i-Hesar. The ranges, which are composed mainly of limestones and shales, fan out from the western extremity of the Hindu Kush, gradually becoming lower toward the west and southwest. Semidesert with ephemeral sagebrush predominates to elevations of 2,400 m, with occasional thin forests of pistachio. Higher there is frigana (xerophytic shrub and semishrub vegetation) with groves of juniper; dry steppes occur on leveled segments. There are oases at the foot of the mountains.