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| Koh-i-Baba | |
|---|---|
 Bamyan, Afghanistan | |
| Highest point | |
| Peak | Shah Fuladi |
| Elevation | 5,048 m (16,562 ft)[1] |
| Coordinates | 34°38′43″N67°37′27″E / 34.64528°N 67.62417°E /34.64528; 67.62417 |
| Geography | |
  Koh-i-Baba | |
| Location | Central Afghanistan |
TheBaba Mountain range (Pashto:بابا غرBâbâ Ǧar;Persian:کوه باباKōh-i Bābā; orKūh-e Bābā;[2]Kōh orKūh meaning ′mountain′,Bābā meaning ′father′) is the western extension of theHindu Kush, and the origin ofAfghanistan'sKabul,Arghandab,Helmand,Farah,Hari,Murghab,Balkh, andKunduz rivers. The mountain range is crowned byFoladi peak (orShah Fuladi) rising 5048 m (some old maps and dictionaries:[3] 5143 m) above sea level, and is located south ofBamyan.
TheKoh-e Firoz plateau merges farther to the west by gentle gradients into theParopamise, and which may be traced across the Hari River toMashad. To the southwest of the culminating peaks, long spurs divide the upper tributaries of theHelmand River, and separate its basin from that of theFarah River. These spurs retain a considerable altitude, marked by peaks exceeding 11,000 ft (3,400 m). They sweep in a broad band of roughly parallel ranges to the southwest, preserving their general direction till they abut on the GreatRegistan desert to the west ofKandahar, where they terminate in a series of detached and broken anticlinals whose sides are swept by a sea of encroaching sand. The long, straight, level-backed ridges which divide theArgandab, theTarnak andArghastan valleys, flank the route from Kandahar toGhazni.
The high jagged peaks above theHajigak Pass, blue-black and shining, shimmer in the sunlight for they contain an estimated reserve of 2 billion tons of iron ore; Asia's richest deposit. The very steep descent from the Hajigak Pass (3,700 m (12,100 ft)) with its numerous hairpin bends leads to the sparkling Kalu River, known locally as the Sauzao or Green Waters. It is bordered by poplars and several charming villages.
The area is inhabited mostly by ethnicHazara people followed byTajiks,Pashtuns. There are also Sayyid households. Much of the population heavily depends on agriculture as their prime source of income and potato the prime crop.
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