Nature
The Talysh Mountains: green slopes, ancient forests, springs and the wettest air in Azerbaijan.
A green mountain heart
Lerik lies in the Talysh Mountains — a green mountain system in southern Azerbaijan, by the border with Iran. It is one of the most picturesque corners of the country: steep forested slopes, deep gorges, swift rivers and high mountain pastures, the yaylags, to which the herds climb in summer.
The district's highest points are the peaks of Komurgoy (2,492 m) and Gizyurd (2,433 m). About forty thousand hectares are covered by forest, and more rain falls here than anywhere in Azerbaijan — up to 1,600–1,800 mm in the mountains. Hence the lush greenery and the abundance of clean spring water.
The wet forests of Talysh
The Talysh forests are ancient and dense: relict broadleaf trees survive here, mist hangs long between the slopes, and streams run beneath the forest canopy. This wet, cool climate is Lerik's chief wealth and one of the reasons for its singular nature.
Clean mountain water
Lerik is famed for its springs. Cold, clean water gushes straight from the slopes, and the locals have drunk it every day for centuries. Clean air and spring water are what the health and longevity of the people here are most often linked to.
The Zuvand Reserve
Part of the district is taken up by the Zuvand State Nature Reserve with its botanical research centre: here the rare plants and animals of the Talysh Mountains are protected. The nature of Lerik is not just scenery but a living, carefully guarded ecosystem.