🌲4500 Years Old World’s 3rd Oldest Tree🌲

The Cypress of Abarkuh or Sarv-e Abarkuh or Zoroastrian Sarv, is a Cupressus sempervirens Tree in Abarkuh in Yazd Iran 🇮🇷 It is the World’s third oldest tree after a Great Basin bristlecone pine (5,062 years old) and Methuselah (4,845 years old). This oldest living heritage of Iran is about 25 meters high and 11.5 meters wide at its trunk.

It is protected by the Cultural Heritage Organization of Iran as a national natural monument and is a major tourist attraction.

The botanical specimen of the tree is Zarbin Cypress and it is a slow-growing, softwood, evergreen, cone tree with cone flowers in lime colour which bloom in mid-spring. The outer sheath and bark slots of the tree trunks form a network of deeply wrinkled slots.

Trees, specially the cypress trees are symbol of life and freedom in Iranian heritage and decorated many reliefs.

Many legends and myths surround this tree as it is one of the oldest creatures on earth and is located in a special place, too. According to one legend, Noah or his son planted the tree after the great storm, and another says that Zoroaster, the ancient Iranian spiritual leader was the one who planted it. Myths say that this tree has a special spirit that can keep living for a thousand years.

Reference ~ Khan Rashid Khan from ‘Ancient Forests’ fb page.