Where Is the Great Salt Desert Located?

The Great Salt Desert (Persian: Dasht-e Kavir, also known as the Kavir Desert) is located in north-central Iran. It spans approximately 77,600 km² (30,000 sq mi) across the provinces of Semnan, Isfahan, Yazd, Tehran, and Qom.

It is a vast, hyper-arid basin characterized by salt flats (kavirs), seasonal salt marshes, sand dunes, and extreme temperatures. The desert's surface is often a hard, crusty salt pan that can conceal treacherous mud beneath. It is one of the hottest places on Earth, with summer ground temperatures exceeding 70°C (158°F). The region is largely uninhabited, crossed only by a few desert tracks.