Document Type : Research Paper

Author

• Mohammad Mosayyebi

Ph.D. Student in Climatology

Abstract

Golpayegan is one of the cities of Isfahan province, located 180 km northwest of Isfahan city and
350 km southwest of Tehran.
The altitude of the city of Golpayegan is about 1818 meters and the average height of the Golpayegan watershed is 2122.1 meters above the sea level, and 63 percent of the of the area of the basin has an altitude greater than 2100 meters (Figure 1). Therefore, Golpayegan Basin is considered as one of the highlands of Iran, in which the frosts are long-lasting and their danger
period throughout the basin is 7 months. Snowfall is one of the typical features of Golpayegan’s climate, and from late November on its precipitation possibilities are high and in most of the years the area is covered with snow throughout the winter. For this reason, the people of the Golpayegan region have developed interesting beliefs and ideas about these matters, and they use terms whose study can help understanding the climatic realities of the basin and traditions and cultural elements
of the people of the region.
The author attempts to elucidate the beliefs of the people of the Golpayegan region concerning snow and frost, and to combine it with scientific subjects. Perhaps, in this way, there can be a passing point to the climate and environmental issues caused by snow and frost as well as the popular culture of people in this regard.