Ahar is a town in the north-west of Iran, in East Azerbaijan province, and the hills around it are the southern edge of the Arasbaran, a mountainous forested region that drops toward the Aras river and the border with Azerbaijan and Armenia.
The Arasbaran has been recognised as a biosphere reserve, valued for its mix of forest and steppe, where brown bears, wild boar, deer and many birds live in relative peace, and where the villagers still keep sheep and bees. Honey from this region is highly regarded, and so are the walnuts and the walnut-and-cheese pastries you can find in small shops. The people here are Azeri Turks, and you will hear Azerbaijani Turkish spoken far more than Persian, a point of pride and a language you might try greeting people in.
The riding is a delight if you like quiet roads. Beyond Ahar, narrow asphalt lanes wind through the hills, climbing gently from valley to valley with unbroken views over green slopes in spring and golden stubble in late summer. The surface can be patchy and edges crumble, and animals wander across, so keep your speed modest. Winters are cold and snowy, with drifts that close the higher lanes, while summer is warm but comfortable at altitude. The best season is late spring, when the hills are green and wildflowers appear.
Ahar, with over ninety thousand people, is the place to stock up: it has fuel, bakeries, tea houses and simple restaurants serving grilled meat, dizi stew and plenty of flatbread. Beyond it the villages are small, with limited facilities, so carry some water and cash. Not far away rises Babak Castle near Kaleybar, a mountaintop fortress linked to the medieval rebel leader Babak Khorramdin, a place that draws trekkers and history lovers alike.
If you are travelling in this region, remember that border areas can have checkpoints, so keep your passport handy and ask locally about any restricted zones before leaving the main roads.