Materials and methods
The site examined
The urban area of Karaj, centered on Karaj city, is a major city 40 km west of Tehran. Karaj lies at an altitude of 1300 meters above sea level and is surrounded by the rugged Alborz Mountains . The population of urban Karaj based on the census of 2016 was 1.6 million, rising to 1.97 million including the suburbs. Karaj is Iran's fourth most populated city and the 21st most populous metropolis in the Middle East.