a bit of ancient persian mythology

the ancient persians thought of the world as round and flat, like a plate. the sky, to them, was not infinite space, but a hard substance, like rock crystal, which encompassed the world like a shell. in its original perfect state the earth was flat, with no valleys or mountains, and the sun, moon and constellations stood still over the earth at the noonday position. all was peaceful and harmonious. but this tranquil state was shattered by the entry of evil into the universe. it crashed in through the sky, plunged down into the waters and then burst up through the centre of the earth, causing the earth to shake and the mountains to grow. the chief mountain was mount alburz which took eight hundred years to grow. for two hundred years it grew to the star station; for two hundred it grew to the moon station; for two hundred it grew to the sun station; and for the final two hundred it grew to the utmost limit of the sky. 

the mountain thus spreads through the cosmos, while its base is attached to the sky where it encloses the world. the roots of this cosmic mountain spread under the earth, holding it together, and from these roots grow all the other mountains. in the middle of the earth stands mount tera, the peak of alburz, and from there to heaven stretches the chinvat bridge over which all souls must pass at death on their journey to heaven or hell. the arezur ridge on the rim of mount alburz is the gateway to hell where the demons discourse.