Leila Esfandyari

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Leila Esfandyari
BornFebruary 16, 1971 (1971-02-16)
DiedJuly 22, 2011(2011-07-22) (aged 41)
NationalityIranian
EducationBachelor of Microbiology
OccupationClimber

Leila Esfandyari (Persian: لیلا اسفندیاری; February 16, 1971 in Karaj, Iran – July 22, 2011, Gasherbrum II, Pakistan) was an Iranian mountaineer.[1] Esfandyari was the first Iranian woman to scale the summit of Nanga Parbat in the Himalayas, the world’s ninth highest peak with an altitude of 8,125 metres and one of the deadliest peaks.[citation needed] Esfandyari is regarded as a pioneer in the women’s mountain climbing movement, being one of few women in the world to have completed a similar attempt.[2][3]

Education and career[edit]

Esfandyari was brought up and educated in Tehran, Iran, receiving a bachelor's degree in microbiology. She worked as a microbiologist in a Tehran hospital before she left her job to climb K2 in the Himalayas in 2010.[4][5][6][7]

Death[edit]

On July 22, 2011, she successfully completed the ascent to Gasherbrum II, one of the highest peaks on the Karakoram range of the Himalayas.[8] Minutes after, on the way down, her foot slipped on the ice and she fell 300 meters down the mountain. She had said once before that: "If I fall, let me remain where I am."[citation needed] In accordance to her wishes, her body has remained on Gasherbrum II.

Notes[edit]

  1. ^ "Alpine Club of Iran". Retrieved Mar 3, 2023.
  2. ^ "Women climbers-Everest-Nanga Parbat-K2". Retrieved Mar 3, 2023.
  3. ^ http://www.explorersweb.com/everest_k2/news.php
  4. ^ "In Memory of Leila Esfandyari | جدید آنلاین". www.jadidonline.com. Retrieved Mar 3, 2023.
  5. ^ "Peyman And His Tonbak". Retrieved Mar 3, 2023.
  6. ^ "Damavand Club [مشروح اخبار]". Archived from the original on 2011-08-14. Retrieved 2012-12-05.
  7. ^ (in Persian) لیلا اسفندیاری
  8. ^ "Leila Esfandyari dies after making summit of Gasherbrum 2". Jul 24, 2011. Retrieved Mar 3, 2023.