Two Iranian women made history when they became the first Muslim women to conquer Mt Everest, the tallest peak in the world.

Farkhondeh Sadegh, a 36-year-old graphic designer, and Loleh Keshavarz, 26, a dentist, added a new chapter to the history of mountaineering when they climbed the 8,848 m peak Monday.

They climbed the peak from the southern side through Nepal around 10.45 a.m. as part of the 21-member Iranian 2005 Everest Expedition.

It was an especially heady triumph for Iran as besides bagging the honour of sending the first Muslim women's team to the top of the world, it notched up the performance of its male climbers who had last accomplished the feat in May 1998.

According to Nepal's tourism ministry, after days of bad weather and thundering winds, 46 climbers from nine teams were finally able to summit the peak Monday, led by an American, Guillermo Benegas.

The Iranian expedition sent 12 members to the summit, including four Sherpas from Nepal acting as their high-altitude guides and porters.

The first successful Iranian summiteers, according to the press statement issued by the ministry, are: the 51-year-old team leader, Alpinist Eghbal Aflaky Aghbelagh, Mahmed Shoaei, a 43-year-old engineer, Azim Ghechisaz, 24, Reza Bahadorani, a 27-year-old jewellery seller and the two women.

Later, a second group in the team headed by Miroslav Caban succeeded in sending two more members up -- Reza Zarei Toudeshici and Jalal Cheshmeh Ghasabani.

It is possible that some other women from the team could summit the peak as well since there are at least five more women climbers in the team. Further details are likely to come in this week.

Last year, the Iran Mountaineering Federation invited applications from climbers for the Everest expedition, prompting 69 to apply.

The applicants were subjected to gruelling fitness tests and 14 women were chosen, to be whittled down further to seven.

The money needed for the climb -- $400,000 - was reportedly raised from the private sector.

The women climbers, who braved avalanches and tension caused by the death of three mountaineers, had said they would keep their head scarves on.

Sadegh has been climbing for more than 10 years and also trained on Mt Pumori in Nepal. This is her second visit to the Himalayan kingdom.

--Indo-Asian News Service