Abstract The essential oils of the aerial parts of Satureja atropatana Bonge and Satureja mutica Fish. et C. A. Mey., which grow in northern Iran, were analyzed by GC and GC/MS using two columns (DB-1 and DB-5). The main components (> 5% of the oil) for S. atropatana were thymol (62.1%), p-cymene (6.1%) and spathulenol (5.2%), and, for S. mutica, thymol (62.6%), p-cymene (9.4%), carvacrol (6.6%) and methyl thymol (5.4%).