ALI SADR CAVE, HAMADAN IRAN The Ali Sadr cave (Persian: غار علی صدر), found about 100 kilometres nor
ALI SADR CAVE, HAMADAN IRAN The Ali Sadr cave (Persian: غار علی صدر), found about 100 kilometres north of Hamadan within the Subashi Mountains of Kaboudar-Ahang in western Iran, is the world’s largest water cave. The walls are up to 40 metres tall and water canals are up to 11 km long (from what has been discovered so far the cave has about 2.4km in which to go cave boating .The cave system also contains bows arrows and jugs as well as cave paintings that depict hunting and other activities; they are dated at ~12,000 years old. The cave is 70 million years old and the water within it is supplied by a spring in Sarab. All routes within the cave (some up to 11 kilometres long) lead to “The Island”, a centrally located large atrium. The main chamber of the cave is 100 metres by 50 metres and is 40 metres high. The cave contains many large, deep lakes. The stalactite formations hang from the roof of the cave in different colours; the stagmites have shapes like those of cauliflowers, needles and umbrellas, and are in red, purple, brown, green and blue. The photo is of the Lion-Elephant Rock. Apparently the cave has such clear water that people can see to a depth of 5 metres even in a dim light. There is an inscription at the entrance of the tunnel showing that the cave was known during the reign of Darius I (521-485 BC). The cave was rediscovered by Iranian mountaineers in 1963. -TELhttp://www.irpedia.com/iran-tourist-attractions/113/794/; http://whc.unesco.org/en/tentativelists/5220/ Photo: Hamed Saber http://www.flickr.com/people/hamed/ http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-6FOwGeIk3l0/ThmsxBhJszI/AAAAAAAAAIA/SOTi2ZrJR0w/s1600/alisadr-cave1001.jpg Photo galleries: http://www.letsgoiran.com/ali-sadr-cave/ali-sadr-cave-photos; http://www.pbase.com/k_amj/alisadr -- source link
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