Caves are one of the most famous and mysterious nature’s attractions. Wonders are hidden under their roofs and between their walls. Every cave has a story to tell and what it has seen and what it has went through and inside each could be a different world. One of these caves is good old, Alisadr cave. Whether you live in Iran, or you are planning an adventurous trip to Iran and you’re passionate about nature and call yourself a nature lover, Alisadr cave is waiting for you.
Alisadr cave is one of Iran’s pond caves and one of the rarest types of caves in the world. It is also the world’s biggest and longest water caves that exists.
Alisadr cave is located on Sarighieh heights, near Alisadr village, Kaboodar-Ahang city, in Hamedan province. This cave is 2100 meters above sea level. Inside of the cave consists of flexuous cave halls and various cave atriums. Water from different parts of the cave have gathered, and made a pool inside the cave. Thereupon one must get on a boat in order to be able to travel to the depth of the cave.
Alisadr is one of the most famous tourist spots in Hamedan province and in 2008 it was registered as Iran’s 23rd natural monument, by Iran’s Cultural Heritage Organization.
Scientists believe that rocks of Alisadr cave date back to the 2nd geological period, about 136-190 million years ago.
People of Alisadr village and the neighbouring villages, had discovered this cave many years ago and utilized the water of the cave. In addition to that, people would lead the excess water from Sarab creek into Alisadr cave, and utilized it as a reservoir in summer and hot weather. This resulted in water level rising up to as high as 2,20 meters, near the cave’s entrance opening. As a result, cave’s accessibility route was blocked for many years.
Due to an earthquake in 1957, a large crack opened on the ground of Sarab’s cave, and Sarab’s creek water flow stopped. From then, it took six years for the water level in Alisadr cave to go down to normal, and entering the cave was made possible. This incidence also paved the way for mountaineers and mountain climbers to enter the cave.
First professional excavations were done in 1963 by a group of 14 mountain climbers from Hamedan.
Until 1973, the cave’s opening was 50 centimetres wide and only professional mountain climbers were able to enter the cave. In 1973, Abdollah Hajiloo, personally and with the help of local people and mountaineering committee, widened the cave’s opening by 5 meters and increased the height up to 3 meters. During the following year, a concrete path was built, enabling people to pass through a part of the cave by foot.
The cave was equipped with boats and lighting facilities and in 1976, Alisadr cave was opened for visit for ordinary people and tourists. Printed entry tickets were handed to Hamedan’s Physical Education organization.
As explained above, people would use this cave as a dam and water reservoir. On the other hand, the name of the village was registered as “Ali-Sard” (Sard in Persian equals, Cold in English) in the documents, instead of its real name “Ali-Sar”.
During road construction for the village in 1971, the executive contractor, used “Ali-Sadr” as the name of the project. From then this name was commonly used as the name of the village and the cave. Today although people call it by the name of “Alisadr”, but originally the name was “Ali-Sard”.
Main opening of Alisadr cave is located in Alisadr village, which is related to Kaboodar-Ahang city. In northwest of Hamedan, and in Zagros mountains, lies this cave. This area has a semi dry weather, with and average precipitation of about 300 mm per year.
Alisadr cave was formed during Jurassic era. Intermittent strings of schists and sandy rocks forms its foundation, thin layers of calcareous compounds have been formed on the schists, and another layer of calcareous crystals on top of them. All of these were a product of heat and pressure related to volcanic activities in western part of Alisadr mountains. Main axis of Alisadr cave is from north to south.
This cave has been formed by Carbonic acid infiltration into the calcareous grounds. In a chemical reaction this will lead to Calcium bicarbonate. This soluble substance then infiltrates into the calcareous grounds, and creates empty spaces inside them, gradually the spaces have grown bigger and they have been interconnected. The water level in the cave fluctuates from zero to 14 meters. The water is odourless, tasteless and in terms of wildlife, no animal species live there. In some places, the roof is as high as 10 meters from water level. Boating through the cave has made it very easy for everyone to pass through the cave, and that’s one of the things that separates Alisadr cave from other caves.
Given that Hamedan is a mountainous city, best time to travel to Hamedan is from mid-May until October. In addition to that, usually caves have colder environments comparing to the outside, so you can also take a jacket with you in case it was a little chilly inside.
Best route to Alisadr cave, is the new Lalejin- Bijar road. Due to it being newly constructed, it’s safe in terms of driving, especially in high seasons.
There are 2 other routes to the cave:
You can either make an arrangement with the hotel you’re staying in or a travel agency, in order to find the best suitable Ali-Sadr cave tour for you.
Hamedan, as a small city is considered one of neatest cities of Iran, and due to being a famous travel destination, accommodation has been well thought of. There are both hotels in the city of Hamedan and around Alisadr Cave. So you can choose to go back to the city of Hamedan or choose to stay the night near the cave, and enjoy the nature around the cave a little more. Right beside the main entrance of the cave, As an Iran tour operator Iran Negin Travel arrange all the details of your trip to Iran such as Iran visa, Iran hotel bookings and any other services including Iran tours packages of any category.
For adventure lovers and those who are interested in different type of tourism, visiting places such as Alisadr Cave is very interesting amusement. Eco sites in Iran always offers very good activities such as mountain trekking, camping, fishing and star watching during the night.
Iran Negin Travel, as an Iran tour operator, provides a wide range of services to tourists who want to travel to Iran and have a nice time. Through our Iran tours packages, each sightseeing can be included upon the travelers request. Our Iran tours, especially Iran cultural tours, Iran Eco tours and Iran adventure tours, cover this special location in Iran.
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