Berliner Höhlenkundliche Berichte, Volume 10: Iran Cave Directory

About this book

Language: English with bilingual abstract in English and German

This edition of the Berliner Höhlenkundliche Berichte is based on the knowledge of the main author on the state of karst research in Iran, as well as on the joint Iranian–German–British speleological projects 2000 and 2001 which have been conducted together with the Geological Survey of Iran (Tehran) and Ghar Alisadr Tourist’s Company (Hamadan) as well as with the SINA and SAMAN mountaineering Clubs (Hamadan).

In the course of investigations it was realised that a significant number of Iranian publications exist that deal with speleology in general and cave locations in detail. They all have in common that they are written in Farsi, a language unique in writing style and spoken in Iran and some of the neighbouring countries exclusively. It was regarded to be a useful contribution to speleology to make this information on the state of cave research in Iran known to international circles. More than 515 cave locations are described below. The entry of additional information may be the subject of a future updated version of this report.

The following list should encourage speläologists and karstologists to visit Iran and to raise the level of knowledge on Iranian caves. Iran has special entry regulations. It is not possible for individuals to enter the country without an official invitation and a formally granted visa permission. Hence, it is strongly recommended to officially apply for a joint project that implies state of the art surveying work, the delivery of a quality report for the Iranian project partners and an adequate respect for the culture of the host country. On this basis caving in Iran will certainly be an impressive experience and of sustainable benefit for all participants.

Contents

Abstract     4

1     Acknowledgements     5
2     An assessment of the current situation of speleology in Iran     6
3     Geological and hydrogeological settings of Iran with special reference to kastifiable rocks     9
4     Cave directory of Iran (as at 25th Feb. 2003)     11
4.1     General remarks     11
4.2     Table 1 (some karst formations in Iran with extensive outcrop)     15
4.3     Table 2 (caves according to their names in alphabetical order)     16
4.4     Table 3 (further cave locations)     55
4.5     Table 4 (caves according to provinces, arranged from NW to SE)     58
4.6     Table 5 (caves according to their length, extract)     80
4.7     Table 6 (caves according to their depth, extract)     84
5     References     85
6     Annex 1 (cave maps)     88
7     Annex 2 (geological map of Iran)     101

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