KOH SI AV BABA (Cave on the)

Herbert Daniel Gebauer - 06/01/2018

The cave at Koh Si Av Baba (note 1) is large rift entrance to a solitary passage. It may be used as a temple cave dedicated to this -baba- (literally: father, for: saint). Somewhere sort of nearby must be Ferrier's -excavations- at –>Tchâch- Guèz. SITUATION: The cave entrance is found at the base of a low chain of limestone hills that rise from a plain. LINDBERG (1958: 127, 1961a: 18) places the cave at a point which lies a little bit less than halfway between Dilaram (70 km East of Si Av (note 2) and Farah (63 km WNW of Si Av, note 3) and makes not expressively clear wether the cave lies in a hill at Si Av (note 4) or the saint originates from there. CAVE DESCRIPTION: The cave consists of a horizontal and about 50 m long passage of walking height that attains a width of up to 2 m. There are a few impenetrable fissures, which lie several metres from the entrance and on the right-hand side. Further on, at about 30 m, one finds a low, completely infilled gallery on the left-hand side.A low side passage leads to what appears to be an aven (literally une salle de 2 m 5 sur 2 m, à très haut plafond). A few metres further on, one finds a second enlargement, much smaller but again with a high ceiling. The gallery ends, beyond a constriction, in a small round chamber (2 by 2.5 m wide and 1.8 m high). CAVE CONTENTS: The walls of the gallery are shaped by water. ÅConcretions (calcite formations) are absent. The floor consists of soil and is, in places, covered by porcupine excrements and bat guano. CAVE CLIMATE: On 23rd and 28th April 1958 a temperature of 29°C (35% humidity) in the air was measured at the entrance and 24°C (48% humidity) inside the cave. Compared with the entrance was the barometric pressure 10 mm higher in the interior. CAVE LIFE: LINDBERG (1958: 127) noted porcupine excrements (Hystrix) and bat guano and recorded and collected Hemiptera, Coleoptera (Staphylinidae, larval Dermestidae?), Diptera (Mycetophilidae) and Chiroptera. JUBERTHIE & DECU (2001: 176, 1749) note Vertebrata: Chiroptera: Hipposideridae: Asellia tridens murraiana ANDERSON.A low side passage leads to what appears to be an aven (literally une salle de 2 m 5 sur 2 m, à très haut plafond). A few metres further on, one finds a second enlargement, much smaller but again with a high ceiling. The gallery ends, beyond a constriction, in a small round chamber (2 by 2.5 m wide and 1.8 m high). CAVE CONTENTS: The walls of the gallery are shaped by water. ÅConcretions (calcite formations) are absent. The floor consists of soil and is, in places, covered by porcupine excrements and bat guano. CAVE CLIMATE: On 23rd and 28th April 1958 a temperature of 29°C (35% humidity) in the air was measured at the entrance and 24°C (48% humidity) inside the cave. Compared with the entrance was the barometric pressure 10 mm higher in the interior. CAVE LIFE: LINDBERG (1958: 127) noted porcupine excrements (Hystrix) and bat guano and recorded and collected Hemiptera, Coleoptera (Staphylinidae, larval Dermestidae?), Diptera (Mycetophilidae) and Chiroptera. JUBERTHIE & DECU (2001: 176, 1749) note Vertebrata: Chiroptera: Hipposideridae: Asellia tridens murraiana ANDERSON.