Nishapur Turquoise Mines
36.469722,58.333333
Description
SITUATION: »The mines known as the "Nishápûr Turquoise Mines" are situated in the Bar-i-Madèn, a district of the Nishâpûr province, about 40 miles [65 km] north-east of Sabzvâr, and 32 miles [51.5 km] north-west of Nishâpûr. The principal place of the Bâr-i-Madèn district is the village Madèn, which consist of two villages, the Kale-i-Bâlâ and the Kale-i-pain, with a population of about 1,200 souls. The Kale-i-Bâlâ lies 5,100 feet [1554.5 m] above the level of the sea in latitude 36° 28' 11" north, and longitude 58° 20' west of Greenwich. … The Madèn village and the territory belonging to it cover about 40 square miles [104 square kilometres] of ground. Most of this is situated in a wide open valley, which, as it has no particular name, I shall call the Madèn valley. This valley, running in an east-west direction, is bounded on the north by the turquoise mountains, and on the south by the Batau mountains; on the east are some low hills separating it from the Nishâpûr plain, on the west the ground falls gently towards the Jowein plain. The thalweg of the Madèn valley is formed by the Kâl-i-Mansilrah (Kâl means river in Khorassan, or rather a river-bed), which rarely has any water, and flows nearly due west towards the Jowein plain« (SCHINDLER, H 1884: 132).
NOTE 1: »The principle known turquoise mines in the world are at Ausar, near Nisahpûr in Khorassan in Persia« (BALL, Valentine 1881: Economic geology.- Manual of the geology of India 1879-1887, part 3). NOTE 2: »… Nisahpûr … to which Tavernier alluded under the name of Michebourg« (BALL, Valentine 1881: Economic geology.- Manual of the geology of India 1879-1887, part 3). NOTE 3: »… Michebourg … is here possibly a misprint; for Tavernier's account is thus given in Dieulufaits' Diamonds and Precious Stones, p. 141: The mine of turquoise which furnishes the most beautiful stones is three days' journey from Meshed, turning to the north-west after passing the large town of Nishabourg« (William King in: SCHINDLER, H 1884: 132 footnote after MANUAL OF THE GEOLOGY OF INDIA 1879-1887, part 3 published by BALL, Valentine 1881: Economic geology).
Caves nearby
| Distance (km) | Name | Length (m) | Depth (m) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 793.8 | SHADIAN PITS | ||
| 798.5 | Teshik-Tash Cave | ||
| 818.5 | KHULM - MAZAR-e SHARIF road 1 (Cave on the) | ||
| 821.4 | KHULM - MAZAR-e SHARIF road 2 (Cave of the) | ||
| 835.1 | HAIBAK - KHOLM CAVES | ||
| 839.4 | Boj-Bulok | 14270 | 1415 |
| 842.9 | SAYYAD (Caves at) | ||
| 854.0 | KARA KAMAR, Sarqia-i- Afghania 1 | ||
| 854.2 | KARA KAMAR, Sarqia-ye Afghania 2 |