KHWAJA GHAR, Mazana 1 (Cave at)

Herbert Daniel Gebauer - 06/01/2018

This Khwaja Ghar is an ongoing 'Cave of the Master' explored up to draughting vertical squeezes with some caving potential (air current). ETYMOLOGY: The Khvadjah ghar (either meaning -Religious Master [of the] Cave- or -Religious Master [from the] Hill-) is the first item recorded under Number 18 (compare –>Khwadja Ghar, Mazana, n°2), which LINDBERG (1961a: 10-11) counted among the large or medium sized caves. Considering the religious connotation, one wonders (or not) if this cave is a temple cave sacred to Muslims. SITUATION: Some 30 m above the base of a small, approximately 70 m high limestone hill about 3 km north of Mazana (note 1), a village above the left (northern) bank of the Ghorband River. CAVE DESCRIPTION: The cave has the character of a large, about 70 m wide rock shelter with a ceiling between two and seven metres above the floor. From this room, which is half dark in the far end, continue altogether four leads (note 2) at the level of the floor. The accessible partof the first lead on the left-hand side has walls sculpted by water and isn't much longer than a few metres when it deteriorates into impenetrable sub-conduits. Closer to the ceiling, and a bit more to the right, is a second, similar lead which, at a length of 7 or 8 m, is slightly longer and furnished with a floor of earth mixed with guano. A third opening in the back of the entrance room gives access to a better developed system of passages and tiny chambers with a collective length of about 20 m. The principal passage, hardly any larger, arrives from the left, ascends and communicates with a chimney and narrow leads sculpted by water. The cave walls are smooth and polished in places but mostly covered with -concrétions granulées- (botryoidal speleothems / cauliflower stal?) and the penetrable parts -end- draughting (with air current) in a tiny, rounded bit with a floor of stones and moist earth. At this squeeze (A se réduit font suite…) are three narrow passages of which one descnds, flanked on each side by ascending ones. CAVE CLIMATE: Air temperatures of 19°C (in the entrance) and 15°C (in the 2nd -boyaux-) were measured on 13th May 1959. CAVE CLIMATE is listed from Grotte Khvadjah, Mazanah, Ghourband Tal by JUBERTHIE & DECU (2001: 1745) and, on the next page, from the same cave which is this time titled Grotte Kou-Ghar Khvadjab, près de Mazanah JUBERTHIE & DECU (2001: 1746): Crustacea: Copepoda: Canthocamptidae: Bryocamptus zschokkei orientalis Chappuis; Arachnida: Pseudoscorpiones: Chernetidae: Megachernes afghanicus Beier; Arachnida: Acari terrestria: Trombidiidae: Eutrombidium diecki Krause.nds, flanked on each side by ascending ones. CAVE CLIMATE: Air temperatures of 19°C (in the entrance) and 15°C (in the 2nd -boyaux-) were measured on 13th May 1959. CAVE CLIMATE is listed from Grotte Khvadjah, Mazanah, Ghourband Tal by JUBERTHIE & DECU (2001: 1745) and, on the next page, from the same cave which is this time titled Grotte Kou-Ghar Khvadjab, près de Mazanah JUBERTHIE & DECU (2001: 1746): Crustacea: Copepoda: Canthocamptidae: Bryocamptus zschokkei orientalis Chappuis; Arachnida: Pseudoscorpiones: Chernetidae: Megachernes afghanicus Beier; Arachnida: Acari terrestria: Trombidiidae: Eutrombidium diecki Krause.