QAL'EH KAFIR, Madr (Caves at)

Herbert Daniel Gebauer - 06/01/2018

A double line of unspecified French -grottes- (natural caves or man-made rock chambers?) in limestone (note 1). SITUATION: At Madr (note 2) on the ancient caravan route from Bamiyan / Bamiyan to Balkh, which climbs up to the pass of Kara Kotal (Dark Pass, circa 3200 m asl) in a magnificent, north-south draining gorge. CAVE DESCRIPTION: The limestone crags describe in some places fantastic arabesques. A bay on the left-hand side of the canyon's wall holds a double line of caves above an ancient settlement in ruins. Time, unfortunately, has destructed most of the man-made access to this Qal'eh Kafir, or Infidel's Castle, as the present Muslim bypassers like it to see (after FOUCHER 1924a: 155).A double line of unspecified French -grottes- (natural caves or man-made rock chambers?) in limestone (note 1). SITUATION: At Madr (note 2) on the ancient caravan route from Bamiyan / Bamiyan to Balkh, which climbs up to the pass of Kara Kotal (Dark Pass, circa 3200 m asl) in a magnificent, north-south draining gorge. CAVE DESCRIPTION: The limestone crags describe in some places fantastic arabesques. A bay on the left-hand side of the canyon's wall holds a double line of caves above an ancient settlement in ruins. Time, unfortunately, has destructed most of the man-made access to this Qal'eh Kafir, or Infidel's Castle, as the present Muslim bypassers like it to see (after FOUCHER 1924a: 155).