Tang-i Azaw, Safed Khara (Dahan-e)

(ولسوالی اوبه - AF)
34.176400,63.090300
Grottocenter / carte

Location

In the Hazarajat country (note 2) and about 110 km along the road east of Herat, above the right bank of the Azaw Gorge (note 3) and near to the gorge's entrance. The cave itself lies just opposite the cliff face with the very find spot of Persian / Judaic inscriptions (note 4) in Hebrew characters which, according to Prof. W.B. Henning, represent the possibly most ancient monument of the Persian language. BTH - 28/01/2024

Description

Various descriptions

Herbert Daniel Gebauer - 06/01/2018

A fissure cave (note 1) in a honey-combed limestone cliff that suffered a lot from large scale collapse and wrenching that left a huge natural rock bridge high above and piles of huge detached boulders below. Locally, the erosional shaping of the cave bearing landforms appear to be subsequent to phenomena which resulted from tectonical events. CAVE DESCRIPTION: Near the base and sur la droite (on the right-hand side? above the right bank of the river?), terminates an excavation (for: cavity?) with a 6 or 7 m long passage along an ascending rift to a tiny circular chambe –about 0.5 m in diameter– with a high ceiling (an aven? indication vertical cave potential?). CAVE POTENTIAL: - Outlook / Prospects: At the start of this passage one finds a chimney of difficult access, which seems to connect to other cavities and passage systems visible in the upper part of the cliff face. Herbert Daniel Gebauer: LINDBERG (1958: 124) recorded / collected Coleoptera (Tenebrionida), Diptera, Lepidoptera (-Noctuelles-), Arachnida (Opiliones, Solifuga), Acaria. A fissure cave (note 1) in a honey-combed limestone cliff that suffered a lot from large scale collapse and wrenching that left a huge natural rock bridge high above and piles of huge detached boulders below. Locally, the erosional shaping of the cave bearing landforms appear to be subsequent to phenomena which resulted from tectonical events.

Documents

Bibliography 06/01/2018

Histoire

EXPLORATION HISTORY: 1885, October: The surveyor E. TALBOT (1886: 329) was the first to have noticed the inscription —he might have visited the cave but did not mention it. 1957:08.20: Knut LINDBERG (1958: 124, 1961a: 17) visited, took altimeter readings, explored and collected cave life. Herbert Daniel Gebauer - 06/01/2018

Cavités proche

Distance (km)NomLongueur (m)Profondeur (m)
22.9Obe (Cave at)
51.8Dahan-i- Ghar, Karukh
52.0KARUKH DWAR
63.0CHESHT-e SHARIF (Cave at)
64.6ZOGHAL, Haman (Ma'dan)
75.5CHEHEL DOKHTARAN, Qadis 1 (Cave of the)
75.5QADIS VIEW CAVES, Mourehzar
75.5CHEHEL DOKHTARAN, Qadis, 2nd (Cave of the)
86.1ZIARAT KHWAJA ABDUL RAHMAN (Cave at)