Katale Khor Cave

Katale Khor Cave is one of the most beautiful limestone caves in the world. In age, size, number of levels and variety of stalactite formations, it is considered one of the most unique caves on Earth, and it is one of the most spectacular tourist attractions of Zanjan Province. The cave was discovered before the year 1300 (Solar Hijri) and was officially registered 30 years later. Many of its routes are still unexplored, and no end to it has been found. So far about 30 kilometres of Katale Khor Cave have been identified and 22 kilometres of this have been surveyed, but only a 1,200-metre route, on the first level of the cave, has been prepared for tourists to visit.

The entrance of the cave is a 4,000-metre passage with a low ceiling, no rock formations and several side passages. After the side passages comes a wide 950-metre corridor with 2-metre uphill sections and dry pits, which continues in two 50-metre branches. After climbing a slope, it reaches a large hall covered with stalactites, stalagmites and columns. Inside the small crystal hall, which adjoins the Hall of Columns, there is an 8-metre-deep well, probably the point where the sinking waters that formed the cave once emerged. In terms of the quality of its crystals and stalactites, its beauty and its number of levels, Katale Khor is known as the foremost limestone cave in the world. It was prepared for visitors over five years through private investment and the personal funds of an engineer named Ali, who was the civil engineer of the Zanjan Governorate. About 15 years have passed since the cave first opened to visitors, and exploration and work to prepare other parts of the cave for visits are still continuing.

Currently the cave is divided into three sections: cultural, recreational and sports. The sports section, used only by cavers and rock climbers, is about 4 kilometres long, and its end has still not been discovered. The recreational section, open to the general public, is a straight route of about 2 kilometres, which is said to be only one third of the whole cave. The cultural section lies in the southern part of the cave. Its main part is a natural corridor used for holding various ceremonies. This corridor originally had no exit to the outside, and its exit was dug artificially, but the corridor itself is entirely natural.

The best time to visit Katale Khor Cave in Zanjan is spring. When summer arrives it brings hot, sunny weather, but interestingly, while it is hot outside in summer, the air inside the cave is cool and humid. So if you cannot travel in spring, summer is also a good time for a trip. The only animals visible to the eye inside the cave are bats. There are many other tiny creatures as well, but they cannot be seen with the naked eye. One reason no animals other than bats live in Katale Khor is the lack of sufficient light and food in the cave.