Kogan Cave

Kogan Cave is located 51 km south of Khorramabad, in the east of Poldokhtar County in Lorestan Province, in Miankuh-e Sharqi Rural District. This man-made cave lies in Kogan Mountain and dates back to the Parthian era (about 2,200 years ago). Kogan Cave was discovered in 1981 by the Frenchman Jacques de Morgan. Access to the cave was originally very difficult and impossible without mountaineering and caving equipment; today, however, thanks to the stairs that have been installed, you can reach the cave with a certain amount of walking. You will need a relatively high level of physical fitness to complete this route.

Kogan Cave was carved in a perfectly regular, square shape for the worship of Mithras in the Mithraism religion. The cave sits in a narrow valley with a vertical wall formed by a tight synclinal fold. Kogan Cave consists of two floors, and its small and large openings catch the eye from a distance. The cave entrance is about 60 meters above the valley floor and measures 2.5 by 2.2 meters, facing north. The cave's windows overlook the mountains and the Kogan River, which flows along the floor of the narrow valley. Interestingly, the cave also had a bathhouse and a toilet, and the spaces built for them can still be seen in the cave.

Kogan Cave was added to the list of Iran's National Heritage on 25 Esfand 1378 (Solar Hijri calendar). The total area of the spaces carved inside this hand-made cave is about 281 square meters, and one of its notable features is the water reservoirs inside the rooms. In Lorestan Province, 21 caves similar to Kogan have been identified, with between three and seven floors. Among them, the only seven-floor cave in Lorestan Province is Arjanak Cave in Aligudarz.