Almas (Diamond) Cave of Bahabad

Caves give man a dual sense of fear and security. On the one hand, these natural phenomena were the first places where early man took shelter and, in some way, settled in them, and, on the other hand, due to their often-frightening appearance and dark atmosphere, they have become a tool for storytellers to create strange monsters from them. Nevertheless, caves should be considered one of the most attractive natural elements that are habitats for interesting creatures. Maybe for the nature traveler, seeing a cave with a different appearance is one of the biggest adventures. Interestingly, 42 caves have been discovered in Yazd Province, which is one of the central provinces of Iran.

The Importance and Features of Yazd Caves

The caves of this province mostly have two or more openings and there are pools of water in the middle of them. The availability of water reserves was one of the reasons that had made life possible in these caves. Traces of prehistoric human habitation have been seen in some caves of Yazd. The seclusion and remoteness of the caves had caused some of them to become a place of worship for the Zoroastrians of Yazd, especially during the period when they were facing religious pressures and the possibility of public worship rituals was partially denied to them. Among these, the Ashkaft Yazdan Cave near the city of Aqda as well as Farashah Eslami or Mobdan Firouz are famous for this feature.

Among these caves, Almas (Diamond) or Chil Cave has retained and preserved its natural features due to the fact that it is located in the western mountains of Yazd Province and is quite distant from surrounding settlements and commuting routes. Of course, the difficulty of exploring the cave and its natural shape, which is a huge hole in the mountain, is another reason for its virginity. Almas Cave is located in Bahabad City, the easternmost city of Yazd Province. This city borders with Kerman Province and has a lot of cultural and anthropological affinity with it.

Features of Almas (Diamond) Cave

Almas Cave has a large area and all its dimensions have not so far been discovered. A number of explorers have succeeded in exploring some parts of the cave up to a depth of 150 meters. The technical difficulties of entering the cave are evident from the same opening. Entering the cave requires technical knowledge and skills and sufficient tools and equipment. The entrance of the cave is located on a steep slope and stands out in the form of a rectangular well measuring 1 into 1.5 meters.

As soon as entering the cave, its beauty is revealed. The walls of the cave have an irregular limestone structure and look like a wall decorated with precious gems. In recent years, mining activities and explosions caused by miners have caused some parts of the cave to collapse, however, the cave still has a mysterious environment, attracting the attention of explorers and adventurers.

Geologists attribute the formation of Almas Cave of Bahabad to the Paleozoic to the Cretaceous period, which means the main shape of the cave was formed nearly 70 million years ago; although most of what can be seen on the cave walls was created over time and as a result of precipitation, erosion, and unnatural factors, is nearly two million years old.

Different Parts of Almas Cave of Bahabad

This cave has five distinct parts: the entrance tunnel, the main hall, the eastern hall, level one of the western hall, and level two of the western hall. These parts are sunk into the ground vertically and with a very steep slope. The well-like entrance of the cave is about 10 meters deep and ends in the main hall. The main hall is the largest space in the cave and has a width between two and nine meters, a length of about 37 meters, and a height of six meters. This section runs east-west. Due to the collapse of parts of the ceiling and walls, the main hall has less limestone decorations. A large amount of soil and stones, which have entered the cave by floods, have piled under the entrance of the hall.

The eastern part of the cave is a very high hall with a length and width less than the main hall. The coral-shaped limestone decorations of this part of the cave are very beautiful, and for this reason, it has been given the name “Coral Hall” by cavers.

There is a small corridor with a diameter of about five meters about five meters below the main hall. Since there is no airflow in this part of the cave, the decorations are very transparent. In the lowest part of the cave, there is a spindle-shaped well the opening of which is about 12 meters and its depth stands at 15 meters. The diameter of this well decreases as it gets closer to its bottom.

The Almas (Diamond) Cave of Bahabad was inscribed on the list of Iran’s national heritage in the year 2019 AD.

The seclusion and remoteness of the caves had caused some of them to become a place of worship for the Zoroastrians of Yazd, especially during the period when they were facing religious pressures and the possibility of public worship rituals was partially denied to them.