Karaftoo Cave, a Natural Marvel in Western Iran - CAIS Archaeological & Cultural Daily News of Iran©

The light unleashed as a result of power supply being brought to the Karaftoo cave caused bats, the seven-thousand-year dwellers of the cave, to escape. Lightening equipment is installed in all halls and visiting places of the cave.

Khofashan (bats) Hall is one of the most beautiful parts of the Karaftoo cave which is now equipped with lightening system so that tourists can easily visit this part. The ceiling of the hall is covered by lime holes. There is a 40-meter long chasm in the hall where bats used to live for years; but now their dark shelter is lightened and is open to the visitors and tourists.

In the wake of rehabilitating the Karaftoo cave, cleaning up and digging works of the inner and outer parts of the cave have been completed and building stone platforms outdoor has started. Meanwhile, a parking lot on the road leading to the cave is also under construction.

An Archaeological site, sanitary wares, accommodation facilities, and ticket booth have been built; the outdoor area has been covered by cobblestones as well.

The stone architecture of Karaftoo cave is unique. Man used to use this cave from the troglodytic age to the Islamic era; various life styles of different times turned Karaftoo into a tourist attraction.

Karaftoo cave is a lime one which has been under water during the second geological age (Mesozoic) ; little by little, troglodytes inhabited it and left their traces there. The cave has undergone considerable changes by different men dwelled there. The cut stones and the corridors are indicative of man’s manipulation in the cave.

Karaftoo cave is located in the western Iranian province of Kordestan, near the city of Eivandarreh. Experts believe that this cave is worthy of being registered in the World Heritage List due to its Greek tablets and stunning architecture as well as being the dwelling place of men in the prehistoric times until the Ilkhanid era. Meanwhile, Karaftoo has already been registered in the National Cultural Heritage List.

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