Attractions
Gorgeous Katale Khor Cave
Katale Khor is a cave located in Zanjan Province, Iran. It is situated 120 km south of Zanjan city and is about 410 km from Tehran. The name, Katale Khor, means "mount of the sun". The road from Zanjan to Katale Khor passes Soltaniyeh, an ancient Ilkhanid city. The cave was discovered about 90 years ago.
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Gorgeous Katale Khor Cave
Gorgeous Katlekhor Cave
In the list of great spectacular tourist attractions, we have the Katlekhor cave which is located in the beautiful province of Zanjan. This is also a limestone cave which is also known to be one of the best tourist attractions in the world.
When you step inside the cave you will be able to understand the reason behind the craze for this cave. The world beautiful is not enough to express how mesmerizing the cave is.
Katlekhor is a unique cave that has grabbed the attention of the world due to its size, number of floors and even in its great formation of Qandils.
You should know that the cave was initially discovered prior to 1300 and later it was even registered 30 years later. The cave is called Katlekhor due to the fact that in some regions of Iran, there are low mountains that are known as katele.
Local people started calling it by the name and since then the name is known as katlekhor. Let us read further to understand how the katlekhor cave formed and some more details regarding it.
The Formation of the Katlekhor Cave
The formation process started back in the third geological period. Due to the penetration of water in the limestone rock, the Saqizlu started getting washed away and hence holes were created and hence the katlekhor cave started getting formed.
The cave is more similar to the shape of the earth. In some stages of the cave still, there is a flow of water which adds more to the beauty of the cave. Let us read about the location of the katlekhor cave to know how we can get there easier.
Where Is the Cave Located?
The cave as we mentioned above is known to be in Zanjan province exactly in the heart of the limestone mountain. To be precise it is located in the Garmab village just about 5 km away from Garmab in the beautiful city of Khodabande.
If you desire to get there you need to know the ways. So the routes are mentioned below. The initial route to katlekhor cave is from Zanjan using the Soltanieh asphalt road followed by the Khodabande then Garmab.
The second route is from Zanjan to Bijar and the third route is from Hamadan to Kabudar Anga Road. You can now choose the path you desire and take the route that will take you to the katlekhor cave faster and easier.
The Features of Katlekhor Cave
While you get there, you will see that the cave is a limestone cave which has clay and soil along with iron oxide.
The entrance of the cave is known to be a four thousand-meter corridor and has many sub corridors. Inside the Hall of the cave, you will be able to see a small crystal Hall that is nicely attached to the columns.
A well is present there that has 8 meters’ depth which is basically the exit that was used for the water to go out of the cave. Though there are other natural holes with unique features that add more to the beauty of the interior of the cave.
Not to forget its great and mesmerizing beauty which is the multiple floors of the cave which is simply rare in the entire world. Based on the beliefs it has been said that the cave has seven floors but unfortunately, only three floors have been discovered so far.
You should know that the katlekhor cave is connected to another famous and well-known cave named as Ali Sadr cave in Hamedan. They are not the same in some ways as the Ali Sadr is blue in color completely whereas the katlekhor is a dry cave but purer as compared to Ali Sadr.
If you belong to that group of people who have keen eyes and they focus on the details, then you will notice that there are no or even fewer compounds in the cave that are even transparent glass crystals that are glamorous.
You can also enjoy seeing stalagmites which may seem very familiar.
Where to Stay While in Katlekhor Cave?
If you are traveling to katlekhor cave, then you should also be aware of the places where you can accommodate yourself and relax. The good news is that since this great cave is in Zanjan there are many facilities that are created around the cave to accommodate guests and tourists.
You will get sanitary facilities, a parking lot, drinking water, good store and can even opt for camping while you are in the vicinity of the cave. Luckily there are gas stations as well as telecommunication coverage as well. Who would ever think that there are such great facilities in the cave area? Still in a dilemma to travel to this cave or not?
Some of you may think that since it has been a home to some animals it isn't safe at all. We have to bring to your kind attention that the only animal that lives in the katlekhor cave are bats and that is all because of less food and light that other animals do not make their way back to the cave. Over the years the cave has undergone many changes as well as transformations.
Some of these changes have been natural whereas the rest have been artificial to make the cave look the way it is today. Some natural changes were caused by natural calamities such as earthquakes resulting in cracks in the walls of the cave.
The katlekhor cave is open from 10 am to 6 pm and you need to purchase tickets before entering the cave. So make sure you pay attention to all the details that you will see inside the cave. We hope you will enjoy your travel to katlekhor cave and will cherish the memories forever.
If you by chance desire to make your trip more interesting and fun you can go to the official website of Lootke.com and get to see many other interesting sites as such in Iran worth traveling to.