mammoth cave
Emine-Bair-Khosar Cave
Crimea, Alushta
This cave was discovered in the 19th century, but the first speleological expedition was sent here only in Soviet times, in 1927. . . In the 1960s, serious exploration of the cave began. The popularity of its competitor, the Marble Cave, led to the fact that paths for tourists were also equipped in Emine-Bair-Khosar, lighting was provided, and excursion routes began to be organized. Emine-Bair-Khosar impresses with its huge halls. . . Three floors can be distinguished in the cave - upper, middle and lower, the total length of the cave is 2 kilometers, the depth is 125 meters. Eyes run up from a variety of bizarre stalactites, stalagmites, columns, various crystals. . . The remains of ice age animals were found in the cave, and it was decided to equip here a small museum of paleontological and geological finds found in different caves of the Crimea. Different halls of the cave have the most amazing names. For example, the hall where the paleontological museum is located is called the Tiger Hall. The name appeared after the remains of the prehistoric were discovered here. .. no, not a tiger at all, but a cave bear! But cavers really took him at first for a saber-toothed tiger. The mistake was soon found out, but the name remained the same - the Tiger Hall. Another of the most beautiful halls - the Cap of Monomakh, was named after an unusual stalagmite (stalagmites are stone growths growing from the bottom up from the floor of the cave) of a bizarre shape - and really resembling a majestic monarch's hat. The stalagmite immediately catches the eye due to its bright white color - it is covered with the so-called "moon milk" - a specific substance, the reasons for the appearance and distribution of which in the caves are still not known to researchers. In the cave you can admire the transparent lakes, the deepest of which reaches a depth of 8 meters. . .