Places around the world |
Pamukkale, Turkey |
Please Note: When a site is noted to be
part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site, that means that
there are no current photos taken of the interior.
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Egypt,
The Underwater Museum by National Geographic My computer
was slow but it was sure worth the wait to see the beautiful
photos.
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Really Big Holes from all over
the world.
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Malaysia
Batu
Caves is a
limestone
hill, which has a series of caves
and cave temples, located in Gombak
district.
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South Africa
Wonder Cave (Kromdraai, Gauteng) and
Boesmansgat (this has a sad tale to read about),
Cango Caves,
Coopers Cave,
Plovers Lake,
Sterkfontein (Strong Spring) with a few good
photos.
Wikipedia List of Caves in South Africa.
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Ethiopia
Sof Omar Caves with lots of history and
description and some beautiful photos. Click on
"Ethiopia" on the first line to read a long
history of Ethiopia. Tools were uncovered in the
1940s at the archaeological site of Gademotta in
the Ethiopian Rift Valley. But it was revealed
that the tools were far older that earlier
finds.
Gademotta is an item from National
Geographic.
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Afghanistan,
Tora Bora Cave Complex, this give no
history, no description and no photos. It is
listed as being a hiding place for
terrorists. Wikipedia cites no resources or
references. But you can learn much about the
taliban.
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East Africa, Tanzania,
Amboni Caves where there are 10 caves
but only one is used for guided tours. It
mentions that there is a photo of a rock
shaped like the Statue of Liberty. I clicked
on it to find a photo of the Statue of
Liberty, not a rock.
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Burma,
Pindaya Caves There is one photos of
formations inside the cave but the rest
are of the 8,000 statues of Buddha, some
very old. Some unusual Legends are
noted.
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China,
Bezekilik Thousand Buddha Caves
has some awesome photos, but nothing
of the interior of a cave.
There is a mention that the are
rock-cut and that means that they
are man made. Shrines and not
actually caves.
Mogao Caves are the best known
of the Chinese Buddhist grottoes and
of the most famous ancient
sculptural sites of China.
It too sounds like they are man made
and not natural caves.
Silk Road the page has lots of
information, history and imagery
from times ancient.
Kizil Caves this page is text
only with a little description and
history.
It mentions 300 "caves" but talks
only about the murals on display.
Perhaps the rock rooms were made for
their storage.
Seven Stars Park, this page is a
tourist type advertisement but has
lots of history and some nice
photos. I followed it from a mention
of Seven Stars Cave but there is no
other mention of caves.
There is a photo saying that what
you see from a great distance is a
cave entrance but I wonder about
that.
Shuilian Cave means Water
Curtain Cave and is in an area
featured in the famed Chinese novel
"Journey to the West." Don't know
the novel and don't know the money.
Sounds like poetry with no photos.
Zhoukoudian is a World Heritage
Site. This Wikipedia page has lots
of information and wonderful
photographs. I had always heard of
the "Peking Man" but had never seen
or heard of the rest of this
historical account. If you enjoy
reading detailed history, you will
spend hours following the
information provided.
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Georgia,
New Athos Cave is described
by this Wikipedia page as being
one of the largest Caves in the
world.
Voronya Cave is boasted as
being the deepest known cave on
the Earth. At the bottom of the
page, see External Links. Find
the National Geographic article
and while it took a LONG time
for it to open, it is well worth
the wait. There is a photo of
the team, read the text and
click on "Continue" but read
quickly. Of course you can go
back and read it all again but
you will find wonderful photos
that make you glad there are
those people who can go to the
extremes to set new records. Not
me, that is just too wet and way
cold. Oh, and dark.
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India,
Ajanta Caves in Maharashtra,
India There are 29 caves but
you can see photos of some of
the beautiful paintings,
facades, porches and carvings.
There is a list of World
Heritage sites at the bottom of
the page. Much to read about.
Badami Cave Temples are
examples of India's rock-cut
architecture. Lots of beautiful
photographs.
Bagh Caves are renowned for
mural paintings. They are not
natural caves but another example of
Indian rock-cut architecture.
Like those of Ajanta, they were
excavated by craftsmen on a
perpendicular rock face.
Belum Caves are beautiful
caves and this page has plenty
of fine photos. It sounds steep
and very deep. Check out that
stairway that goes downward. I
get tired just thinking about
climbing out again.
Borra Caves have an
interesting history with legend
and tales. This page has only
one photo though. Just click on
the image to see it in the large
version.
Elephanta Caves are a World
Heritage Site. They are rock-cut
complexes and have survived well
despite the incredible abuse
over the ages.
Ellora Caves are another
example of rock-cut
architecture. Enjoy the
beautiful photos and read all
the history.
The Jogeshwari Caves are
described as being the earliest
Hindu cave temple sculptures.
They are flooded with sewage and
waste and are "infested with
bats."
Kanheri Caves have many
rock-cut chambers and a very
long stairway cut into the rock.
Karla Caves is another complex
of cave shrines in the rock-cut
architecture. There is a little
history and a few photos of the
carvings and surroundings.
Krem Liat Prah is the
longest natural cave in India.
This page has almost no
description and no photos.
Mahakali Caves are Buddhist
caves dating back almost 2,000
years. They are carved out of a
solid black basalt rock. Two
photos and almost no history or
description.
Bhimbetka Rock Shelters are
a World Heritage Site with many
rock paintings. The shelters
exhibit traces of human life
back to the Stone Age,
approximately 9,000 years old.
Varaha Cave Temple is
another example of the Indian
rock-cut architecture dating
from the late 7th century. There
are two photos and just a little
bit of history.
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Indonesia,
Liang Bua Cave is on the
Island of Flores. The
findings that the "Man of
Flores" aka known as Hobbit
were questioned and it
doesn't sound like they were
verified. The remains were
discovered of individuals
with small bodies and brains
but dated 18,000 years old.
Click on the Homo
floresiensis to learn more.
There is one photo from
inside the cave. Looks to be
a dark place.
Maharani Cave notes that
this is a phosphate mining
cave. But the webpage for
the cave,
click here, has a few
photos. The text is very
hard to understand and tells
very little. You do forget
that it is a mine.
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Iran,
Ali Sadr Cave is in
western Iran. A very
large cave containing
several large, deep
lakes and a river
flowing through it. It
was originally
discovered between 521 -
485 BC but knowledge of
its existence was lost
and only rediscovered in
1978. There is little
more information and 4
photos, two of which are
alike.
Karaftu Cave is
called an important
cave. There is almost no
information and one
photo. But it is of an
enormous cave with no
formations at all.
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Israel,
Ayalon Cave is a
large limestone cave
discovered in 2006.
It was completely
cut off from the
outside and remains
closed to the public
to allow scientific
investigation to
continue
undisturbed. Of
course, no photos.
Avshalom Cave is
a large cave unique
for its dense
concentration of
stalactites some of
which have been
dated as 300,000
years old. It was
not discovered until
1968 but is open for
travelers and is
located in the heart
of the Avshalom
Nature Reserve.
Cave of Letters
is a cave located in
the Dead Sea area
that contained one
of the largest
caches of ancient
documents and
personal
correspondence ever
discovered in the
land of Israel. Read
the
NOVA article
about Cave of
Letters. Most
interesting, indeed.
The
Cave of the
Patriarchs is a
series of caves in a
complex. The names
and meanings are
unclear. The
information is
limited. The one
photo looks like a
prison fortress
around the caves. It
is a mosque and
there are a few
other photos. The
Hezekiah or Siloam
Tunnel was dug
underneath Jerusalem
about 701 BC. It was
probably the
widening of a
existing cave.
Warren's Shaft
is an archaeological
feature of
Jerusalem. It was a
natural fissure that
was enlarged as the
tunnel was created.
Interesting reading.
Zedekiah's Cave
is actually a
limestone quarry dug
out over a period of
several thousand
years. Lots to read
and some interesting
links. This article
sheds new light on
David and Goliath.
It is the biblical
city of
Sha'arayim. This
is a National
Geographic Article
with several
excellent photos.
The
Masada is long
known but never
found. Herod's
legacy is one of
despising his
cruelty. This
National Geographic
article gives you a
little info but many
beautiful
photographs.
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Japan
Abukuma-do,
this page has
photos and
history. The
nearby Abukuma
Cave is smaller
and was
discovered in
1927 while
Abukuna-do was
not discovered
until 1969.
Akiyoshi plateau
is an area of
uplifted reef
limestone.
Awesome photos
but look to the
middle of the
page for the
Akiyoshi-do
where it tells
about the cave
which was
discovered in
1925. There is a
photo of the
entrance and a
bit of
description.
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Korea,
Hwanseon
Cave is
located in
South Korea.
It is one of
the largest
limestone
caves in
Asia and
sound like
it has not
been fully
explored.
Seems
difficult to
access and
very wet
when you do
get there.
Songam
Cavern
is a series
of karst
caves in
North Korea.
It seems to
be a well
developed
show and
tourist
cave.
Wikipedia
has redone
much of the
page but the
one page
about the
caverns does
not work.
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Laos,
Pak Ou
Caves
are
a group
of caves
only
accessible
by boat
well
known
for
their
hundreds
of
mostly
wooden
Buddhist
figures
laid out
over the
floors
and wall
shelves.
Almost
no
description
or text
but
there
are 2
photos.
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Lebanon,
Jeita
Grotto
is a
compound
of
limestone
caves
made
up
of
two
caves.
The
lower
cave
was
rediscovered
in
1836
and
the
upper
gallery
was
discovered
in
1958.
Find
lots
of
geology,
description
and
history.
Some
good
photos
but
don't
know
who
the
statue
is.
|
Malaysia, List of Caves in Malaysia, Batu Caves are a series of caves and a popular Hindu shrine. There are a few photos and a little history but it is seen as a shrine of the Hindu people. Niah Caves is located in part of Niah National Park. Human remains were found dating back 40,000 years. Gomantong Caves are described as being a place for the harvest of bat guano and birds' nests for making of soup. Limited history and text with no photos. Caves and Limestone Hills of Malaysia by Liz Price has lots and lots of information and even some photos. Gunung Mulu National Park is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It encompasses incredible caves and karst formations in a mountainous rainforest setting. Many caves expose parts of a long underground river going through the park. Access is practical only by air but can be reached by boat which would take 12 hours to complete while the flight takes only 30 minutes. Ipoh is a city in Malaysia. This page gives much information and photos to the city and its history. About 2/3 down the page is the listing for "limestone caves" and there is one photo and some description of the caves. They are mainly used as shrines and for mining of crushed stone and cement. It looks that there is little effort to the preservation of the caves.
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Mongolia, while there was a long list of caves in Mongolia, none of them had any information available. At the end of this list, I will add what I had worked from where you can find names if that would help anyone.
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Nepal, Maratika Cave is the only cave listed for Nepal. Near Mount Everest, it is a monastery. The page has little information and no photos.
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Oman, Majlis al Jinn is the 8th largest cave chamber in the world. The entrances to the caverns were not discovered until 1983 by Geologist Don Davidson. While there are no formations at all, no water pools or falls, it is well worth a look just to see the gigantic size of this cave. Wow. This was the only listing for Oman but there was a mention of another cave being a show cave with hopes for making this one a show cave as well. Don't know how they'd do that.
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Philippines, Puerto Princesa Subterranean River National Park and UNESCO World Heritage Site. The river winds through a cave before flowing directly into the South China Sea. Callao Cave has 7 chambers and is a well known tourist attraction. The chambers have natural crevices which let light into the caves, serving as illumination for the otherwise dark areas. Little info and no photos. Hinagdanan Cave is naturally lighted by sunlight filtering through holes in the ceiling. The underground lake is a popular swimming spot but tests high for pollutants since it is fed by ground runoff. Huluga Caves is a prehistoric site located in the south end of the city of Cagayan de Oro. Little has been done to recover artifacts and date the findings.
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Russia, Sugomak Cave is located in Ural. It is the only cave developed in marble by water, contains three grottos connected by narrow passages, the third is partially filled by water. Almost no history or description and two photos of the exterior. Ignateva cave is a large limestone cave on the banks of the Sim River. Many animal remains have been found as well as cave paintings and microliths. Little info and no photos.
Kap-Kutan cave... The cave system of Kap-Kutan or more precisely Cupp-Coutunn is despite its somewhat remote location one of the few caves mentioned in classic literature. Asia : Turkmenistan : Giant aragonite and gypsum crystals in the Kap-Kutan cave system Coordinates : about 37,44°'N , 66,26°'W : Kap-kutan cave system, Kugitangau mountains, Tienshan, Turkmenistan, Visit the site and at the bottom right where it says for more images, go. They are beautiful. Yes, this is Russia and has been described by historians since 49BC. But they are rural and very remote. No tours or such. |
Sri Lanka, Fa Hien Cave is perhaps named for a Buddhist monk. It is important for the Late Pleistocene human skeletal remains discovered in the 1960s and 1980s.
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Thailand, Tham Hua Kalok (means Skull Cave) is in southern Thailand. The cave contains prehistoric paintings in black and red pigment of humans and strange animals. It is within the Than Bok Khorani National Park. No other info, no photos. Tham Lot is a cave system in northern Thailand. It is home to a large number of bats and swifts. There is a list of other caves in Thailand, most large and not entered until the 1980s. No other info or photos.
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Tuvalu, The discovery of the Caves of Nanumanga was made because of interest aroused by a local legend. According to the legend, there existed a "large house under the sea." The scuba diving expedition in 1986 led to the discovery. Little info and no photos.
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Vietnam, Hang Son Doong is a newly found series of infinite caverns. Huge? Extraordinary. There are other names given to the many caves. I cannot pronounce any of them. Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park is a national park and UNESCO World Heritage Site. The park was created to protect one of the world's two largest karst regions with 300 caves and grottoes. Find much information and history, a map and lots of photos. Tam Coc - Bich Dong is a three cave excursion reached by small boats along the Ngo Dong river. There is little more information and no history. But there is a beautiful photograph. Marble Mountains is a cluster of five marble and limestone hills. All of the mountains have cave entrances and tunnels The area is famous for stone sculpture making and stone cutting crafts. Only a little more info and no photos. Recently discovered: Son Doong Cave the largest single cave passage yet found. First explored earlier this year by a joint British-Vietnamese team, the cave measures at least 262-by-262 feet (80-by-80 meters) in most places and is at least 2.8 miles (4.5 kilometers) long.
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Assorted Information:
-Large, coralliform aggregates - so called "Eisenblüte" (iron flower) is known from various localities, most famous being the occurrences at the Erzberg in Styria, Austria. - Yellow transparent crystals up to 20 cm are known from Horenec near Bilina, Czech Republic. Another famous find from the Czech Republic is the "Karlsbader Sprudelstein", where aragonite forms large white nodules in the thermal springs of Karlovy Vary. - Both Morocco (Tazouta) and Spain (Minglanilla) has produced aragonite thrilling crystals up to 20 cm and more. - Tsumeb - one of the most prolific mineral localities known - has also produced large aragonite (variety tarnowitzite) crystals up to 20 cm. |
Natural
Bridge Caverns This site shows wording in??? Russian. A search on
google shows the only Natural Bridge Caverns to be in Texas. There is
much wording in a language not English. These could
not be Natural Bridge Cavers since there are 4 pages
and do not seem to be of the same cave.
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List of Caves from Around the World from Wikipedia. |
Deserts of the world
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