Salt shakers are not always supposed to be small dishes on the table. I know of a 6 km salt pan called Qeshm salt pan. All of us have thought at least once about the process of handing over the land and turning the sea into land. If you are among the people who are interested in this topic, you will undoubtedly enjoy Qeshm Salt Cave.
I have powerful imaginations. When I went to the Qeshm salt cave, I thought that this cave had never been discovered and that nature had shaped the salt stones and rocks inside the cave as delicately as possible. On earth, human is the only creature that can understand beauty and art.
Nature thought that it is a pity that humans have not yet seen this work of art and may never see it. But Namakdan cave is too beautiful to be left unnoticed, so the salt dome was started and moved out of the way of this magnificent cave so that geologists could discover this attraction and show it to all people.
In this article, I am going to invite you to a virtual tour in one of the most attractive places in Qeshm.
Basic description of the tour guide about Qeshm salt cave
The salt dome in which the salt cave is located is similar to the abandoned palace of the kingdom in ancient times, which is uniquely designed. Ordinary tourists who do not master the cave climbing skills cannot go to the depth of the cave, but they can see the wonders of this cave as much as possible. See the salt palace.
The salt dome is located between the southern cape, Qadis Selkh, northwest cape and Qadis Basaeido, and its slope is very high.
Salt caves are usually formed in domes located in hot and low rainfall areas, just like Qeshm. Surveys show that the roof of the Qeshm salt dome is completely uneven and due to the steep slope of the hill walls, it is not possible to climb it and reach the roof. Researchers have found that the volume of salt stones decreases in the roof of the dome and there are more gypsum stones.
The salt cave was discovered in 1998 (1377) with the cooperation between geologists from the Czech Republic and Shiraz University. Before this cave was discovered, a cave in Palestine was known as the longest salt cave in the world. This change of record and registration of Qeshm salt cave as the longest salt cave in the world was the main reason for its global fame.
Different corridors of Qeshm palace decorated with salt
Inside the dome, there are various corridors of the Qeshm Salt Cave, some of which are as high as 20 meters. Some of these caves are used for tourism and others are used as salt mines. The third corridor of Qeshm Namakdan cave is about 6.4 kilometers long and the main reason is the world fame of this cave. Because nowhere in the world has a salt cave as long as this been discovered.
The dimensions of the different corridors in the salt cave are different; In some corridors, even if you jump, you won't reach the ceiling lamps. But in some other corridors, you have to walk in a sitting position or even standing up. Of course, it is not necessary to choose uneven corridors for visiting, the tourism part of Qeshm salt cave is beautiful and you can walk in it normally.
The first corridor of the cave is easy to visit and can be walked through. General tourists visit this corridor. The second corridor has a path that must be crossed in a chest-high fashion. If you want to be more adventurous, you can also enter this corridor; But be prepared for small scratches and wounds and skip this if you don't have extra clothes. The third corridor is dedicated to cavers and is suitable for people who have a headache for excitement and trouble!
Visitors to Namakdan Cave are not limited to Iran, and people from many countries, especially people who are interested in geology, come to visit throughout the year. Geologists study the salt rocks, rocks, stalactites and stalagmites of this cave to discover the history of the earth and the story of our earthen home.
The story of the discovery of a salt cave in the land of the earth
According to what we know now, the first days of life in Qeshm salt cave go back to 570 million years ago (in the Cambrian period); That is, long before the first dinosaur appeared on earth. At that time, the earth was the domain of trilobites, the ancestors of modern arthropods.
Of course, the Qeshm salt cave also has younger Qandils, some of them are 6 million years old, when the process of human evolution had just begun and our ancestors had started to evolve.
The salt dome is formed from igneous rocks and is a combination of salt and rock. At first, this dome was formed as one layer; That is, there was no salt cave, salt arrangement, or Qandili in it. But since the density of salt is lower than rock, during tens of thousands of years, the salt rose above the rocks and even in some parts, they lifted the rocks with them.
This slow movement was not aimless and it was considered to be nature's way of sculpting and salt arrangement. In short, throughout the story of the formation of the Namakdan cave, only the story of nature's slowness, continuity and unparalleled patience is narrated.
This cave is both a place for extracting edible and medicinal salt and is also used for tourism. Qeshm Salt Cave is registered as a geosite in Qeshm Geopark and UNESCO has also declared its support for it. The good news about Qeshm Salt Cave is that if it remains unchanged, it can be independently registered on the World Heritage List. This cave was registered as a natural work in Iran's cultural heritage list in 2010 with number 173.
Qeshm salt cave has other names
Namakdan cave is also known by other names such as 3N salt cave, Qeshm salt cave and three naked men cave. The story of the three naked men, whose names were later placed on the cave, goes back to the early years of the discovery of this attraction and the efforts of geologists to map it.
As we said before, advancing to the end of the cave is a very difficult and challenging task and not everyone can handle it. But the problem is that every cave needs a map, and for mapping, humans must enter it!
The three naked men were three geologists from Johori Chek, who had to map the Nemakdan cave. They had to swim in salt water streams to get to the bottom of the cave, as there was no land route in some parts.
But the water of the streams inside the cave was saturated with salt, and if they wanted to swim in these waters with clothes on, after a while due to salt deposition, their clothes would become stiff and inflexible, limiting their movements. For this reason, they had to swim naked in the waters of the cave, and this is the reason why the cave was named.
What you see while walking in Qeshm salt cave
Now the tour guide's explanation about what happened to the salt cave in the past ends and we can go to the sights of the cave. We only go as far as the beginning of the 6,000-meter cave corridor, but there are thousands of attractions to see in this amount. The sunlight only illuminates the first parts of the entrance, and after that you can't see anything without a flashlight or the eyes of a cat!
The temperature inside the cave depends on the time you are there, but it is usually a little cooler than the outside. When you walk inside the cave, you can feel the humidity and the combination of this humidity with salt creates a special smell. Smells like an old musty building which some people like and others don't.
While walking in this cave, it is better to keep your hands in your pockets and focus on your sense of sight. Because by touching the candles, there is a possibility that they will be damaged and fall; But no matter how much you look at them and enjoy them, they still don't move!
In the following, we will talk more about the eye-catching attractions in Qeshm Salt Cave.
Cave entrance
The entrance to Qeshm salt cave is on the south side of the dome. I love winter and snow, so when I first saw the entrance to the salt cave, I imagined a thin layer of snow sitting on the mountain. But it is almost impossible to snow in Qeshm and in the autumn season, and what looked like snow was salt deposits on the rocks. The cave entrance is large enough for groups to pass through. After entering the cave, you have to walk a bit to reach the corridors, lanterns and other places of interest.
When you enter, expect a humid atmosphere with a unique smell. There may be small water holes in some parts of the land. Be careful not to get wet! The walls of the cave at the beginning of the entrance look similar to all other caves and you have to be a little patient to reach what is unique to Qeshm salt cave.
Lamps of the roof salt tank
The ceiling lanterns are the first sights you will see as you advance into the cave. Of course, viewing them fully requires a flashlight, as sunlight does not penetrate that deep. By throwing the light of the flashlight, you can see the lanterns on the ceiling better and create a shadow for them, and the atmosphere becomes a little more exciting and scary. If you're a dreamer like me, you'll like to think of shapes for the lanterns and their shadows.
Of course, when watching fireflies, you must be prepared for bats to jump. Bats also live in Qeshm Salt Cave and they may surprise you when you visit the space! Try to be good guests for bats and do not disturb them with too much light and noise.
If your hand or face suddenly gets wet, don't look up in fear, it's nothing big! The humidity inside the cave sits on the jellyfish and since the jellyfish do not absorb water, the drops slide and drip. If the space of the cave is quiet and silent, the sound of the dripping drops will roll in the space of the cave like movies and create an echo.
Cave water flow
The salt water stream is one of the other attractions of the Qeshm salt cave, and the thing that will attract your attention the most is the red parts of the spring bed. The bed of the springs is composed of salt deposits and ocher mud, which is also called refractory soil. It has other compounds such as iron oxide and hematite, which is why it looks red. The flow of water sometimes becomes so clear that images are reflected in it. The reflection of the lanterns in the water multiplies the beauty of this Qeshm tourist attraction.
These springs originate from different corners of the cave and can be seen everywhere, be careful if you want to dip your hand in the water. Because the large volume of salt dissolved in water may cause skin dryness and cracking.
Streams and salt springs lead to a white pool in the heart of the salt dome. This pond is full of water all year round and most of the salt water streams eventually reach it. The surroundings of this pond showed me that nature does not depend on plants and greenery to show its beauty and with salt, it can still create a unique landscape in a place where not a single leaf grows.
Stalactite and stalagmite in the cave
Stalactites and stalagmites are the same lanterns that have been created on the walls, ceiling and floor of the cave and have different shapes. They can be seen from the middle of the path. In some places, stalactites (ceiling lanterns) and stalagmites (ground lanterns) have joined together and created columns in the cave.
Some of these columns are in the way of passage and you have to turn your body a little to be able to pass through them. While passing through the beautiful salt arrangements of the Nemacdan Cave, be careful not to hit your head anywhere and be careful not to get your foot stuck anywhere and fall down!
One of the attractive features of the decoration of the corridors of the beautiful salt palace of Qeshm is that its lamps and walls are not necessarily white. With a little precision, you can count more than ten different colors among the rocks and salts in the cave. In short, this cave was built to walk through, watch and enjoy.
The salts of the salt cave are both beautiful and very special
The salt stones in the cave and the dome of Namakdan have healing properties due to the presence of compounds such as magnesium, calcium, potassium, zinc and manganese, and they are called medical salt. Consuming this salt is not harmful even for pregnant women, people with high blood pressure and diabetes.
Breathing in the salty atmosphere of the cave is beneficial for patients with asthma and respiratory allergies and relieves their symptoms. To use this property, experts have offered medical salt drops to clean the sinuses, lungs and nasal passages.
Consuming this type of salt removes excess fats and body swelling; For this reason, professional athletes use medical salt capsules among their supplements. In traditional medicine, there are many recommendations for the consumption of natural or medicinal salt, and what we hear about the harms of salt is related to refined industrial salts, whose minerals are lost in the purification process.
The best time for a real tour in Qeshm salt cave
The best season to visit southern Iran is from mid-autumn to mid-April. During this period, the weather is similar to the month of May in the central cities of Iran. Of course, you should pay attention to the temperature difference between night and day, and if you go to Qeshm in winter, take warm clothes with you.
Another thing that you should pay attention to is that it gets dark early. This makes it difficult to visit natural attractions such as Namakdan Cave, because the best time to visit this cave is when the weather is completely clear. In Esfand and Mehr, when the day is still longer, you can have a better experience of traveling and visiting the sights of Qeshm.
If you like to go to Qeshm attractions when the number of travelers is less, it is better to make your schedule on non-holiday days. For example, the end of March and Nowruz Eid is when the crowd of travelers in the south of the country becomes very large and it is not a good time to travel for people who prefer solitude.
What you should pay attention to when visiting the cave
To visit the cave, you need a strong headlight or flashlight, light food, water bottle, and other essentials. Do not overload your backpack.
Clothes that are too loose or too tight are not suitable for visiting the cave. It is better to have an extra set of clothes with you.
If you are not a caver, do not enter the cave without a guide.
Be careful with the candles and salt stones, do not touch them, do not remove them from their place and do not write anything on them.
You need caving equipment to enter the second and third corridors of Qeshm salt cave.
All people without age restrictions can visit the first part of the corridor. But the conditions of the second and third corridors are not suitable for public visit.
There are no recreational and tourist facilities near the cave, and you have to get everything you need from the commercial and residential area of Qeshm and take it with you.
Bats and white insects live in the cave, which may be a bit annoying for visitors, especially for sensitive people.
Visiting Qeshm Salt Cave is free.
Visiting time of Nemakdan cave
Qeshm Salt Salt Cave has no entrance, and for that reason, even if you go to this place at midnight, no one will stop you, of course, you should be prepared for a not-so-warm welcome from bats!
The best time to visit Namakdan cave is when the weather is completely clear so that the sun illuminates part of the cave and the temperature is a little higher. If you go to visit Qeshm salt cave with a tour leader, this person will choose the best time of day to visit according to the season.
Where is Qeshm Salt Salt Cave?
Qeshm salt cave is located 90 kilometers from the city, in the southwest part of the island and near the south coast. You can go to the cave up to 2 kilometers by car, but after that you have to walk a 2 kilometer path, which is not too difficult if the weather is not too hot. Of course, there is also a dirt road leading to Nemakdan cave, which I will write its address in the next part.
What is the access route to the cave?
There are two routes to reach the Nemakdan cave, which we have explained below.
First route: Go to Ramkan in Qeshm city and then reach Tanban. After that, continue your path towards the drum. On the way to the north coast, pass the village of Chahu and Derko. After that, you will reach the village of Gori; Exit south of it and reach Kani village. From this village, there is a dirt road of 10 kilometers to Qeshm salt cave.
The second path: The second path is shared with the first path until reaching the drum. After that, you should go south and reach the village of Salekh. From this village, there is a dirt road of 22 kilometers to the salt cave.
last word; South of Iran is one of the conservatories of nature on earth
The intersection of the desert and the sea, the combination of rock and salt, the shine of the plankton on the beach and a thousand other wonders that I saw in the south of Iran showed me that there is no need for beauty to always have life! The pleasure of visiting the provinces of Hormozgan and Sistan Baluchistan reaches its peak when a person who knows the way and is familiar with the region is your guide. If you go to visit alone, you will miss many sights due to lack of knowledge.
ozhan agency provides you with various tours to Qeshm and all the facilities you need to travel to this area and return. All you have to do is click on the section related to tours, booking tickets and booking accommodation and see the special programs of ozhan agency for traveling to the south of Iran.
