'Ali Sadr Cave' is a cave located about 100 kilometers north of
Hamedan in western
Iran .The cave walls can extend up to 40 meters high, and it contains several large, deep
lakes. The cave has a river flowing through it and most travel through the cave system is done with a boat. Ali Sadr cave is situated between the large cities in
Hamadan,
Tehran and
Qom making it a popular destination for Iranians.
The cave was originally discovered during the reign of
Darius I (
521-
485 BC) which can be verified by an old inscription at the entrance of the tunnel. However, the knowledge of the existence of the tunnel was lost, and only rediscovered in
1978 when a local
shepherd followed the tunnel searching for water or a lost
goat.
In the summer of
2001, a
German/
British expedition surveyed the cave to be 11 kilometers long. The main chamber of the cave is 100 meters by 50 meters and 40 meters high.
A tour of the cave can be seen by pedal boats to a centrally located large atrium.