The most interesting and not fully explored place of the Crimea is such a beautiful and mysterious Marble Cave located on the lower plateau of the Chatyr-Dag mountain range. The Marble Cave in Crimea is an incredibly beautiful collection of underground halls and galleries, over 2 km long and up to 60 m deep. Marble Cave is a member of the International Association of Highly Equipped and Frequently Visited Caves of Europe. It is one of the most beautiful caves in the world.
The history of the Marble Cave at first glance is very trivial, but on the other hand contains many interesting assumptions. There are no exact facts of the origin of the cave, but the legend of the “Afghan” is very funny. Many Crimean experts agree that the shepherd discovered the Marble Cave for the first time in 1987, when he was looking for the missing sheep. And it is quite possible, especially as there are meadows around and a cave does not seem to give out itself with anything.
As for the scientific point of view, then, in accordance with the views of scientists, the specialists of the Simferopol caving were found and discovered the cave not far from the Kholodnaya – Suuk-Koba and Thousand-Headed – Caves – Bin-Bash-Koba. The scientists were surprised by this cave, first of all, by its entrance, which is located at an altitude of 920 meters above sea level. The scientists gave the name “Marble” to this cave due to the fact that here they found hundreds of rocks of marble-like limestone, which constitute 90% of the total. The air in the cave is cold. The average temperature in summer is about + 8 ° C. But it absolutely does not prevent thousands of visitors tirelessly with interest to attend tours of the cave.
Marble Cave is a group of incredibly beautiful and interesting components. These are the “Gallery of fairy tales” “Pearl lakes”, “Tiger tunnel”, “Lower cave”. It is here, in the Lower Cave, that the most memorable excursions take place – “Chatyr-Dag Melodies” – because this very hall is equipped with high-quality musical equipment and has tremendous acoustics. However, scientists do not stop there. Today, work is continuously carried out to discover and open new halls and galleries of the Marble Cave. The process is time consuming, but the result is worth it.
The first thing that attracts the attention of tourists in the Marble Cave is the abundance of beautiful formations of stalactites, stalagmites and stalagmates. These are peculiar growths that merge, grow on each other, create original figures and delight the eye of visitors. Among these growths, the most popular is the “Kiss”, the merging of two stalactites, the distance between which is only 5-10 mm. This figure, according to the tourists themselves, brings good luck in love. There is a belief that the unmarried couple who will give each other a kiss against the background of the “Kiss” will certainly legitimize their relationship.
Another interesting and important fact is the composition of the rocks that make up the cave. The main building material here is calcium carbonate, which is formed as a result of calcium being washed away from limestone with water, accumulated over many millennia – about a millimeter of build-up per year and deposited on the surfaces of the cave with unique stone figurines. The fascinating cave tour program begins with the amazing Fairy Tale Gallery. Here you can see funny animals and other fairy-tale characters created by stalagmites.
The next room is the Tiger Hall. It got its name because during the excavations, scientists discovered the remains of a saber-toothed tiger, allegedly fallen through the entrance hole.
The following is a hall of perestroika. Luxurious, huge hall, formed as a result of the collapse of the overlap between the two floors of underground galleries about half a million years ago. Here you can touch the greatness of the royal figures and images. Feel like a royal person.
Hall of Hope. Here, cascades of golden streams form altars and arches. Insanely beautiful and unpredictable growths.
The balcony hall is the most popular and grandiose hall of the lower gallery. It consists of two levels connected by a twelve-meter ladder.
The crown of the tour is the Luster Hall. The subdued light, the beautiful velvet relief of the walls make you feel like a witness to the sacrament. And suddenly – a sudden light. He illuminates every corner of the hall Chandeliers. Through the statues of stone gnomes you can get to the epicenter of this light. On this beautiful note, the excursion is completed, and the cave is continued by four more unfinished, but very beautiful halls: Helictite, Obvalny, Channel, Chocolate. In total, more than 2 km are now available for tourists. This is less than half of all cave passages. Work is underway to develop new routes.
Getting to the cave is not easy enough. But it’s worth it! On the trolley bus number 1, 51, 52 to c. Zarechnoye – 17 km from Simferopol, then by bus to s. Marble and further through the quarry on foot along the line of high-voltage transmissions – 8 km.
