New Athos Cave

New Athos Cave
ახალი ათონის მღვიმე, Афон Ҿыцтәи аҳаҧы, Новоафонская Пещера
The New Athon Cave, 2006
Map showing the location of New Athos Cave
Location of the caves in Abkhazia
Location

New Athos

Coordinates 43°05′26.34″N 40°48′36.03″E / 43.0906500°N 40.8100083°E / 43.0906500; 40.8100083Coordinates: 43°05′26.34″N 40°48′36.03″E / 43.0906500°N 40.8100083°E / 43.0906500; 40.8100083
Depth 183 m
Length 1,900 m
Geology Karst cave
Entrances 4
Access Public
Show cave opened 1961
Show cave length 1,900 m
Website Official website
View of the cave

The New Athos Cave (Abkhazian: Афон Ҿыцтәи аҳаҧы; Georgian: ახალი ათონის მღვიმე; Russian: Новоафонская Пещера) also Novoafonskaya, Novy Afon Cave, or New Afon Cave is a karst cave in the Iverian Mountain in Abkhazia (Georgia[1]) near New Athos. It is one of the largest caves in the world with the volume of its void of about 1,000,000 m³.

Overview

The abyss on a slope of the Iverian Mountain was known for ages, referred to as the "Bottomless Pit". It was explored in 1961 by an expedition of four: Zurab Tintilozov,[2] Arsen Okrojanashvili,[3] Boris Gergedava,[4] and Givi Smyr.[5]

Since 1975, it has been a major tourist attraction, featuring its own underground railway.[6] The cave consists of 9 major cavities.

See also

Notes and references

  1. 1 2 Abkhazia is the subject of a territorial dispute between the Republic of Abkhazia and the Republic of Georgia. The Republic of Abkhazia unilaterally declared independence on 23 July 1992, but Georgia continues to claim it as part of its own sovereign territory. Abkhazia has received formal recognition as an independent state from 7 out of 193 United Nations member states, 2 of which have subsequently withdrawn their recognition.
  2. ↑ In Georgian, ზურაბ ტინტილოზოვი
  3. ↑ In Georgian, არსენ ოქროჯანაშვილი
  4. ↑ In Georgian, ბორის გერგედავა
  5. ↑ In Georgian, გივი სმირი
  6. ↑ New Athos Cave Railway at metro-novyafon.narod.ru


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