Avan Mine

Republican Speleotherapeutical Hospital

Useful Information

Location:	4, Acharyan 2nd lane, 0040 Yerevan. Avan, near Erewan. (40.224250, 44.563151)
Open:	Speleotherapy: all year daily. Guided tours: all year Sat, Sun. [2014]
Fee:
Classification:	Salt Mine Halotherapy
Light:	Incandescent Electric Light System
Dimension:
Guided tours:	Clinic: D=235 m below surface, A=4,000m²
Photography:
Accessibility:
Bibliography:
Address:	"Avan Salt Plant" CJSC, 4, Acharyan 2nd lane, 0040 Yerevan, Republic of Armenia, Tel: +37410-626430, +37410-614391, Fax: +37410-624200, +37410-621410 E-mail:
As far as we know this information was accurate when it was published (see years in brackets), but may have changed since then. Please check rates and details directly with the companies in question if you need more recent info.

History

1967	salt mine opened.
1971	Elar brine works opened.
OCT-1987	Republican Speleotherapeutical Hospital opened by the Galurcial Institute of St. Petersburg.

Description

Avan Salt Mine is a salt mine which is still working. This mine is also used for speleotherapy in a subterranean clinic which was built for this purpose. During Soviet times it was named Аванский Солекомбинат (Avansky Solekombinat), in Armenian ԱՎԱՆԻ ԱՂԻ ԿՈՄԲԻՆԱՏ. In English it is simply called Avan Salt Plant.

The patients of this clinic use the elevator, which is also used by the miners to transport the salt. The lift is not lighted, the guide takes an electric torch with him. In the level 235 m below surface, the Republican Speleotherapeutical Hospital is located.

The mine is used as a show mine on weekends. The show mine tour visits the same level where the speleotherapy takes place. Avan has two salt bearing layers. The upper layer is between 210 m and 270 m deep and is mined by underground mining. The salt is used for cattle. This is the level where the show mine is.

The second layer is between 910 m and 1200 m deep and is mined using the leaching technique: water is pumped underground, dissolves the salt and is then pumped to the surface. Here the brine is cooked and the result is high quality rock salt. The Elar brine works also produces various salts for the chemical industry, especially for caustic soda and rubber.