Ахштырская пещера

Akhshtyrskaya Cave - Big Kazachebrodskay

Useful Information

Location:	Right side of Akhshtyrsky Gorge, above the Mzymta River. North of Adler.
Open:
Fee:	Adults RUB 200, Children (5-15) RUB 100, Children (0-4) free. [2020]
Classification:	Karst cave
Light:	Incandescent Electric Light System
Dimension:	L=160 m, A=185 m asl.
Guided tours:
Photography:
Accessibility:
Bibliography:
Address:	Akhshtyrskaya Cave, Adlerskiy, Krasnodar Krai, 354386, Tel: +7-862 262-18-42.
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

28-SEP-1903	discovered by Edouard Alfred Martel.
1936	first remains discovered by Sergei Nikolayevich Zamyatnin.
1937-38	excavation by Sergei Nikolayevich Zamyatnin.
1961-65	excavation by by Leningrad archaeologists M.Z. Panichkina and E.A. Vekilova.
1978	received the status of “a unique monument of primeval architecture”, cave gated.
1999	opened to the public.
1999-2008	excavations.

Description

Akhshtyrskaya Cave is an important archaeological site. It was originally discovered by the famous French speleologist Edouard Alfred Martel in 1903. The first excavation by Sergei Nikolayevich Zamyatnin in 1938 revealed prehistoric human remains. The excavation of 2008 revealed 6,000 animal bones from dears, goats, bison, wolves, foxes and other animals. It seems the cave was used by Neanderthals 70,000 years ago. Then there is a gap of 20,000 years in which the cave was either not visited or the remains were destroyed. The next younger remains are 30-35,000 years old and from the Cro-Magnon, the modern human of the upper Mousterian.

The cave is equipped with trails and electric light, which was installed for the archaeological excavations. The cave is located 120 m above the river and the road, so it is necessary to hike some distance to the cave. The tour includes several other caves and other geologic sites along the Akhshtyrskaya ravine.