New Athos Cave (original) (raw)

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Cave in New Athos, Abkhazia, Georgia

New Athos Cave
ახალი ათონის მღვიმე, Афон Ҿыцтәи аҳаҧы
The New Athos Cave, 2006
Map showing the location of New Athos CaveMap showing the location of New Athos CaveLocation of the caves in AbkhaziaShow map of AbkhaziaMap showing the location of New Athos CaveMap showing the location of New Athos CaveNew Athos Cave (Georgia)Show map of Georgia
Location New Athos Georgia (country) Abkhazia,[1] Georgia de jure
Coordinates 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
Map

View of the cave

The New Athos Cave (Georgian: ახალი ათონის მღვიმე; Abkhaz: Афон Ҿыцтәи аҳаҧы) also Novoafonskaya, Novy Afon Cave, or New Afon Cave is a karst cave in the Iverian Mountain in Abkhazia (Georgia[1]) near the city of New Athos.

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 Tatashidze,[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.

Notes and references

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  1. ^ a b The political status of Abkhazia is disputed. Having unilaterally declared independence from Georgia in 1992, Abkhazia is formally recognised as an independent state by 5 UN member states (two other states previously recognised it but then withdrew their recognition), while the remainder of the international community recognizes it as de jure Georgian territory. Georgia continues to claim the area as its own territory, designating it as Russian-occupied territory.
  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