Darband Cave

Darband cave is one of the largest limestone caves in Iran, located twokilometers north of Darband region in Mahdishahr city. This cave can be found on the southern slopes of the Alborz mountains and on the heights of Darband, on the slopes of the Laherd mountain. A cave which was also inhabited by humans in the past. Darband cave with a length of nearly 114 meters is located at an altitude of two thousand meters above the free water level. It is interesting to know that the height of the crater from the foot of the mountain is 300 meters and its widest part is 36 meters. There are many legends and stories about the length of the cave, the discovery of old artifacts and the type of cave formation among the locals of the region. Among the artifacts found in this cave, we can mention the broken sherds of pottery, the oldest of which have been estimated to date back to the first millennium AD. This cave is known for its huge stalactites, which have a regular shape, in heights ranging from four to fourteen meters. But the tallest of these stalactites with a height of more than fourteen meters can be seen at a distance of 70 kilometers from the entrance of the cave. To reach the Darband Cave, after passing through Mahdishahr and driving about two kilometers towards Shahmirzad, on the left side of the road, to the north, the signpost guides the travelers to this historical cave. 

By crossing a dirt road towards north and on the mountainside, there is a staircase leading to the mouth of the cave. At first, there is the entrance hall, with fourteen meters long, and then you reach the entrance door. The distance from the end of the cave to the door is about 100 meters, its width varies from seven to thirty meters, and its height varies from two to twenty-five meters.