Kapova Cave

Kapova cave (Kopova peshchera, also known as Shul'gan-Tash, Shylgəntash) is a limestone karst cave in the Burzyansky District of Bashkortostan, Russia, ca. south-east of Ufa, in the southern Ural mountains. Located on the Belaya River in the natural reserve Shulgan-Tash, the cave is best known for the 16,000 years old Upper Paleolithic rock paintings and drawings. It contains the northernmost known ancient paintings. Today, this area of wild dense forest and high white rocks is home to deer, bear, and the Bashkort bee. Around 10-20 thousand years ago the climate and the landscape were different. Summer was short, while winter months were very long and cold, and the landscape was Tundra. Humans sought shelter in clefts and caves among the rocks. The entrance to the cave is situated on the southern slope of the Sarykuskan (Сарыкускан) mountain. The entrance forms a huge arch in height. To the left of the cave entrance is a lake from which the river Shul'gan (Шульган) originates. The underground Shul'gan (Подземный Шульган) river, which created the cave, flows through it. This three-story cave system is about long, with a depth of including siphon underwater cavities, large halls, galleries, underground lakes and the river The mouth of the Shulgantash cave is called the Portal. Deep in the Portal lies the source of the Shul'gan, emerging from underground and forming a pool named Blue Lake. The lake is bottomless: below 33 Meters in depth it joins a gigantic underground water cavity. A passageway leads from the Portal to a succession of ground level halls. First comes the Main Gallery, followed by the Stalagmite Hall. Continuing northwards, one enters the Dome Hall and the Hall of the Signs. At the far end lies the Hall of Chaos. The halls differ in size and shape: the Main gallery and the Hall of Chaos are oblong, while the Stalagmite and the Dome Halls are circular, whereas the Hall of the Signs is rectangular. Their length reaches 90, width 20-30 and the height 7–20 metres.