I don't know exactly where these mines are located, and I'm not sure if it's appropriate to write about it since all approaches to them go through private property. We walked through the yard of a person we knew. Others who decide to go there will have to find their own way. Unless, of course, they knock and ask to be let in. Or as an option, go around. There is probably some way to do that, but I don't know it. An old dirt road leads to the mines, which is practically all destroyed. Judging by the condition of the road, these mines were probably closed in the 1950s. Well, let's go through it all in order...
After passing through the yards, we climbed this couloir. From below, it seemed like some kind of gorge was starting.
But getting higher, it becomes apparent that this is just a slope.
Gradually climbing, we go out to the old dirt road, now it just resembles a path.
But on the other hand, this path is just along the way for us, it goes up and is also convenient.
It becomes higher, you can see the courtyard through which we passed, by the way, only in the photo I noticed that this old primer, it seems, begins in his own courtyard, behind the house you can see how some primer goes up behind the house. Most likely, this is the same road as the one on which I am standing, it just goes around to make the angle smoother.
In the other direction there is a view of the village of Begar, the Varzob River and the Varzob highway.
Further, nothing interesting happened, we just walked along the old dirt road to the abandoned adits, where fluorite was previously mined. I'll just post a photo of this road. As I mentioned, this is, in general, not a road, but a path, overgrown in places, ruined in places.
Finally, behind another bend in the road...
A small ledge opens where the first adit meets.
The entrance, as you can see, is blocked by a blackberry bush.
But, to be honest, this is not quite an adit, but rather a trial version, apparently they began to break through and something went wrong or maybe the quality of the fluorite being mined did not suit. This probe is only a few meters deep.
And it looks like there are ramifications, but no, just small niches.
The smoky ceiling may have remained from the times when the mine was pierced, or maybe just from the bonfires of random travelers. Although, the latter is unlikely, too close to the main road and to the village to stop here, it is better to get to more comfortable places.
A couple of frames of the exit, as you can see the entrance is small, but inside the adit it expands both in height and width. Well, it's time for us to go to the light and continue our path...
We follow further along the road.
After some 50-100 meters, we come to such a place.
Everything is completely overgrown with blackberries and only the dump below speaks of the adit.
We come closer, and it becomes, you can see the entrance to the abandoned fluorite adit.
Here is the entrance to the adit. It can be seen that it was mothballed according to all the rules, that is, the entrance was laid. But local craftsmen broke everything, the fact is that spring water accumulates in the adit. They broke the wall and laid pipes. Slyly, you won't say anything, but it would still be more correct to close this adit somehow. For example, put some kind of partition with a door, just in case.
The walls at the entrance are overgrown with some kind of fern, it looks very colorful, tempting ... As if a mysterious cave with treasures :)
From the inside, it all looks even cooler. By the way, the entrance here is also smaller than the adit itself..
Well, let's go inside. Actually, I'm not a supporter of stupid risks, but here the vault looked reliable, and the water was clear, so I decided to go inside as far as possible. First I went in trousers, I just tucked them up, but further deeper, I had to go back to take off my trousers. So I went in a cap, shorts and with a camera, it's good that you won't meet anyone there :)
After a dozen meters, the vegetation on the walls enters and becomes just a silent corridor going deep into the mountain, only the sounds of drops falling from the ceiling and splashes from my steps break the burial silence of the adit.
After about fifty meters, some pieces of iron become visible in the walls, I don't know what they are for and it becomes noticeably deeper.
It drips even further from the ceiling, that is, it no longer just drips, but just like rain.
I still endured this rain, but the farther, the deeper it became, and when the water began to reach, so to speak, sensitive places ... In general, then I trembled and went back, because how much there is to the end of the adit is not visible and even it didn't feel like the end was near.
I think that in order to fully explore the adit, it is better to move in an inflatable boat, although on the other hand there is hardly anything interesting there, the adit will just end and that's it...
Further, I slowly got out of the mine, got dressed, walked on, turned around after a couple of meters, and the mine didn’t seem to exist.
Here is the gorge where these abandoned fluorite adits are lost.
And our path lies further to the waterfall, which is visible in the photo, there, next to there is a path, following which you can climb the ridge. But this is, as they say, another story, or in my case it will be another photo review.
Continuation of the hike can be viewed "by this link".
