Mammoth Cave is located in the lower plateau of Chatyr-Dag Mountain, not far from the Marble Cave. The distance between them is 1.2 km. Usually tourists visit these two caves during one excursion. The second name of the Mammoth Cave: Emine-Bair-Khosar.
Translated from the Turkic language, Emine-Bair-Khosar means "Funnel at Emine Hill". This cave has a vertical exit in the form of a giant well (about 20 m in diameter), which is visible on the surface of the Chatyr-Dagh mountain plateau. For several millennia, animals have been falling into the cave through this well, but they could not get out. As a result, they died here. Because of this, a large number of different skeletons were found in the cave. Among them there are skeletons of mammoths and other prehistoric animals that once inhabited these territories. Thanks to these findings, the cave was named Mammoth Cave.
Despite there is air access to the cave, calcite deposits have also formed on the walls, as well as stalactites and stalagmites. They are not as diverse as in the Marble Cave, however, in some places on the walls of the Mammoth Cave, calcium deposits are huge.
The cave has three levels, but only the upper level is open to the public. The length of the route is 2 kilometers. Visitors first descend to the North Gallery, and then enter the Main Hall. Its height reaches about 40 meters, and its length is 120 meters. On its ceiling you can see the hole of the well through which the animals fell into the cave. At the foot of the cave wall, under this well’s hole, you can see the absolutely intact skeletons of a mammoth and a saber-toothed tiger. Next is the Lake Hall, where there is a small lake with crystal clear water.
The next hall of the Mammoth Cave is called the Hall of Idols. Here visitors can see stalagmites and stone formations similar to people, animals and birds. Behind it is a Treasury where you can see helictites – crystals fused into bundles. Behind the Treasury is the Kechkemet Hall. This is the largest hall of the Mammoth Cave. In the center of the hall there is a huge white stalagmite, which is called the "Host". Its height reaches 5 meters. The path is laid around this stalagmite so that it can be viewed from all sides. Scientists believe that the age of the stalagmite reaches 10 million years. Kechkemet is the last hall of the Mammoth Cave.
After that, you need to go back, but on the way back, visitors walk along another path. Through a very narrow passage you need to go to the Organ Hall. Its ceiling is covered with hollow tubes that resemble parts of an organ. The hall is quite spacious, so sometimes chamber concerts are held here.
From the Organ Hall you can go to the offshoot of the cave, where there are two small halls: the Hall of the Monomakh Hat and the Hall of the Hostess. In the Hall of the Monomakh Cap there is a formation similar to a jellyfish, but it was called the Monomakh Cap. In the Hostess`s Hall, you can see a calcite formation similar to the figure of a girl.
In the Marble Cave, the temperature remains constant around 5 degrees, so it is better to take warm clothes to visit. If you don`t have warm clothes with you, then there are a lot of jackets hanging at the entrance that you can wear during a visit to the cave.
