Karaftu cave

The cave is located 70 km south of the city of Divandareh in Kurdistan province of Iran. This cave is a calcareous cave formed in the third era of geology. Parts of this cave are covered with prehistoric inscriptions. The monuments in this cave are from the 3rd century. The cave is located in the Karaftu section of the province and was registered on February 10, 1940 with the number 330 as one of the national works of Iran.

The Greek script is located on one of the third floor rooms of the cave, named from the cave as the Temple of Heracles. The cave architecture, in addition to the creation of rooms and passageways  has tried to connect the rooms. Lighting panels are embedded outward and on the walls of the cave in some rooms, an abstract painting of animals, humans and plants are carved.

According to researches, during the medieval period, Karaftu was under water, and at the end of this period, its heights have come out of water. Karaftu cave is a calcareous and natural cave that has many changes over the course of its history. At present, the length of the cave is about 750 meters, and there are several sub-routes from it.

This cavern was speculated in 2000, and archaeological investigations were carried out in the field outside and inside the cave of different periods. The discovery of rock chips on the fourth floor and the outside of the cave can be a sign of human use in prehistoric times from this cave. Also, the samples of pottery and objects that have been discovered continue to inhabit human beings during the Parthian & Sasanian and Islamic periods of the sixth to the eighth centuries.