Zandana Cave, Shumen Plato, Bulgaria

Zandana Cave, near the city of Shumen, was used during the Ottoman Turk Islamic occupation as an underground prison for the rebel Christian Bulgarian patriots, from which it was given another popular name, "Biserna", the Dungeon, by the local villages. Some cavers refer to this cave as "The Pearl".

The cave is located 1km west of Shumen in Park Kioshkovete "on the northeast slope of the plateau. 404 m above sea level. The cavern is situated at two levels (Gorna galeria and Dolna galeria) and the length of the galleries is 2,706 meters with a depth of 29 metres. The lower gallery is an underground river, and over the underground river there is an old, dry riverbed. The galleries are situated one on top of the other and are permanently and vertically connected. The cave is remarkable for its calcite formations which could be visited by the more adventurous in antiquity with torches and hiking boots. The cave has guarded access! The cave is currently closed because of the drinking water catchments for the city of Shumen. Preparations are being made to reopen the tourist section without affecting the river. Near the natural entrance of the cave there is a preserved historical slate with an inscription from the time of Tzar Ferdinand (at the end of 19 century).

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More Photos of Zandana Cave
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More details translated from Bulgarian by Google with help from Ged.

   The cave was first reported in 1828 by French geographer G. G.Barbie de-Bocage. A first serious study was carried out in 1968 by Sofia and Shumen speleologists. They mapped 1.440 m. In 1971 K. Dimchev and Sn.Stancheva detected more upstream and the cave extended to 1.800 m. In connection with urbanization A. Spasov 1979-1980 makes a detailed survey to contemporary instrumental length of the site.
   From 1976 to 1985 the cave was electrified, and was open for visits by tourists but was protected as part of the park Shumen Plateau.
The Cavern Club in Madara Horseman continued studies and in 2003 opened new galleries in which the length of the cave grew up to 2716 meters. The water source was captured for water supply of Shumen in 1987.
   In geomorphologic terms the plateau is a remnant of Sarmatian-Pontic denudation surface denivelirana from west to east from 500 to 440 m. The surface is carved in the Upper Cretaceous (senonski) limestone karst significantly. Under senonskite limestones lie tsenoman-turonski sandstone and marl, and at the base of the plateau revealed hotriv baremski-marl and sandstone.
The cave is located 1km west of Shumen in Park Kioshkovete "on the northeast slope of the plateau.

Formed in zoogenni, yellowish cream, zaharopodobni edrokristalni limestones, the cave is ascending, and branched-storey, with a small river. The length of the water gallery is 882 m.. Average size in the cross section of the cave: width 5.5 m, height 4m. Maximum dimensions: width 46 m, height 12m. Rich natechni entities. To 3m thick clay deposits. Gravitational blockages. In the course of the gallery runs an underground stream with average flow 8 l / s, minimum 4 l / s, maximum ~ 600 l / s. Area 10.420 m2. Volume 50.000 m3.
   The most beautiful is the Great Hall where the ceiling it is lavishly decorated with thousands of different sizes and colour stalactites, the smaller of which are milky white, but some are big and brown. Between stalactites there are those like bulbs, carrots and more. From the cave entrance to the Great Hall of the displacement of the bottom of the cave is 13.5 m
   The Great Hall is located in the eastern part of the Big whirlpool. The Varovitiya layer above the ceiling of this hall is 34 meters thick. The entire length of the cave thickness of this layer is 29 to 40m.
   The air temperature ranges from 9 to 13,2 °, the water - from 6,6 to 11 °.
The cave is currently closed because of the drinking water catchments for the city of Shumen. Preparations are being made to reopen the tourist section without polluting the river water supply.

   Myotis myotis is the most common representative of the bat species that inhabit the cave. During research works there have been found colonies of the specie Miniopterus schreibersi.

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Rock Monasteries of the Shumen Plateau