Kapkotan, Hashimoyuk, Gulshirin caves

One of the main attractions of Koytendag is the Garlyk natural underground cave system, which combines the Kapkotan, Hashimoyuk, Gulshirin, Aralyk, Dashyurek, Dik (Kunstkamera) and dozens of smaller ones near the village of Garlyk. There are also smaller pools that amaze you with their beauty.

These caves are mainly composed of thick terrigenous-carbonate marine sediments of mes-koznozoic age that are water-soluble. The precipitation from the air, passing through the cracks, formed in the rocks and provided with carbonate calcium, and then hardened in a sliding form on the walls. As a result, large karst strata formed, forming beautiful natural caves that kept their secrets in their folds.

The Kapkotan Cave, 56 kilometres long among many karst strata of Koytendag, is one of the largest. This is one of the longest cave systems in the world.

Hashimoyuk Cave, which has been known since ancient times, can also be included in these natural values. Many historians speculate that the marble onyx was taken from this cave to decorate the shrine of Timur, one of the greatest rulers in world history. The cave has been protected and included in the list of UNESCO's unique natural geological facilities.

Gulshirin Cave is famous for its beauty among the natural caves of Koytendag. It differs from the caves of the region in its decoration. This cave is located on the right bank of the valley northeast of the Hashimoyuk Cave. There are many large halls here, the domes reach a height of 50 meters, and the walls are decorated with magnificent plaster floors, crystal lamps, chrysanthemums, and other sculptures in appearance. The floors of several halls are covered with stone flowers as a result of high humidity. A number of halls and galleries are reminiscent of real dense forests made of gypsum stalactites and stalagmites.

The caves include blind beetles, fish, terrestrial and aquatic creatures, lobsters, and even wingless flies. Most of the underground creatures today are creatures that have been around for centuries, no longer encountered on earth, but who have retained the animal-like image and habits of the past millennia. That is why they are of great interest to science.