However, we didn't go to this mountain for the salt. Since salt is not a very strong component, groundwater has carved out numerous caves inside the mountain. After a tour of the Khulbuk settlement, we headed to one of these caves. Khoja Mumin Mountain is relatively close to the ancient settlement and the city of Vose itself, just a few kilometers away. From the mountain, the territory of Afghanistan beyond the Panj River is clearly visible; the river is about 18 kilometers from the ancient settlement.
We had hired a car back in Dushanbe, so transportation wasn't an issue. We explored the settlement and the museum, then drove to the mountain. In the photo, we are just approaching Khoja Mumin Mountain.
Here, we have approached the mountain directly, leaving behind the salt processing plant. There was just a fence along the road there, so I didn't take a photo. From here, the plant is clearly visible.
Next, after crossing a small salty stream.
We headed towards the salt cave.
It's worth stopping by the stream in more detail, as it contains a lot of salt and looks accordingly. Very unusual.
The banks and the slopes of the hills are also full of salt.
Overall, the stream with its white banks, the desert-like landscapes around—where vegetation is sparse due to the salt and heat—all together create an atmosphere of something fantastical. In any case, the sensations are somewhat mysterious.
There are small waterfalls from the slopes, which whiten their path with salt.
The walk isn't very far; after a couple of kilometers, the entrance to the salt cave becomes visible.
Here, near the entrance, there is more salt than anywhere else. This creates all sorts of bizarre formations.
Well, here it is—the entrance to this mysterious kingdom of salt.
The entire entrance to the salt cave is covered with salt formations—both the ceiling and the walls—with a stream flowing along the floor.
And we venture further, deep into the salt cave. "Dragon, welcome us!" There's a local tall tale that a large snake, which locals call an "azhdaha" (meaning "dragon"), lives in these caves. Since the water here is very salty, this snake supposedly crawls out of the caves from time to time and slithers to a freshwater spring to drink.
As it turned out, inside the cave itself there are no salt formations; apparently, they form at the entrance due to the interaction of moist and dry air. Inside the cave, it's damp, humid, slippery, and dark...
Well, we wandered around a bit; the caves are quite extensive deep inside, as you can see in this photo.
After wandering around, and unfortunately or fortunately not encountering the "dragon," we headed back.
As I mentioned, there are several caves here, but we only explored one. After all, exploring caves requires both experience and proper equipment, and we didn't want to tempt fate. Wishing you all the best and many more interesting hikes.
