The "Amankutan" Cave (Fox Grotto) in the Zarafshan Mountains

About

Geology and speleology of the siteOrigin: The cave is a natural karst cavity of the corridor-gallery type, washed out by underground waters in thick strata of Paleozoic limestones.Structure and parameters: The total length of the passages is about 82 meters. Approximately 10 meters from the entrance, the corridor widens into a tall vaulted hall with karst formations, after which it turns into a narrow crawlway leading another 25–30 meters into the mountain.Microclimate and hydrology: Inside, a stable temperature in the range of +11...+13 °C is maintained year-round. In spring, during the snowmelt on the ridge, the groundwater level rises, and a seasonal karst spring often bursts out of the grotto, feeding the basin of the Amankutan say (Essay on the tract on Uzbloknot).Archaeological discovery and Neanderthal siteIn the summer of 1947, an expedition of Samarkand State University led by archaeologist David Nikolayevich Lev discovered a rich cultural layer of the Mousterian era in the cave:Stone industry: Diorite, quartzite and flint scrapers, points, cores and flakes were found, with the help of which ancient hunters processed hides and wood (Photo of the finds from the cave on Wikimedia Commons).Paleoanthropology: In a layer of ash and charcoal from an ancient hearth, the researchers found a fragment of a femur of a fossil human who lived here approximately 100–40 thousand years ago.Fossil fauna: Bone remains confirmed that the prey of the grotto's inhabitants were wild horses, mountain goats (argali, kiiks), red deer, brown bears and small predators (including foxes, whose burrows gave rise to the folk name «Lisi grot»).Historical artifacts from Amankutan are today exhibited in the Archaeological Museum of SamSU and the State Museum of History of Uzbekistan in Tashkent.Origin of the names («Peshchera Leva», «Lva», «Lisi grot»)Peshchera Leva: The official scientific dedication to the discoverer — archaeologist D. N. Lev.Peshchera Lva: A folk distortion of the researcher's surname («Leva» $\to$ «Lva»), which gave rise to urban legends about cave lions.Lisi grot / Bumazhnaya masterskaya: In unofficial tourist routes, the narrow crevices and side passages are known as «lisi lazy/groty». The addition «bumazhnaya masterskaya» appears in tourist programs because of combined weekend tours: «Poyezdka v gory Amankutan + poseshcheniye bumazhnoy fabriki Konigil».Tourist features and visitingThe Amankutan tract is part of a protected state nature park (with an area of about 1500 ha) with relict pine groves planted by military foresters back in the late 19th century under the leadership of General N. I. Korolkov. The cave is popular among fans of hiking, speleology and ecotourism. To visit it, you need reliable trekking shoes with non-slip soles, a headlamp and clothes that you don't mind getting dirty on the damp limestone.