TEHRAN – Iran’s Alisadr water cave, a top destination for domestic and foreign sightseers, researches, history buffs, and day-trippers, has taken 70 billion rials (about $1.5 million) hit from the impact of coronavirus (COVID-19) over the last two months. 

Two-thirds of the employees of the tourist site have also lost their jobs temporarily, manager of the site Mehdi Majidi announced on Monday, ISNA reported. 

Ali Sadr Cave is a gigantic water-filled cavern wieldy believed to date from Jurassic era. It embraces a huge matrix of sunless channels, ponds, grottoes and water passages which are stretched along with imposing rock formations and stalactite-covered tops in a span of several kilometers.

The entrance to the lengthy cave is situated some 70km north of Hamadan in west-central Iran. Sightseeing there is connected with traversing in well-lit labyrinths of waterways via paddle boats, walking on subterranean islets, as well as observing rock carvings of hunting scenes, artifacts, paintings and vessels which are associated with prehistorical troglodytes.

Domestic travel in Iran traditionally reaches its climax from mid-March to early April, a time corresponding to the Persian New Year (Noruz) holidays. Iranians made 74 million overnight stays in their domestic trips during the Noruz holidays last year, which showed a 20 percent increase year on year.

As of February 23, Iran temporarily closed cultural heritage museums and historical sites across the country in a preventive measure amid fears of coronavirus outbreak.

ABU/MG