Morteza Ali Spring
The presence of hot and cold water springs in a bed and parallel to each other in this valley is an amazing phenomenon that you will not find anywhere else. Many tourists visit Morteza Ali Springs for their healing properties. At the end of the path, there is the thinnest and tallest arcade dam in the world known as the Abbasi dam. Amongst the walls of the spring, there are very old graves belonging to the Zoroastrians who lived around here many years ago.
Join us in this article to explore this amazing phenomenon which is one of the most famous places in Tabas. This unique spring is known not only because of the hot and cold springs in a bed but also because of the thinnest arched barrier in the world, which is also called the Abbasian vault. Come along with us to explore the wonders of this spring.
Introduction
30 km outside of Tabas and 2 km from the village of Kharv, between the rough mountains and the warm and unrelenting desert sunlight, there is a marvelous spring called Morteza Ali, which brings warm water and cool water at the same time. These springs go a long way, they enter a valley, which is very somewhat similar to a Strait. In this valley, there are small and large springs that run down the valley walls and fill your path with water.
Unique Features
The source of this fountain is a spring which bears the same name and due to its high concentration of salt and minerals it’s quite dense and therefore it moves up to 300 meters in parallel with cold water and not combine with it. On the right side of the valley the hot springs are located and on lefts side, the cold water springs can be seen, and as soon as you put your foot in the water you can easily feel the temperature difference. Sometimes the difference in the water temperature of the springs reaches 10 ° C, which is unique in its kind. If you put your foot in the spring itself, sometimes it gets cool and as soon as you feel cold, you can put your foot in a pond of warm water that is right next to it.
The beauty of Tabas spring is amazing, and it’s hard to let it pass by unnoticed. Up above you can see the Zoroastrian graves in the walls on two sides of the spring, each connected with a tunnel, but that’s not all because the world’s most arched barrier, the Abbasi Dam is also featured. This beautiful dam will be covered in future trips.
Morteza Ali or Cal Sar-dar?
There is a river in the direction of the spring, which is called Sar-dar. The locals call it that because the water enters this somewhat straight and it passes through. That is why both names are appropriate.
Sights and attractions
In this section, we will tell you about the fun you can have in Tabas.
Entering the Valley
To reach the valley, park your car in the parking lot and go down the stairs leading to the valley to reach a field where the water is running. Slightly ahead, the valley begins to shine, and the rocky walls become taller as you go on. On the way to the Tabas spring, there are many beauties that are slowly being revealed to you.
At first, the path to the spring is quite open and the ponds are not visible so you’ll see only a smooth and long path that is filled with stone and its walls are layered up due to water deposits. It has indeed formed a phenomenon called sandstone or conglomerate; however, the farther you go, the walls will become harder and more aggressive and that reduces the amount of green moss. In the middle of the spring, the mouth of the valley comes to a close and coarse or sometimes gigantic rocks will appear on your path and they are hard to maneuver.
The therapeutic properties of the Tabas spring
The Tabas spring has many therapeutic properties due to the presence of minerals, so you can use this divine gift completely free of charge. The interesting point is that the largest pond of Tabas spring, which is located in the middle of the route, is known for its deep depths as the Mortaza Ali bathhouse, and it is usually visited by tourists because the water is very hot and even sometimes its environment gets Heated creating breathing problems.
Playing in the Tabas spring
But the exciting part of the adventure is always dedicated to games and entertainment. Morteza Ali Spring is a river-like stream with large and sometimes gigantic rocks that cover the entire path. The small and large springs that come through moss covered rocks have a very delightful sound which is helpful because it fades out all the fuss about the heat. Walk in it and get yourself wet, but remember that these big rocks are not good places to dive or swim so do not try to run or swim where there are moss covered rocks because they are quite slippery.
Sometimes you can throw crumbs inside the ponds to see how crabs and fishes come to you to get their food.
Tombstones
When you are on the way to the Tabas spring, you can see the holes in the cliffs surrounding the two sides that are created in a special order inside the walls, each connected through a tunnel.
These holes, which are known as graves or Houses of Ghabr, are originally the burial place of Zoroastrians, which were generally created in very high places and valleys, but others believe that these holes were houses with a tunnel interconnecting them. Another interesting point is that the cavities are arranged in a certain order of 2 in the top and bottom of each other, and it is said that the cavity is at the bottom was the entrance to the house.
The world’s thinnest arched barrier
After all that you get to the end of the spring, it’s where the water is at its minimum. Here you will encounter another ingenious work of art known as Abbasi Dam. The dam is known by its adjectives, such as the tallest, thinnest, and oldest arched barrier in the world, which, of course, earns its reputation for its 1 meter stone crown.
Abbasi Bridge was built around 500 years ago on the orders of Shah Abbas Safavid. On the walls of the dam, you see some carvings of goats; some believe that these are a symbol of the angels that guard this valuable water. Others also believe that it is the symbol of water and blessings. Carvings seen in caves and places around the world are usually of a goat that has tall and twisted horns. The goats depicted here can be seen in northwestern Iran, Meshginshahr and on the black rocks.
The season to travel Tabas
Since this spring is located in a desert, it may be better to choose cooler seasons over warm ones.
Spring: This season may not be good enough to visit the spring because usually springs and streams are quite flooded during this season and therefore, a lot of water will not allow you to enjoy the spring itself.
Summer: A good contrast between the coolness of the spring water and the burning sun, which makes it very enjoyable to visit the spring; however, the heat might make you sick because after all, you are in the desert nonetheless.
Autumn and winter: Always the best seasons to travel to deserts, but perhaps the best season to visit this particular spring because the air is still cool when it’s sunny and you won’t get cold after a swim.
Formation of the Tabas spring
The first spring which comes into the valley is called Ghanbar, which originates from Shotori mountain ridge, and the water is very cold. On the other hand, Morteza Ali spring joins the Ghanbar within 6 km. It is said that the water from Morteza Ali spring is warmed due to the presence of fault pressure in the area. Once the springs are interconnected, they travel 300 meters and reach the strait, and then they make way towards Jafari spring.
Red garra
Garra
Terrarium
As it was said, the cold water comes from heights and the hot water comes from the spring walls. Sediment-water and precipitation of salts and materials is the reason for it.
