The source base is the corpus of medieval Arabic compositions having to do with geography, travel, and sailing on the Indian Ocean. The present contribution offers some remarks on probabilities and patterns of knowledge transmission across time and massive diversity of Islamic societies of the region and to assess its place in the history of Islamic science and civilization. The cartographic presentation of the Indian Ocean in the Middle Ages is a special case in the history of cartography, still puzzling the historians of geography (more on that below). Over centuries, these exchanges transformed the Indian Ocean into a unified space. Exchanges are not solely shaped by geographic and economic factors, but also by systems of ideas and by the balance of power. Their movements were shaped by numerous factors, both geographic and social in origin. Estimated to be between 20 and 30 million years old, the Caverns are rich in history and lore in recent years as well.1 Writing of the Mediterranean, Fernand Braudel (1990: 253) has remarked, "It isn't water that links its shores," but "seafaring peoples." From a very early date, the Indian Ocean, too, was traversed by sailors, traders, religious men, and migrants moving in search of goods, new lands, or the great unknown. At the bottom of the cave you will board a glass-bottom boat for an exciting trip on the Lost Sea, America's Largest underground lake.Ĭarved over tens of thousands of years in one of the earth's oldest mountain chains, Tuckaleechee Caverns in Townsend, Tennessee are known as the "Greatest Site Under the Smokies". They will also explain the fascinating geological development of the immense cavern rooms and rare formations. While touring the caverns and underground lake guides will tell of the cavern's exciting and colorful history. This involves a ¾ mile round-trip walk on wide sloping pathways. Your Lost Sea adventure begins with a guided tour of the caverns. Bat guano was mined for its high amount of saltpeter which was needed to produce gun powder. The family of North Carolina's Governor Hoke Smith purchased the cave in 1869 for the mining. He traded with Indians, especially the inhabitants of a Cherokee village just west of the entrance. At the beginning of the 18th century the cave entrance room was used by a French trader. In 1983 the remains of a human skeleton were discovered and examined by The University of Tennessee. Numerous remains were excavated proofing this. This cave was used by the Indians for more than 5000 years. Indian Cave is one of many Indian Caves in the United States. The trails are well-lighted, with handrails at all necessary points. Special lighting effects, a stereophonic sound presentation and well-trained tour guides combine to make this a most enjoyable experience. Visitors are provided with an entertaining and educational tour past sparkling formations, towering natural chimneys, numerous grottos and a crystal clear stream. Soda straws, stalactites, stalagmites, columns, flowstone, are only a few of the beautiful speleothems found in the caverns.įorbidden Caverns, located in Sevierville, Tennessee is one of America's most spectacular caverns. As this water drips and flows within the cavity of the cave it leaves a very small amount of dissolved rock on the cavern ceiling, walls and floor, gradually creating the cave formations known as speleothems. Ground water, acquiring a small amount of carbonic acid from the air and vegetation on the surface, dissolves the Dolomite rock as it works its way into the caverns. Ancient earthquakes created cracks in the Dolomite rock, as the inland sea gradually receded the water enlarged the cracks to form the caverns. This occurred in an inland sea, which covered the area at that time. Shells and skeletons of ancient marine life mixed with sand, clay, and other material to form the Copper Ridge Dolomite rock. The caverns began forming about 300 million years ago. The cave opens several times throughout the year for public tours. The creek then tumbles down a 25-foot waterfall into a chasm.Ĭherokee Caverns is not open on a daily basis. In the sink, a small babbling creek twists and turns until it reaches the opening which is about 10 feet by 4 feet. The entrance to the earthen shelter is at the end of a sink immediately off the road.
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