Duzdag: The health spa hidden deep in a salt mine on the edge of Asia

 

Nakhchivan, a landlocked exclave about 260 miles west of Azerbaijan’s capital Baku, has a long list of historical attractions that include towers, castles, tombs and even wish-making caves.

However, the centerpiece is the salt mine of Duzdag, or “Salt Mountain,” which functions as the largest medical tourism facility in the region.

Hidden 360 feet (110 meters) below ground, this usual destination offers alternative, complementary treatment for respiratory diseases in chambers that were first hollowed out almost 5,000 years ago.

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Just a quick seven-mile drive out of Nakhchivan city, the caves are spectacularly located in mountains, at an altitude of 3,848 feet (1,173 meters).

The modern Physiotherapy Center was founded in 1979 on the site of salt mines that were excavated by archaeologists in the 1970s. It is believed salt was mined here from the third millennium BCE and exported to the Middle East.

Exactly how the caves became renowned for their healing properties isn’t clear, with several origin stories offering rival explanations.

Legend has it that the caves have long been revered for their restorative powers by locals who consider Duzdag salt to be sacred. During the 20th-century excavation works archaeologists reputedly found relief for their bronchitis and asthma.

Another tale tells of a boy with severe respiratory issues who lived near the caves and used to come there to play and draw animals on the walls. Drawings attributed to him remain on the walls, while his disease, locals claim, was fully cured.