Tar Spring in Ilam

Iran is the land of springs but tar spring is something rare. You are surely asking yourself whether a tar spring might exist or not! Have you heard anything about tar springs from which flows dark black tar to the lands instead of pure clear water?

In the natural park district of the protected hot water spas in Dehloran city, there's a natural tar spring that has been used for at least five thousand years. It is said in the local folklore that this tar is the blood of the dragon which was slain by Esfandiar (a Shahnameh legend and hero).

The tar spring of Dehloran is located in Ilam Province of Iran and is registered as the country's national natural heritage. This spring is a few kilometers away from Dehloran city and is accessible by a dirt road. The diameter of the span of the spring is about nine meters. As you get closer to the spring, you feel the sharp smell of the tar. Big and small particles of tar flow to the ground from the bottom of the spring.

In the past summers the thirsty birds would get deluded by the shiny surface of the spring and descending to its surface might get stuck and die, but now there is a fence ceiling over the spring to protect the animals.

The railway set by the British army to the spring to use its tar during the World War I is still lying there in the region. And currently, visiting this tourist attraction is free for the public.

 

8/31/2023 3:39:04 AM