RP278 Jeita Grotto

 RP278 Jeita Grotto

In 1836, a man fired a gun into a cave and discovered one of the wonders of the world. Reverend William Johnson followed an underground river— the source of the important water source the Nahr-al-Kalb river— deep into a cave. The echoes of his gunshot proved to him that he'd found a huge cave system, but the caves weren't formally explored until 1873. Engineers from the Beirut Water Company pushed further into the caves for the next few years. They only stopped when they reached the dangerous Hell's Rapids, where sharp rocks turned the river deadly.

Over the next few decades, other explorers penetrated and explored the caves, which extend kilometers deep into the earth. In 1958, the lower cave was opened to the public. Visitors could see the underwater river that runs through it, the waterfall at its entrance, and the lake (Dark Lake) that it forms. All around are vast halls and stalagmite formations that have been formed over millions of years.

The same year, a whole new upper cave was discovered after brave explorers climbed over 600 meters above the underground river entrance. The dry upper cave contains even more stone formations, including flowing stone draperies, sinkholes, stalagmites, and stalactites. A chamber in the upper caves holds the world's longest stalactite—a 27-foot-long V shape. chambers in the upper cave show dramatic color changes, particularly in the Red Chamber and White Chamber, where different chemical combinations create vivid red and white stone formations.

The caves seem to have been inhabited in prehistoric times, but they were lost for unknown years until their recent discovery. Lately, political unrest has kept the caves from the public. They were closed from 1978 to 1995 because of war. Since then, the caves have been reopened to the public and even honored for their sustainable development. With responsible management, these wonders should be impressing visitors for hundreds more years.