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Caverns sculpted by water and time
Few caverns in the
world approach the astounding wealth or the extent of those of Jeita. In these
caves and galleries, known to man since Paleolithic times, the action of
water has created cathedral-like vaults beneath the wooded hills of Mount
Lebanon.
Geologically, the caves provide a tunnel or escape route for the
underground river, which is the principal
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source of the Nar el-Kalb (Dog
River). Located some 20 kilometers along the highway North of Beirut, a
large sign indicates the right turn from Zouk Mickael village, just beyond
the tunnel. The caverns are on two levels. The lower galleries, discovered in 1836
and opened to the public in 1958, are visited by boat. The upper
galleries, opened in January 1969, can be seen on foot.
To mark the
inauguration of the upper galleries, arranged by the Lebanese artist and
sculptor Ghassan Klink, a concert was organized in the cave featuring
electronic music by the French composer François Bayle. Other cultural
events have taken place in this unusual venue, including a concert by the
German composer Carl-Heinrich Stochhausen in November 1969.
Jeita remained a popular attraction
until the recent Lebanese conflict forced it to close in the mid 1970’s.
Upon the initiative of Minister of Tourism Nicolas Fattouche, the Ministry
charged the German company "Mapas" to renovate and re-equip its
facilities by the most modern techniques and to operate the complex. On
July 6, 1995, this natural wonder was again open to the public. |
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JEITA REDISCOVERED
The modern discovery of the underground river of
Jeita dates to 1836 and is attributed to Reverend William Thomson, an
American missionary who ventured some 50 meters into the cave. Reaching
the underground river, he fired a shot from his gun and the resulting
echoes convinced him that he had found a cavern of major importance.
In 1873 W.J. Maxwell and H.G. Huxley, engineers with
the Beirut Water Company, and their friend Reverend Daniel Bliss,
president of the Syrian Protestant College (later the American University
of Beirut) explored these caverns. In two expeditions carried out in 1873
and 1874 they penetrated 1,060 meters into the grotto-principal source of
the Nahr el-Kalb that supplies Beirut with water. They were finally
stopped by "Hell's Rapids", where the river flows in torrents
over razor sharp rocks.
Like explorers everywhere, Dr. Bliss, Mr. Maxwell and
the other engineers could not resist recording their names and the year on
"Maxwell's Column", a great limestone pillar some 625 meters
from the entrance.
About 200 meters further on, in the so-called
"Pantheon', they wrote their names and details of the expedition on
paper, sealed it in a bottle and placed it on top of a stalagmite. The
action of the lime- impregnated water has since covered the bottle
with a thin white film, permanently |
fixing
it to the stone. Between 1892 and 1940 further expeditions were carried
out, mostly by English, American or French explorers. These efforts
brought them to a depth of 1,750 meters.
Since the 1940's, Lebanese explorers, notably the
members of the Speleo-Club of Lebanon founded by the first Lebanese speleologist
Lionel Ghorra, have pushed even deeper into the Jeita grotto. Their
methodical exploration revealed the great underground system of the upper
and lower galleries which is now known to a depth approaching
9 kilometers.
The upper galleries, discovered in August 1958 by
Lebanese speleologists, required a hazardous climb to 650 meters above the
entrance of the underground river. Altogether, 2,130 meters of this
gallery have been explored. |
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INSIDE
THE CAVERNS
In summer you can visit both the upper and lower galleries while
enjoying the refreshingly cool temperature inside the caves. The
lower section is sometimes closed in winter when the water level is
high, but the extensive upper galleries are open all year.
Plan on about two hours for the tour, which includes a boat ride
through the lower galleries, the visit to the upper galleries on
foot and a film presentation. |
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The
Lower Galleries
This part of the cavern takes you to a beautiful
underworld millions of years in the making.
Both the 600-meter boat trip on a subterranean lake is only a
sampling of the system that has been explored for almost 6,910
meters.
The first impression is the sound of rushing water |
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and
a sensation of clean cold. But the roar of the waterfall at the
entrance gives way to profound silence as you glide deeper into the
cave. An effective new lighting system illuminates expert rock
climbers-and marvel at the columns and sculptures fashioned by those
great architects-water and time.
The Upper
Galleries
The approach to these dry galleries through a
120-meter-long concrete tunnel does little to prepare you for the
surprising world beyond. Formed several million years before the
lower caverns, this section shows what the entire cave system was
like before geological conditions displaced the subterranean river
to its present level.
For 650 meters you wind your way through
different levels of the caverns, contemplating the flowing stone
draperies and other formations. Perhaps the most dramatic sight is
the yawning canyons and sink holes, some seen at a drop of over a
hundred meters. |
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Getting
Around Jeita
Leaving your car in the parking area, you
purchase entry and parking tickets. From here the fun begins with a
short ride up the mountain in one of four Austrian cable cars.
If
you prefer land transportation, a Disney-like "train"
pulled by a small replica of a steam engine makes regular runs up
and down the hill between the parking area and the upper galleries. |
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Near
the entrance to the upper galleries is an air conditioned theater which
has scheduled showings of a film about Jeita in several languages. Check
which time the language you want is shown so you can coordinate the film
with your visit to the cave.
The
tickets you have bought double as access cards and are inserted at the
entry gates of the upper and lower galleries and for the cable car. Also
keep them handy for the train and the theater. When departing, your
parking ticket is needed to exit the gate.
The facility has several restaurants, snack bars and
restrooms as well as souvenir shops selling Lebanese handicrafts. Open
Tuesday through Thursday from 9 am to 6 pm and Friday through Sunday from
9 am to 7 pm. Closed on Mondays, unless it is a national holiday.
- Photography is not permitted inside the caves - |
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VISIT
OTHER CITIES
(BEIRUT
- BYBLOS - TRIPOLI - SIDON
- ZAHLÉ -
BAALBECK)
(THE CEDARS - TYRE - BEITEDDINE
- AANJAR) |
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EGYPT - SYRIA - JORDAN
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