| |
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 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.
|
 |
|
Natural
Sculptures |
|
|
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. |
|
|
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. |
|
|
 |
|
Magnificent Shapes & Colors |
|
|
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.
|
|
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. |
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 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. |
|
 |
|
Pisa Tower |
|
|
|
|
 |
|
Lebanese
Pet Zoo |
|
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. |
|
|
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. |
 |
|
The Cable
Cars |
|
|
|
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. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
