The Jeita Grotto

The Jeita Grotto is a compound of interconnected karstic limestone caves in Jeita, Lebanon located 18 kilometres (11 miles) north of Beirut in the Valley of Nahr al-Kalb. The complex consists of two separate caves.

The lower cave was inhabited in prehistoric times but rediscovered in 1836 by Reverend William Thomson; it can only be visited by boat since it channels an underground river which provides fresh drinking water for the inhabitants of Beirut.

The upper cave was discovered in 1958 by Lebanese speleologists. Located 60 meters (200 ft) above the lower cave, it has been accommodated with an access tunnel and a series of walkways to enable tourists safe visitation without disturbing the natural landscape. The upper cave houses the world's largest stalactite, composed of a series of chambers. The largest chamber has a maximum height of 120 meters (390 ft).

The Jeita Grotto, managed by the German, Beirut-based private firm MAPAS, is a candidate in the New 7 Wonders of Nature competition. Jeita Grotto was selected as one of 28 finalists for the seven natural wonders of the world -- the only grotto/cave to be selected among the nominees. The New 7 Wonders Foundation is to announce the new wonders of nature in 2011.

History
The Jeita caves have been inhabited since prehistoric times. Ancient vestiges of a foundry were found in a one smaller cave nearby the Nahr al-Kalb river which suggests that this cave was used in prehistory to produce swords.

The modern discovery of the underground river of Jeita in 1836 is credited to Reverend William Thomson (an American missionary) who ventured some 50 meters (160 ft) 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 (3,500 ft) into the grotto which is the principal source of the Nahr el-Kalb that supplies Beirut with water. They were impeded by "Hell's Rapids" torrents which break onto razor sharp rocks. Dr. Bliss, Mr. Maxwell and the other engineers recorded their names and the year on "Maxwell's Column", a great limestone pillar some 625 meters (2,050 ft) from the entrance. About 200 meters (660 ft) 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 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 by English, American and French explorers. Their expeditions brought them to a depth of 1,750 meters (5,700 ft).

Since the 1940s, Lebanese explorers, notably the members of the Speleo-Club of Lebanon (Lebanese Caving Club) founded in 1951 by the first Lebanese speleologist Lionel Ghorra, have pushed even deeper into the Jeita grotto. Their expeditions revealed a great underground system which is now known to an overall length of nearly 9 kilometers (5.6 miles).

In 1958 the lower caverns were opened to the public, meanwhile exploration was still underway mainly by the Lebanese Caving Club which led to the discovery of the elevated dry branch of the grotto later referred to as the upper galleries.

In 1962, the Spéléo Club contributed to a study of the upper galleries aiming to provide a tunnel course which was to be dug for touristic development purposes; this tunnel was begun in 1968.

In 1969, a concert with electronic music by the French composer Francois Bayle was held in the cave to celebrate the inauguration of the upper galleries. This event was organized by the Lebanese artist and sculptor Ghassan Klink. Other cultural events have taken place in this unusual surrounding, including a concert by the world acknowledged German composer Karlheinz Stockhausen in November 1969.

The caverns closed to the public due to the Lebanese civil war in 1978 both tunnels leading to the lower and upper galleries were used to store munitions, the outside buildings for military purposes. The caves reopened in 1995 and remain one of the country’s key natural attractions.

Geology
The Jeita grotto is located within the Lower-Middle Jurassic strata of Keserouan which has a stratigraphic thickness of 1,000 meters (3,300 ft) and consists of dolostone and micritic limestone. The Keserouan formation was exposed to air by a local uplift during the Late Jurassic-Early Cretaceous. The Keserouan strata became karstified after its aerial exposure and then was buried during the Cretaceous. In the Neogene, upon the final uplift of Mount Lebanon, this early karstification phase was reactivated.

At the Nahr el Kalb valley, the impervious Upper Jurassic volcanic rocks and Lower Cretaceous sand slant almost vertically forming a hydrogeological barrier and forcing the outlet of the Jeita underground river to the surface. This barrier could be the reason for the westernmost, large cave chambers with heights exceeding 60 meters (200 ft). Karstification of the Keserouan limestone was further intensified by the steep topography of the area and the volume of precipitation over the Lebanon (more than 1200mm).

A ratio of total slope gradient of 1/100 is calculated between the entrance of the cave and its inland extremity. This shows its smooth flat course even though it is sometimes interrupted by several small cascades and rapids. From the west, the Jeita cave starts with large halls and meanders. Through some rapids, the dimension becomes narrower. Going forth, it is spacious with the Thompson’s cavern (250 metres (820 ft) long and 60 meters (200 ft) wide), Grand Chaos 500 meters (1,600 ft) long) and Mroueh’s Hall (200 meters (660 ft) long and 50 meters (160 ft) wide). The latter two are floored with collapsed blocks. The cave ends with a Y-shaped pattern, where, each branch ends with a siphon.

Description
The Jeita cave is situated at the center of the western flanks of the Lebanon mountains, its natural entrance is about 100 meters (330 ft) above sea level. It's located 5 kilometers (3.1 miles) east of the Mediterranean coastline and 18 kilometers (11 miles) north of Beirut. The Jeita caves are solutional karst caves which have formed over millions of years due to the dissolution of limestone. The limestone is dissolved by carbonic acid charged rain water and groundwater; when the limestone, which is originally water proof, contains cracks produced by tectonic forces the water oozes into the rock and starts to widen the cracks and solute caves inside the layers. Jeita is the longest cave complex in the Middle East; it sits at 300 meters (980 ft) above sea level and has a height difference of 305 meters (1,000 ft). Geologically, the caves provide a tunnel or escape route for the underground river, which is the principal source of Nahr-el-Kalb.

The Jeita grotto is the longest explored cave in Lebanon. After many years of exploration, speleologists have penetrated about 6,910 meters (22,700 ft) from the entry point of the lower grotto to the far end of the underground river and about 2,130 meters (7,000 ft) of the upper galleries.

Upper Cave
The Jeita upper cave has an overall length of 2,130 meters (7,000 ft) of which only 750 meters (2,500 ft) are accessible to visitors via a specially conceived walkway; access to the remainder of the cave was restricted to prevent ecological damage which may occur due to the flocking tourists. The upper cave contains a great concentration of a variety of crystallized formations such as stalactites, stalagmites, columns, mushrooms, ponds, curtains and draperies. The upper gallery is famous for its formations, lit by an effective lighting system. It is entered through a 117 meters (380 ft) long concrete tunnel. The part accessible by visitors has three huge chambers. The first is called White Chamber, the second Red Chamber, due to the color of the formations. White dripstones are pure calcite without defilement, the red color is given by iron oxide (rust) in small amounts. In Lebanon iron oxide has a red color instead of the brown beige color which is common in northern countries. The reason is a different chemical reaction caused by the high temperature which produces a different kind of iron oxide. The White Chamber is medium sized, but has the most impressive formations of the cave. The Red Chamber is up to 106 meters (350 ft) high, and 30 meters (98 ft) to 50 meters (160 ft) wide. The third chamber is the biggest of all three chambers and has a height of more than 120 meters (390 ft). The longest stalactite in the world is located in Jeita's White Chamber; it measures 8.2 meters (27 ft) long.

Lower Cave
The lower gallery which has an overall length of 6,200 meters (20,000 ft) is located 60 meters (200 ft) below the upper gallery. It is traversed by a smooth underwater river and a lake {the "Dark Lake"). The river is broken up by several small cataracts and rapids. The lower cave's "Thompson's Cavern", is a massive hall with impressive speleothems such as the Eagle Obelisk stalagmite. Other halls in the lower gallery include the Pantheon, Grand Chaos and Shangri-la. Visitors are transported in the lower gallery by electric boats for a distance of 500 meters (1,600 ft). In winter the lower level is closed, when the water level is too high.

Economic & Social Importance
Today, the Jeita Grotto is a popular recreational show cave and a major tourist attraction. It hosts approximately 300,000 visitors per year.

The Jeita grotto contributes heavily to the public life of the region. MAPAS, the firm which runs the grotto, is an important employer and provides full time jobs for around 115 local residents of Jeita (30% of which are female). In addition to employment, the Jeita caves contribute 5% of ticket fees to the local municipality, between 10 and 20% of general revenue to the Lebanese Ministry of Tourism, and an additional 10% of ticket fees along with the 10% VAT to the Lebanese Ministry of Finance.

Moreover, the Jeita cave emits a spring with a flow ranging from 1-2 m³/sec providing fresh drinking water for one-and-a-half million inhabitants of the capital, Beirut. However, water pollution, due to domestic and agricultural runoff, remains a serious concern as recent analysis detected an increasing presence of coliform.

Awards
In 2002, then French President Jacques Chirac, the United Nations World Tourism Organization and the World Bank accorded the top Sustainable Development in Tourism prize to MAPAS (the company that manages the site) at a summit dubbed “New Ties between Tourism and Culture” in Geneva.

In December 2003, on behalf of the Beirut-based private company MAPAS, Jeita received a prestigious award from the fifth Tourism Summits in Chamonix, France. "Les Sommets du Tourisme" recognized MAPAS’ efforts in restoring Lebanon’s important touristic sites.

The Jeita Grotto is a candidate for the New 7 Nature Wonders of Nature competition.

Other awards and certificates include:
- 2000 Certificate of Recognition from "Sukleen" - Lebanon for its sorting and recycling campaign
- 2000 Appreciation from the Arab Musical Association"
- 1998 "Best Tourism Project" from the Lebanese Ministry of Tourism
- 1997 International Environmental Award from the German Travel Association (DRV).

Other Names
The name of the cave changed several times since its discovery. Initially referred to as the Grottoes of Nahr el Kalb, it was subsequently known as Djaita, Jehita, and finally Jeita. Naher el Kalb is the name of the river that runs through the grottoes, while Jeita, meaning "roaring water" in Aramaic, is the town in which the cave's entrance is located. The transition from Grottoes of Nahr el Kalb to Jeita Grottoes occurred in 1927 as newspapers widely used the latter name.

Numismatics & Philately
In 1961, Jeita became a national symbol when Lebanese authorities issued a stamp featuring the lower cavern to promote national tourism. Mr. Maroun Hajj, the oarsman shown on the stamp, still leads boat tours forty years after the stamp was issued. The Jeita Grotto is also featured on the 1964 one Lira (Lebanese pound) verso.