Al - Spéléo Club du Liban

Al-Ouat ’Ouate 

NUMBER 15 NEW SERIES 

طاوـطولا 

ةديدجلا ةلسلسلا 15 ددعلا 

2009 

SPELEO CLUB 

DU LIBAN 

Revue Libanaise de 

Spéléologie et de Karstologie 

The Lebanese Review 

on Speleology and Karst 

ةينانبللا ةلجملا 

تسراكلا ملعو رواغملا ةساردل 

Al-Ouat ’Ouate 15 

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2 | Al-Ouat ’Ouate 15 

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17/1/57 خيرات 90 مقر ربخو ملع 1951 ماع سسأت 

28/11/63 خيرات 14262 مقر موسرملا ةماع ةعفنم تاذ ةيعمج 

28/11/69 خيرات 512 مقر )طباض( ينطولا زرلاا ماسو لماح 

10/10/05 خيرات 154000 مقر )سراف( ينطولا زرلاا ماسو لماح 

رواغملا يف بيقنتلل ينانبللا يدانلا 

نانبل, سايلطنا 70 923 :ب.ص 

Spéléo Club du Liban 

P.O.Box 70 923, Antelias, Lebanon 

For more information: 

info@speleoliban.org 

www.speleoliban.org 

ISSN 1999-8287 

FONDE EN 1951 AU.MIN.NO. 90 DU 17/1/57 

RECONNU D’UTILITE PUBLIQUE DU NO. 14262 DU 28/11/63 

CITE A L’ORDRE NATIONAL DU CEDRE (Officier) NO. 512 DU 24/2/69 

CITE A L’ORDRE NATIONAL DU CEDRE (Chevalier) NO.15400 DU 10/10/05 

يدان مدقأ وه و يبكرك يماسو ماوخ نومير ،يفانأ ريبلا ،ه ّ رغ لانويل دي ىلع رواغملا يف بيقنتلل ينانبللا يدانلا سسأت 1951 يف 

ةقلعتملا نوؤشلا يف يدانلا متهي .ملاعلا ءاحنا عيمج يف نيعزوم وضع 200 نم رثكا مضي .طسولاا قرشلا يف نيروغتسملل 

يف و )1963/11/28 خيرات 14262 مقر موسرملا( ةماع ةعفنم تاذ ةيعمج بقل قحتسا 1963 يف .ةسراكلا ملع و رواغملاب 

زرلاا ماسو لان هنأ امك اتيعج ةراغم يف هلامعا ىلع )1969/2/24 خيرات 512 مقر( طباض ةبترب ينطولا زرلاا ماسو لان 1969 

.)2005/1./1. خيرات 154000 مقر( سراف ةبترب ينطولا 

The Spéléo Club du Liban was founded in 1951 by Lionel Gorra, Albert Anavy, Raymond Khawam and Sami 

Karkabi. It is the oldest caving club in the Middle East. It has over 200 members all over the world. The club 

specializes in speleology and karst. The club was awarded the 'A Club that is a Benefit to the Public' Order by the 

Lebanese government in 1963. 'The National Order of the Cedars', from the Lebanese government was awarded 

for their work in Jiita Cave, rank Officer, in 1969. In 2005 a second Order of the Cedars was awarded to the 

club, rank Knight. 

Le Spéléo Club du Liban fut fondé en 1951 par Lionel Gorra, Albert Anavy, Raymon Khawam et Sami Karkabi. Il s’agit 

du plus ancien club de spéléologie au Moyen-Orient et comprend plus de 200 membres au monde entier. Le club est 

spécialisé en spéléologie et karstologie. En 1963, il fut décrété d’utilité publique (décret N˚14262 du 28/11/1963). En 

1969, il reçu l’Ordre National du Cèdre du grade Officier (N˚512 du 24/02/1969) pour les travaux effectués dans la grotte 

de Jiita et reçu en 2005, un second Ordre National du Cèdre du grade Chevalier (N˚154000 du 10/10/2005). 

All Rights Reserved 

© 2009 SPELEO CLUB DU LIBAN 

No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, 

recording or any information storage and retrieval system, without the permission in writing from the copyright owner. 

Al-Ouat ’Ouate 

NUMBER 15 NEW SERIES 

طاوـطولا 

ةديدجلا ةلسلسلا 15 ددعلا 

Revue Libanaise de 

Spéléologie et de Karstologie 

In collaboration with 

The Lebanese National Council for Scientific Research 

4 | Al-Ouat ’Ouate 15 | 5 

2009 

SPELEO CLUB 

DU LIBAN 

The Lebanese Review 

on Speleology and Karst 

ةينانبللا ةلجملا 

تسراكلا ملعو رواغملا ةساردل 

Editors 

Issam Bou Jaoude 

Johnny Tawk 

Layout and collages 

Rena Karanouh

“Learn to see” as physician William Osler said in the 19th century. 

What helped scientists like Charles Darwin, Alfred Russel, Franklen Evans, Edouard Dupont and 

others to understand is that they not only possessed the ability to look but also to see. This is the major 

foundation for their amazing discoveries. 

Learning to ‘look and see’ is what SCL is trying to do. 

Lebanon, the land of karst in the Middle East, has a special ecosystem being a melting point 

between Africa, Asia and Europe. It has striking caves and karst elements that not only need to be looked at, 

but also to be seen. 

In Lebanon we are starting to uncover the amazing karst environment that we live in, including our 

remarkable caves, speleothems and fauna present in them. All this and much more are to be looked at and 

seen in such a fragile environment. Caves are truly the last frontiers on earth and in Lebanon and they still hold 

places that have never been seen before. 

Let us keep our eyes open and watch out for the amazing environment that we live in. 

We should also thank and pay tribute to our fathers, who got us were we are now, and in their 

honour let us teach and help the new generation to follow the path that we have learnt. 


Editor 

We would like to thank Shk. Khalid Bin Thani A. Al Thani from First International Investment Group, 

Mr. Abdulla Bin Nasser Al Misnad from Gulf Cement Company and Mr. Marwan Zgheib from MZ & Partners for 

their moral and financial support to ensure a consistent release of our publication. 

We would also like to thank Dr. Dia Karanouh and Mrs. Nidal Nseir and Ms. Hala Bou Jaoude for 

their valuable revision of the English articles, Stephanie Mailhac for her French translation and Maya Sarrouf 

for her help. 

اهيفلؤم ةيلؤسم يه طاوطولا ةلجم يف تروشنلما اهونيماضمو تلااقلمأ. 

The articles and their content published in the Al Ouat’Ouate magazine are the responsibility of their authors. 

La responsabilité des articles publiés dans Al Ouat’Ouate n’engagent que leurs auteurs. 

10 LES PREMIERS 

20 ROUGE SUR BLANC 24 FINAL NOTES 

28 

TRAÇAGES À 

Maïa Sarrouf 

ON SALLE 

L’URANINE 

BEAYNO 

AU LIBAN 

Elias Labaki 

Sami Karkabi 

Samer Harb 

34 FIRST GEOCHEMICAL 42 JIITA WITH SAMI 

50 STALAGMITES AND 54 

STUDY OF 

Rena Karanouh 

COLUMNS OF JIITA 

STALAGMITES 

Georges Haddad 

FROM JIITA CAVE 

Fadi Nader 


68 PRELIMINARY 

70 BAT CENSUS IN 

74 EVALUATION OF 

80 

ANALYSIS OF THE 

LEBANESE CAVES 

HUMAN IMPACTS 

ARCHAEOLOGICAL 

2008 & 2009 

ON KANAAN CAVE 

MATERIAL 

Assad Saif 

Ivan Horáček et al 

Maïa Sarrouf 

85 مادتسلما طئارلخا مسر 

Philipp Häuselmann 

88 WHAT’S IN A LOGO 

Nadine Sinno 

94 OUR THURSDAY 

MEETING 

HEADQUARTERS 

Bashir Khoury 

96 

98 ADVENTURES IN 

CAVE CLIMBING 


104 

IRAN 

Johnny Tawk 

Habib el Helou 

Fadi Nader 

108 DISCOVERING ES- 

SUWAYDA 

LAVA CAVES IN 

SOUTHERN SYRIA 

Johnny Tawk et al 

112 

contents 

THE SALLE 

BLANCHE 

EXPEDITION 


Wassim Hamdan 

LA PHOTOGRAPHIE 

SPÉLÉOLOGIQUE 

AU LIBAN 

Sami Karkabi 

Johnny Tawk 

RAYMOND KHAWAM 

Sami Karkabi 

Johnny Tawk 

PROTECTING OUR 

CAVING HERITAGE 

Karen Moarkech 

BARLANGS IN 

BUDAPEST 

& UNDER AGGTELEK 

Emma Porter 

116 A RENDEZVOUS WITH 118 A YEAR INSIDE 

126 ROUEISS GEOLOGY 132 NEW DISCOVERIES 

MAMMOTH CAVE 

ROUEISS CAVE 

Rena Karanouh 

Rena Karanouh 

Hadi Kasammani, 

Wassim Hamdan, 

Nabil Shehab 


6 | Al-Ouat ’Ouate 15 | 7

A canyon passage in Rahoue cave 

(Photo by Johnny Tawk) 

> Mgharet el Rahoue 

> The detailed survey of Chaos, Jiita. 

> The Pearls of Jiita. 

Thanks to our generous sponsors 

Shk. Khalid Bin Thani A. Al Thani, 

Mr. Abdulla Bin Nasser Al Misnad 

and Mr. Marwan Zgheib, the 

coming issue of Al-Ouat’Ouate 

Magazine, issue 16, is already in 

the works. Several articles are 

already being researched. Here 

are some of the new discoveries, 

scientific reasearch and many 

varied cave related issues that 

will appear in our next issue: 

> Underground Activities 

> The Pearls of Kanaan. 

> Bats survey of Lebanon, 2010 

> Roueiss cave Archeology > Mgharet el Hadid 

Al-Ouat ’Ouate 16 

> Karst plateau > Colouration. > The karst of Lebanon 


.بيرغ عباط ةراغلما هذهل 

مجح« مجلحا ثيح نم نانبل يف رواغلما ةعيلط يف نوكت نا ديرت يه 

.تلاكشتلا لامجو عافترلااو لوطلاو »تلاكشتلاو تارملما 

هذه مهاو .ةراغلما هذه لخاد رطسم نانبل يف راوغتسلأا خيرات 

نانبل يف راوغتسلاا ةدمعا دحأ ةدايقب ينينانبللا دي ىلع ةئاج تافاشتكلاا 

.يبكرك يماس ديسلا رواغلما يف بيقنتلل ينانبلا يدانلا يسسؤم دحاو 

عقوم نلاا وهو يولعلا قباطلا فاشتكا ىلع ةنس ينسمخ دعب 

رارساب ظفتتح لازت ام ةراغلما هذه .يبرعلا انلماع يف مارتحلااب ريدج يحايس 

.لمم سيلو قيطب لكشب نكلو ًايرود اهنع حاصفلاا ىلع دمتعتو 

ةراغلما هذه لمج ىلع طاوطولا ةلجم نم ددعلا اذه يف ءوضلا يقلن 

تارماغمو ناولأا ةددعتم تلاكشت نم اهلماعم نع حاصفلاا للاخ نم 

.اهلخاد تافاشتكلأا ةقفار ةقوشم 

هيلع ةظفالمحاو اتيعج ةراغلم بيرغلا عباطلا اذه عم ملقأتن نا بجي 

.ةمداقلا لايجلاا كلم هنلا 

Have you ever met Jiita? 

It can never bore you. 

You can never but enjoy every moment you spend in her realms. It 

amazes you when you go in but will beat you every time on your way out. 

But it is surely a cave with an attitude. 

Jiita cave wants to be the Giant of all caves in Lebanon. It desires to be 

the longest, the largest, the most beautiful and the one that holds the most 

cave secrets. 

It is the mother of our founding fathers. It witnessed the birth of our 

club in 1951. It triggered a swirl of caving adventures in Lebanon. Caving 

history was written in it. 

Fifty years since the discovery of its Upper Gallery, Jiita is now 

the most visited tourist attraction in Lebanon, its beauty rivaling many 

international show caves. 

This cave still holds on to many of its secrets. But it is slowly showing 

them to us bit by bit. The process is so slow it hurts, but still, anything 

worthwhile is worth waiting for, right? 

We pay tribute in this issue of the Al-Ouat’Ouate magazine to this 

amazing cave by showing you some of its new secrets: big columns; 

amazing stalagmites; stories from one of its great discoverers Mr. Sami 

Karkabi; its white and red galleries; and its climatic imprints...all this and 

more. 

We keep on watching for what she decides to unveil next. 

Connaissez-vous Jiita? 

Vous ne pourriez que prendre plaisir de chaque moment passé dans 

ses bras. Jiita vous surprendra et vous marquera de manière inoubliable 

au cours de votre visite et bien après. Cette grotte a sûrement un caractère, 

un charme, la plus longue des grottes libanaises, la plus jolie et surtout, 

la plus secrète. Elle est la mère de nos pères fondateurs et témoin de la 

naissance de notre club en 1951 où le berceau et l’histoire des aventures 

spéléologiques libanaises furent écrits. 

50 ans après la découverte des Galeries Supérieures, Jiita est la plus 

grande attraction touristique du pays et sa beauté rivalise celle des grottes 

internationales aménagées. 

Conservant minutieusement ses secrets, Jiita les dévoile peu à peu. 

Le progrès est lent et douloureux, mais les résultats prouvent le mérite des 

efforts. 

Dans cette édition du magazine Al Ouat’Ouate, nous rendons hommage 

à cette grotte en vous dévoilant, autant que possible, sa splendeur, ses 

colonnes, ses stalagmites, les histoires de son plus grand explorateur M. 

Sami Karkabi, ses galeries rouges et blanches, ses empreintes climatiques… 

tout cela et encore plus. 

Prenez plaisir dans l’attente de ses prochains dévoilements. 


DYE-TRACING hISToRY 

Sami Karkabi | kraks@cyberia.net.lb 

LES 

PREMIERS 

TRAÇAGES 

ÀL’URANINE 

AU LIBAN 

Résumé 

Le désaccord qui opposait la Compagnie des Eaux 

de Beyrouth à la Société des Eaux du Kesrouan remonte à 

1911. Il concernait le captage des eaux de Nabaa el Laban 

à des fins d’irrigation. La Compagnie assurait qu’elle 

était lésée par ce captage, soupçonnant que les eaux qui 

s’écoulaient librement auparavant dans le lit du Nahr 

es Salib alimentaient aux travers de fissures la rivière 

souterraine de Jiita, ce cours d’eau souterrain ravitaillant 

à son tour la rivière souterraine. Trois traçages à la 

fluorescéine destinés à vérifier les faits furent entrepris en 

1913 dans des conditions précaires, rendant les résultats 

peu fiables. 

Afin de mettre fin à ce litige, le Général Weygand, 

Haut Commissaire de la République Française en Syrie 

et au Liban, institue par décision N°1998, le 26 juillet 

1923, une ‘’Commission’’ destinée à chercher l’origine de 

l’alimentation en eaux de la source principale du Nahr el 

Kelb. 

C’est à la suite de recherches effectuées dans les 

archives diplomatiques de Nantes (Mandat Syrie-Liban) et 

dans la revue Al Kulliyah de l’Université Américaine de 

Beyrouth qu’un certain nombre d’éléments relatifs à cette 

affaire ont été reconstitués. 

Il nous est apparu indispensable, vu la complexité de 

cette histoire, de retracer brièvement les différentes phases 

de son évolution. 

يذلا لدجلاب ةطيحملا فورظلاو لحارملا ىلا لاقملا اذه قرطتي 

هايم ةيعمجو توريب هايم ةكرش نيب نبللا عبن مرح ىلع لصح 

عبن نم ةقفدتملا هايملا نا لوقت ةكرشلا .1911 ماع يف ناورسك 

يفوجلا ىرجملا يذغتل بيلصلا ةقطنم يف قوقشلا يف روغت نبللا 

نم دكأتلل 1914 ةنس تلصح يتلا نيولتلا تايلمع .اتيعج عبنل 

نانبلل يماسلا ضوفملا ماق كلاذل .ًاعفن يدجت مل ةيرظنلا هذه 

1923 زومت يف 1998 مقر رارق رادصأب دراغنيو لارنجلا كاذنا ايروسو 

فيشراب ثحابلأ نيعتسي .لاكشلأا اذه يف رظنلل ةنجل نيعتب 

.تنان يف يسامولبدلا فيشرلااو ةيكرملأا ةعماجلا 

The disagreement on the catchment area of Nabaa el Laban between the 

Beirut Water Company and the Society of Waters of Kesrouan goes back to 

1911. The Company argued that the water passing freely in the bed of Nahr 

el Salib fed the underground river of Jiita through fissures and fractures. 

Three tracing tests using fluorescéine were undertaken in 1913 to prove 

this theory, proved inconclusive. To put an end to this debate, the General 

Weygand, high commissioner of the French République in Syria and in 

Lebanon, formulates a decision N°1998, on July 26th, 1923. The decision 

stipulates a «Commission» intended to search for the main source of Nahr 

el Kelb. This paper shortly illustrates the history and the stages regarding 

the issue at hand with the aid of information gathered from the archives of 

’Archives Diplomatiques de Nantes’ (Mandate Syria – Lebanon) and the Al 

Kulliyah bulletin from the American University of Beirut. 

Il nous est apparu 

indispensable, 

vu la complexité 

de cette histoire, 

de retracer 

brièvement 

les différentes 

phases de son 

évolution. 

L’alimentation en eau de Beyrouth en 1870 

La capitale libanaise est ravitaillée dès 1870 par 

les eaux issues de la résurgence des grottes de Jiita, 

source principale du Nahr el Kelb. La concession de cette 

opération appelée ‘’Entreprise des Eaux de Beyrouth’’ 

(devenue Compagnie des Eaux de Beyrouth) est accordée 

le 22 juillet 1870 par firman du Gouvernement Impérial 

Ottoman à M. Thevenin, ingénieur français, aux conditions 

suivantes : les eaux nécessaires seront empruntées au Nahr 

el Kelb en un point voisin de son embouchure dans la 

Méditerranée et seront conduites par un canal d’amenée à 

l’usine de Dbayeh. Une partie de ces eaux servira de force 

motrice aux turbines qui la refouleront à Beyrouth, l’autre 

sera préalablement filtrée puis élevée au moyen d’une 

usine hydraulique qui s’établira et fonctionnera de façon 

à ne gêner ni les irrigations ni les moulins desservis par le 

cours d’eau. La quantité d’eau amenée à Beyrouth est fixée 

au minimum à 4000 m 3 par 24 heures. L’eau utilisée pour 

refouler à la vapeur 1 m 3 , exigerait l’emploi de dix autres 

mètres cubes environ par les installations hydrauliques. 

Le 6 novembre 1897 cette concession, à courir de la 

date du firman impérial, a été prolongée de 40 ans par une 

convention additionnelle. 

L’alimentation en eau du Kesrouan 

Le 3 avril 1893, un permis d’exploitation à but 

d’irrigation, du Nahr es Salib est accordé par la cour 

administrative du Liban au Cheikh Sejaan Maroun el 

Khazen. La Compagnie ne s’en inquiéta pas estimant que 

le Cheikh n’avait apparemment pas les moyens financiers 

d’aboutir mais soupçonnant toutefois, quoique n’en ayant 

aucune preuve, que les eaux issues de la résurgence de Jiita 

étaient directement alimentées par les eaux d’infiltration 

provenant du Nahr es Salib. 

En 1905, les droits du Cheikh Sejaan, étaient 

transférés au Cheikh Mansour el Bittar. 

Au mois de Juin 1907, Sélim Bey Chaker, sujet 

ottoman, natif du village libanais de Deir el Harf, 

représentant un syndicat de financiers d’Egypte, demande 

à la cour administrative de transférer encore une fois ces 

droits à son propre nom. Craignant que cette fois ne soit 

réalisé le projet, la Compagnie s’en alarme et proteste 

de façon formelle auprès de Youssef Pacha, Gouverneur 

du Liban. Cette crainte découle du fait, que si la quantité 

d’eau fournie pendant les mois d’hiver suffisait à tous les 

besoins, il n’en serait pas de même à l’étiage (de juin à 

novembre) pour refouler 640.000 m 3 d’eau à la vapeur. A 

ceci, s’ajouterait l’obligation de modifier les installations 

hydrauliques afin de les adapter à un débit plus réduit que 

celui pour lequel elles avaient été calculées, d’où préjudice 

et énorme dommage. 

Ne tenant aucun compte de cette protestation ainsi 

que celle de la demande de Sélim Bey Chaker, 


Youssef Pacha, accorde une nouvelle autorisation à Michel 

Bey Tueni. La Compagnie protesta alors auprès de la 

Sublime Porte, par l’intermédiaire du Wali de Beyrouth. Le 

Gouverneur du Liban fut invité à fournir des explications 

et le Gouvernement Impérial envoya de Constantinople 

un haut fonctionnaire des Travaux Publics mandaté pour 

effectuer une étude scientifique et géologique de concert 

avec les ingénieurs du Wilayet et du Liban. Toutefois, 

la Compagnie n’ayant qu’une confiance limitée dans 

les connaissances scientifiques de ces fonctionnaires, 

demanda au Wali de Beyrouth de leur adjoindre M. Elie 

Day, professeur de géologie au Collège Américain. La 

Compagnie profita d’une absence du dit professeur, pour 

se rendre dans le Kesrouan et faire seule son enquête. Le 

rapport fut présenté le 21 octobre 1908. Il contenait de 

nombreuses erreurs et lacunes. Le professeur Day se rend 

alors dans les vallées du Nahr es Salib et du Nahr el Kelb. 

Son étude conclut à la probabilité d’une communication 

souterraine entre le haut Nahr es Salib et les grottes de 

Jiita. Une série d’observations confirmèrent cette opinion. 

Dès lors, Michel Bey Tueni, renonça à continuer ses 

démarches. 

Extrait de l’étude du Pr. A. E. Day publié en 1912: 

… The river bed at Meiruba and the Jaita 

cave are both in the lower (Jurassic) 

limestone of Lebanon, and it is probable 

that the whole of the subterranean channel 

is excavated in this formation. Caves are 

common in limestone countries, being formed 

by the solvent action of the water of the 

rains and the snows as it percolates through 

the rock. While it has been stated as 

probable that the water which flows out of 

the Dog River cave, it must be remembered 

that this not been proved. If a large amount 

of solution of some harmless coloring matter 

were turning into stream near Meiruba at 

the time of low water in the latter part of 

the summer, while competent persons made 

careful observations at the Dog River cave, 

it might thereby be ascertained whether or 

not the water of Meiruba forms a part of 

the subterranean river. This would entail 

considerable expense and careful attention 

from skilled observers. A demonstration of 

another character seems likely to be made in 

the near future. A company has been formed 

to divert the water of Neb’-ul-Asal by an 

aqueduct, which shall take it to the region 

of Reifun, Ajaltun, and Ashkut. Preliminary 

surveys were made recently and it may be 

that the plan will be carried out. It is to 

be hoped that if is results in a diminution 

of the output of water from the Dog River 

cave, the amount remaining may prove to be 

sufficient for the wants of Beirut. The 

Beirut Water Company contested the right of 

the new Company to divert the head waters of 

the Dog River systems, but the litigation 

resulted unfavorably to the Beirut Company. 

(réf. Al-Kulliyah,Alfred Ely Day, Professor 

of geology - A.U.B. - Vol. III N°3, p.72 – 

January 1912). 

Sélim Bey Chaker revint à la charge en 1911. Malgré 

les protestations de la Compagnie, la concession lui 

fut finalement accordée par «mazbata» sanctionné le 

7 juillet 1911 par Youssef Pacha, Gouverneur du Liban. 

Ce dernier accorde à M. Sélim Bey Chaker le droit de la 

fourniture, d’alimentation et d’irrigation à divers villages 

du Kesrouan. Le transfert de cette concession prend 

nom de ‘’Société des Eaux du Liban’’. Elle sera reportée 

quatre mois plus tard par son bénéficiaire à une société 

constituée par un groupement anglais. Le gouvernement de 

Constantinople ne parait pas être intervenu dans l’affaire. 

Sur quoi la Compagnie adressa le 1er novembre 1911 

au Ministère des Travaux Publics une dépêche le rendant 

responsable des dommages que l’octroi de cette concession 

entraînerait. Suite à cette dépêche, le Ministre des Travaux 

Publics nomma une commission d’experts et adressa au 

Wali de Beyrouth, en date du 17 novembre 1911, l’ordre 

de faire rechercher par cette commission, soit par matières 

colorantes, soit par examen microscopique, si oui ou 

non, il y avait communication entre les eaux du Nahr es 

Salib et les grottes de Jiita et, en attendant les résultats, de 

suspendre les travaux. Puis le temps passa et rien ne fut 

exécuté. 

La Compagnie protesta à nouveau, mais cette fois 

par acte notarié du 31 janvier 1912. Cette démarche 

n’ayant pas plus de succès que les autres et la Commission 

Officielle n’ayant aucune velléité de remplir sa mission, le 

Consul Général de France intervint en raison des intérêts 

français considérables représentés dans la Compagnie, et, 

sur son désir, celle-ci lui adressa le 14 février 1913 un 

rapport complet réclamant de surcroît son intervention 

personnelle. 

Cette fois, après un nouvel ordre du Ministère des 

Travaux Publics en date du 2 avril 1913, le Gouvernement 

du Liban s’exécuta et ainsi que le Wilayet le faisait de 

son côté, désigna en Août une Commission d’experts, 

composée de membres du Conseil Administratif du Liban 

et du Wilayet afin de réexaminer la situation. 

Les premières colorations 

Les colorations de la Société des Eaux du Kesrouan 

et de la Compagnie des Eaux de Beyrouth (septembre et 

novembre 1913). 

1 - la Compagnie fit faire par son personnel un 

essai privé de coloration qui, exécuté le plus discrètement 

possible (sans témoins accrédités) et sans attirer 

l’attention, donnait des résultats prouvant l’existence 

d’une communication souterraine entre le Nahr es Salib 

et le Nahr el Kelb. Ces résultats sont consignés dans un 

procès-verbal d’analyse établi le 6 septembre 1913 par 

le Docteur GUIGES, professeur à la Faculté Française 

de Médecine. Ce document n’a pas été trouvé dans les 

archives diplomatiques de Nantes. 

2 – la seconde coloration (20kg d’uranine versés à 

Nahr es Salib) réalisée le 30 septembre 1913 en privé par 

la ‘’Concession’’ n’a donné aucun résultat positif. Il reste 

que ces deux expériences restent entachées du même vice, 

celui d’une trop courte attente à la sortie des eaux de la 

résurgence de Jiita et ne peuvent servir de témoignage. 

3 - La troisième expérience (30kg d’uranine), 

officielle cette fois-ci, a été exécutée le 6 novembre 1913 

par une commission déléguée par la Compagnie. Elle fut 

entourée d’une publicité inévitable. Malheureusement la 

Commission eut le tort d’attendre trop peu de temps à la 

grotte de Jiita, et de faire ses prélèvements d’eau avant 

l’arrivée de la grande masse de colorant, qui ne survint, 

prétend-elle, qu’après son départ et dont les habitants 

de Beyrouth ont gardé le souvenir car ils le burent deux 

jours durant. Mais cette présence de colorant n’avait 

pas été constatée officiellement à la grotte même, et les 

échantillons prélevés prématurément par la Commission 

n’ayant donné de traces qu’au fluoroscope, sans coloration 

visible à l’œil, la majorité de la Commission déclara 

l’expérience insuffisante. 

DOCUMENT N° 9 – Rapport du chimiste James A. Patch, chargé par la Compagnie des Eaux de Beyrouth de prélever et 

d’analyser les échantillons d’eau à la grotte de Jiita. Ce rapport est daté du 8 novembre 1913, c’est-à-dire au surlendemain 

de la coloration effectuée avec 30kg de fluorescéine au niveau de Nabaa el Mghara dans la région de Meiruba. Comme 

signalé plus haut, l’attente fut trop courte et seul le témoignage tardif de M J. Patch (voir plus loin, “The Dog river dyed 

green” confirme par la suite la réussite de l’expérience. 

Dear Sir, 

At your request on Nov 6, I took in collecting and examining samples of water from the 

Nahr el Kelb as issues from the cave of Jiita. The object of the test was to determine if 

the water contained any trace of the special dye called ‘’uranine’’ which had been added to 

the extent of 30 kilos in the Nahr Salib before it disappears in the ground. 

I took the first sample at 10.50 A.M. Thursday, Nov.6th. It consisted of an ‘elfeeyah’ 

(approximately 3 liters) and being perfectly clear, was reserved for comparison. At 11.15 

A.M. we began to take regular samples of 250 cc. each every 15 minutes, and continued 

the sampling without a break until 8 A.M. Friday morning, the samples sent to Beirut for 

further analysis. Here each was treated and traces which might not be evident in the tube 

comparisons. Colorimetric comparisons of the samples which in 1-10,000,000 solution of 

uranine showed them free from color. As a result of the examination of original samples and 

later the collective samples, I am able to state that between the hours of 11,15 A.M. on 

Thursday and 8 A.M. on Friday, Nov. 6-7, no trace of uranine could be found in water. 

Trusting that report will serve you need, I remain, 

Yours very sincerely, 

(Sgd) James A. Patch 

THE DOG RIVER DYED GREEN 

Al-Kullyah, Vol. N°3 - January 1914 

LES PREMIERS TRAÇAGES 

À L’URANINE AU LIBAN 

In Al-Kulliyah for January 1912 appeared an interesting article giving a description of the 

Dog River Cave and of the experiences of various exploring parties who have made excursions 

into the cave. Towards, Professor Day, discusses the possibility of the water flowing 

from the cave being the same as that which sinks into the river bed of Nahr us-Salib near 

Meiruba. Professor Day suggests, as a method of proving this connection, that there be 

emptied into the Nahr-us-Salib near Meiruba a large quantity of some harmless dye which, if 

there is a connection between the streams, would appear later in the water at the Dog River 

Cave. 

Considerable importance has recently become attached to the proving or disproving of 

this connection between the two rivers. The water supply of the City of Beirut is mainly 

drawn from the stream issuing from the Dog River Cave. Another water company is now engaged 

in reconstructing tunnels and aqueducts preparatory to diverting the water of Nar-ul-Assal, 

which at present flows into the Nahr-us-Salib, and so, perhaps eventually, into the Dog 

River, to supply the needs of the towns of Reifun, Ajaltun and Ashkut. If, as many believe, 

the Neb-ul-Assal water furnishes one-fifth of the Dog River supply, then the leading away of 

this amount would appreciably decrease the Beirut supply, especially at the end of the dry 

season. 

The writer was recently called to assist in making such a color test as Professor Day 

has suggested. By previous arrangement with both the Beirut and the Reifun water companies a 

large quantity of a special dye, called ‘’uranine’’, was dissolved in water and turned into 

the Nahr-us-Salib near Meiruba at seven o’clock on the morning of Nov. 6th, last. Uranine 

when in dilute solutions, imparts to water a beautiful green fluorescence, greater dilution 

can still observed by looking through a considerable length of solution in a colorimetric 

tube. On the occasion here described sufficient uranine (30 kilograms) was poured into Nahrus-Salib 

to give a strong color to all the water that then flowing from the Dog River Cave 

in twenty-for hours (about 130.000 cubic meters). The color was dissolved and mixed with 

the stream by representatives of the Beirut Water Company. Soon after the experiment was 

made, tests were begun on the water flowing from the Dog River Cave. Samples were collected 

and tested every fifteen minutes until eight o’clock the following morning, that is, until 

twenty-five hours elapsed after the color was added to the Nahr-us-Salib at 


Meiruba. From the length of time it took the color to travel a given distance in the stream 

above, it had been calculated that the color ought to appear at the cave in about nine 

hours. Sixteen additional hours were considered a very safe margin to wait for appearance 

of the uranine. However, during all this time not the slightest indication of coloration 

appeared. 

It was a great disappointment to many of the watchers of this interesting experiment to 

realize that their belief in a close connection between the two streams must be altered. 

All the small samples of water collected during the test were mixed in two-hour samples 

in large bottles and brought to the College for further testing, but with the same negative 

results. The most careful examination failed to show any signs of coloration and a report 

was made out to that effect. 

On the morning of November 12th, six days later, a messenger from the water company 

at Dubeiyeh appeared at the College to say that at six o’clock that morning the water of 

the Dog River began to run green. Mr McCann, representing the writer, went out on the next 

train and hastened to the cave to make note of the facts. He reported on his return the 

green appearance of the water and brought with him a sample of the colored water to be 

tested. Uranine was present but in a very minute quantity. The following morning the writer 

tested the city supply in the laboratory and in his house and found it also green but much 

less colored than the cave water. For more than a day the city of Beirut drank green water 

without knowing it. Those who looked at the sample in the writer’s laboratory can testify 

to the fact that it was really green. 

The experience of the previous week had altered our belief in regard to the origin 

of the Dog River water. Now this new incident again upset out conclusions. Surely the 

green in the water must have come from Meiruba, but where had it been all this time? How 

could it have been concealed for six days within a distance of thirteen kilometers? At a 

previous test one month before a similar tardy appearance of the color was reported to have 

occurred. 

After all, then, Professor Day’s conjecture is perhaps correct. Until some new data 

is presented it is natural to assume that the water, which is sinking into the stony river 

bed of the Nahr-us-Salib, appears again at the Dog River Cave. Not many months hence a more 

certain proof of the truth or falsity of the assumption will be furnished by the actual 

diverting of the Neb-ul-Assal waters. 

James A. Patch 

Malgré l’apparition du colorant à Dbaiyeh et dans 

les robinets de Beyrouth, la Commission n’osa conclure 

l’exactitude des résultats obtenus. La Commission de 1913 

se proposait de renouveler ses expériences à la fin de l’été 

de 1914, mais survient la guerre, et la question des Eaux du 

Nabeh el Assal tombe dans un sommeil de sept ans. Quand 

la Société des Eaux du Kesrouan manifeste l’intention de 

les reprendre, la Compagnie des Eaux de Beyrouth proteste 

de nouveau et obtient le 5 octobre 1922 du gouverneur du 

Grand Liban la nomination d’une commission nouvelle 

chargée de réaliser le programme interrompu par les 

hostilités. 

Mais cette commission présidée par le Directeur 

des Travaux Publics du Haut-Commissariat, posa dans 

les deux séances qu’elle tint, les 12 et 14 du même 

mois, la question préjudiciable suivante : nommée par 

le Gouvernement du Grand Liban, héritier de l’ancienne 

Administration du Liban, avait-elle le droit, le cas 

échéant, de conclure à la responsabilité pécuniaire de ce 

Gouvernement ? A la majorité, elle estima que non, et 

conclut à son incompétence. 

Devant cette fin de non-recevoir, la Compagnie des 

Eaux de Beyrouth se retourna vers le Haut-Commissariat. 

Elle lui demanda de constituer une commission définitive 

indépendante du Grand Liban et susceptible de mener à 

bien les expériences ajournées depuis neuf ans. La saison 

était trop tardive pour y procéder en 1922. 

Afin de mettre fin à ce litige, le Général Weygand, 

Haut-Commissaire de la République Française en Syrie 

et au Liban, institue par décision N°1998, le 26 juillet 

1923, une ‘Commission’ destinée à chercher l’origine de 

l’alimentation en eaux de la source principale du Nahr el 

Kelb. 

Cette «Commission» comprenait deux représentants 

du Haut-Commissariat, deux représentants de 

l’Administration du Grand Liban, un représentant de la 

Compagnie des Eaux de Beyrouth, le concessionnaire des 

Eaux du Nabeh el Assal, plus un représentant de la Société 

rétrocessionnaire, ainsi que deux experts indépendants 

de l’Administration et des parties en cause. Le point 

essentiel qui nous intéresse ici est la procédure à suivre 

pour des expériences de coloration des eaux du Nahr es 

Salib au moyen d’uranine fournie par la Compagnie des 

Eaux de Beyrouth. Pour réaliser ce projet, une commission 

parallèle est créée, composée d’un ingénieur chimiste, 

d’un géologue, d’observateurs en amont lors de l’injection 

du colorant et d’observateurs en aval à la résurgence pour 

certifier l’arrivée du colorant. En outre, et afin d’assurer le 

bon déroulement de l’opération et éviter toute équivoque, 

une dizaine de gendarmes sont affectés à l’entrée de la 

grotte de Jiita. 

Les opérations préparatoires comprenaient une 

reconnaissance des lieux permettant une étude géologique, 

la localisation des pertes supposées, une mission de 

jaugeage et bien entendu le programme concernant 

l’opération de coloration elle-même. 

A – Considérations géologiques 

(Larges extraits du rapport géologique (Septembre 

1923) de M. Odinot professeur de Géologie à l’école 

Française d’Ingénieurs de Beyrouth (Fig. 1). Note : lire en 

place de Ouadi bou Roqaa, Nahr es Salib tel qu’indiqué sur 

les cartes en 1923. 

Nous avons remonté le Nahr es Salib un kilomètre environ en amont de Nabaa el Mghâra sur les premières pentes du 

Sannine. L’endroit où est établi notre campement est assez caractéristique ; en aval les couches sont calcaires, plongent 

25 degrés environ O.E. en direction N.S. et se rétablissent horizontalement à hauteur de Maïroûba où les parois de la 

rivière, deviennent très abruptes jusqu’au moment où nous avons suivi le lit de la rivière, c’est-à-dire jusqu’au droit de 

Reyfoun. En amont les couches calcaires plongent sous une puissante venue de basalte qui les a métamorphosés. L’arête 

rocheuse aussi bien côté Maïroûba que côté Mazraat Kfar Debian, est recouverte dans ses parties horizontales par les 

grés rouges. On peut donc se situer logiquement dans la partie où ont eu lieu les essais, l’on se trouve dans les calcaires 

les plus anciens de la montagne du Liban, c’est-à-dire vraisemblablement dans le Jurassique supérieur et sous le dernier 

étage le plus ancien du crétacé, le grès du néocomien qu’on retrouve dans la vallée du Nahr el Kelb, en aval de la grotte 

de Jiita, mais ici les couches sont presque verticales. 

Ces considérations permettant ainsi de présumer que le fond de la vallée n’est pas imperméable mais que les apports 

de la rivière ont constitué une sorte de colmatage jusqu’à présent perméable de la partie inférieure de la vallée en la 

nivelant à peu près. Ceci laisse supposer et permet de considérer qu’il y a un lit souterrain inférieur au niveau actuel du 

lit aérien avec lequel il y aura communication tant que le colmatage ne sera pas complet. Mais nous devons dire aussi 

que par suite du cours naturel des choses, l’effet de colmatage sera certainement d’amener un jour le lit souterrain à 

être aérien sur tout son parcours. L’inclinaison des couches dans la partie amont du Platane semblerait indiquer que les 

eaux qui se perdent dans cette partie de la rivière peuvent être captées et dirigées vers et sous la circonscription du 

Sannine, puisque ces couches plongent à 

l’Est. Les eaux qui s’infiltrent dans les lits de 

stratification sont vraisemblablement dirigées de 

ce côté. Un réseau souterrain de fissures doit 

certainement exister dans toute la région 

commandée par le Sannine pouvant modifier assez 

considérablement le système d’écoulement des 

eaux superficielles et il est très probable qu’il doit 

y avoir d’assez grandes différences entre les 

lignes de séparation des eaux à la surface (eaux 

pluviales) ou bassin topographique et la ligne de 

séparation des eaux souterraines (eaux 

d’infiltration) ou bassin d’alimentation 

proprement dit. 

Pour parler en complète connaissance de cause il faudrait faire l’étude du bassin hydrographique complet du Nahr el 

Kelb. Mais ceci demande du temps. Ce qu’il y a de certain, c’et que la nature du terrain qui est fissuré en grand dans un 

seul étage géologique rend probable au plus haut degré la communication entre le bas et le haut, entre le Nahr el Kelb et 

le Nahr es Salib. 

Il sera beaucoup plus délicat de déterminer dans quelles proportions, si même cela est possible, car dans des 

expériences sincères et exemptes de toute critique au point de vue qui nous occupe, il faudrait faire surveiller tous les 

points d’où peut sortir l’eau. L’évaluation de la relation quantitative entre les grottes de Jiita et le Nahr es Salib peut 

se faire en serrant de très près la vérité, à l’aide d’un colorant sensible dans le genre de l’uranine. Les conditions 

géologiques sont donc au plus haut degré favorables à ce que les eaux qui sortent aux grottes de Jiita constituent une 

résurgence partielle des eaux perdues aux environ de Maïroûba. Concernant ce dernier point, des jaugeages dans les 

bassins supérieurs et inférieurs renseigneront utilement sur la perméabilité des lits et les quantités disponibles utilisées 

et perdues de l’eau en question. 

Beyrouth, le 28 septembre 1923. 

Odinot 

B – Localisation des pertes 

Six pertes ont été repérées avant de 

subir les injections d’uranine (Fig. 2). Deux 

sur la rive gauche : gouffres du Platane et 

de AÏn Ouarka, deux sur la rive droite : 

gouffres de Zeiat et du moulin, ainsi que 

deux pertes dans le lit filtrant à l’amont et 

l’aval du barrage initial dit aussi barrage de 

la Cie des Eaux du Liban. 




Fig. 1 

Fig. 2

BASSIN SUPÉRIEUR 

lit/sec m3 /24 h lit/sec m3 /24h. 

Nabaa el Assal canal supérieur de Mazraat 50 4320 Nabaa el Assal 200mètres aval confluent 449 38800 

À la source lit torrentiel 585 50544 

Total à la source 635 54864 

Fig. 3 

Nabaa el Laban canal de Mazraat 40 3456 Nahr el Salib 

lit torrentiel 14 1200 sous Harajel barrage maçonné 504 43545 

total de la source 54 4656 sous Maïroûba aval Chébli 250 21600 

Nabaa el Mghara à la perte 59 510 Nabaa el Qana 37 320 0 

a la résurgence 281 24260 

BASSIN INFÉRIEUR 

Nahr el Kelb résurgence Jiita 17 1000 

Soit un total de 191.435 m3/jour du bassin supérieur pour 171.000 m3/jour à la résurgence du Nahr el Kelb. 

C – Les sources principales se déversant dans le 

Nahr es Salib (Fig. 3) 

Par ordre d’importance: Nabaa el Laban, Nabaa el 

Assal, Nabaa el Mghara, Nabaa el Qana, Nabaa el Hadid. 

D – Les Jaugeages 

Vingt trois jaugeages ont été effectués dans les 

bassins supérieurs et inférieurs des pertes présumées du 

Nahr es Salib. Nous n’en retiendrons que sept, résumant 

l’ensemble de ces mesures empruntées aux résultats de la 

mission Odinot/Troccaz (Fig. 4). 

Il nous semble intéressant par ailleurs de relever 

une observation concernant les eaux de Nabaa el Laban 

faite lors de la reconnaissance des lieux. (Extrait du 

compte-rendu de monsieur Patras, gardien du barrage de la 

Cie des Eaux de Beyrouth). 

Nabaa el Laban offre la particularité d’être 

la source la plus importante de cette région pendant la 

saison des pluies à partir de Janvier et jusque vers le 

15 août. A cette dernière date, la quantité d’eau diminue 

brusquement. Il paraît que cette baisse (observée à la 

source en 1923) de 1.5m au moins en une nuit) serait très 

régulièrement observée dans une période de 3 jours autour 

du 15 août et même, tomberait invariablement le 15, 16 

et 17 de ce mois; Le fait est assez curieux et mérite d’être 

étudié. Il peut s’expliquer facilement par l’existence d’un 

siphon ou d’un système de plusieurs siphons dont l’un se 

désamorcerait à cette époque de l’année. Ceci implique 

soit une très grande régularité annuelle dans le régime de 

précipitations atmosphériques soit l’existence d’une masse 

d’eau dont le niveau descendrait mathématiquement à la 

même cote au même moment de l’année. 

Hypothèse 

La seconde supposition se rapporte aux résultats 

d’une plongée et d’une topographie exécutée par C. 

Locatelli et J-J Bolanz (voir aussi Al Ouat’Ouate N°7- 

8/1992-1993, pp.18-20). 

Deux plongées ont eu lieu dans la source de Nabaa 

el Laban. La première le 11/08/1992 et la seconde le 

lendemain 12. La visibilité était meilleure que la veille. Au 

regard du plan et de la coupe présentée en trois dimensions 

la présence de galeries latérales décrites par J-J Bolanz 

(pré-rapport d’expédition - Fédération Française de 

Spéléologie – Mission Liban 92) nous incite à croire à la 

présence de siphons latéraux désamorcés pour l’instant à 

savoir (Fig. 5) : 

… je tire 42 mètres dans la galerie ovale aperçue hier. 

Au début elle est ovale, 2m par 1, mais rapidement elle 

diminue de taille pour atteindre 1m par 0,80. Le passage 

est loin d’être aisé, car le rocher est hérissé d’aspérités 

qui vous accrochent partout. De plus, le faible courant 

n’est pas suffisant pour évacuer la touille provoquée par 

les bulles …(Intéressante observation de ce réseau à faible 

courant alors que J-J Bolanz indiquait plus haut …). C’est 

bien 18h00 quand nous arrivons à la source. La visibilité 

n’est que de trois mètres et le courant aussi fort que la 

veille … 

E – La coloration 

Il serait fastidieux de décrire les différentes étapes 

qui ont marqué la coloration. Le rapport manuscrit de 13 

pages en écriture serrée de Mr. Claris, professeur de chimie 

à l’Ecole Française d’Ingénieurs de Beyrouth et chargé 

de l’opération ‘’coloration’’ en décrit minutieusement 

les infimes détails, y compris celle de l’analyse de 221 

échantillons d’eau prélevés à la grotte de Jiita. Sachons 

toutefois que de nombreux observateurs témoins de la 

démarche étaient présents sur les lieux. Ils étaient partagés 

en deux équipes comprenant une commission d’amont et 

une d’aval. La commission d’amont supervisait l’injection 

d’uranine, celle d’aval étant chargée de vérifier l’arrivée du 

colorant et du prélèvement des échantillons. 

Le tableau ci-joint résume les horaires des 

opérations d’injection faites entre le barrage de la 

Compagnie et le gouffre de Aïn Ourka, distant d’environ 

300 mètres (Fig.4). 

Réapparition de la coloration à la résurgence de la 

grotte de Jiita 

Les eaux de Jiita sont apparues colorées à l’œil nu, 

à partir du lundi 10 septembre à 2 heures du matin. La 

coloration a été très caractéristique, les lundi 10 septembre, 

mardi 11 septembre, mercredi 12 septembre pour diminuer 

progressivement et ne plus être visible le mercredi 19 

septembre (Fig. 6). 

L’existence de la communication entre les 

eaux du Nahr es Salib et la grotte de Jiita est ainsi 

irréfutablement prouvée. 

Il y aurait lieu suite à cette expérience de chercher 

à déterminer le volume des eaux du Nahr es Salib arrivant 

à Jiita. La quantité totale d’uranine versée dans le Nahr es 

Salib de 43kg600 est-elle réapparue en totalité à la grotte? 

Les responsables avancent le chiffre de 75%. Et pourtant 

s’il faut recouper les témoignages de l’époque, il y aurait 

eu des pertes relativement importantes de colorant. A 

savoir : 

1 – Que l’uranine employée était de même 

provenance, mais une partie avait été importée 

antérieurement à la guerre de 1914-18 et l’autre 

dernièrement. 24kg datant du stock de 1913 se 

présentaient compact et difficiles à dissoudre. Il est permis 

de croire que l’uranine pouvait ne pas être homogène et 

qu’une partie n’aurait pas été dissoute, mais probablement 

précipitée. La partie nouvellement importée était 

enveloppée dans des boîtes en fer blanc, hermétiquement 

clauses, chaque boîte contenant 0,200 gr. Lors des 



colorations il a été constaté que l’uranine nouvelle était 

facilement dissoute dans l’eau et qu’il n’en était pas de 

même de l’ancienne que, retirée en blocs, il fallait réduire 

en poudre. 

2 - Une boîte de 200 grs renversée a été perdue 

au gouffre du Moulin, à laquelle il faut ajouter ce qui est 

resté en particulier dans les boîtes en carton où l’uranine 

n’était pas en poudre et qu’il a été impossible d’extraire 

entièrement. Il y a eu certainement des pertes d’uranine 

provenant de ces diverses manipulation. L’uranine 

nouvelle moussait facilement, l’uranine ancienne presque 

pas. Lors des colorations quelle que soit l’uranine, il 

semblait que la coloration était identique, mais comme la 

concentration était très chargée, il était difficile d’apprécier 

à l’œil une différence. 


Fig. 4 

Fig. 5 

Fig. 6

3 – Ne peut-on craindre vu les faits 

exposés que les résultats trouvés ne fussent 

légèrement affaiblis par la supposition que 

l’uranine ancienne avait les mêmes propriétés 

que celle contenue dans les boîtes nouvelles ? 

4 – Les canaux d’irrigations situés 

entre Zeiat et le canal de Reyfoun sont restés 

ouverts pendant la durée des opérations (canal 

du Moulin, canal amont du Platane, canal 

Chébli). L’eau qui s’est répandue dans ces 

terrains qui est restée stagnante et colorée 

jusqu’au 22 septembre, laisserait croire 

que la matière colorante est descendue très 

lentement à travers les terrains. Une partie 

s’est évaporée et d’autres a été dissoute 

ou fixée par les plantes et les racines. Ici 

se trouve donc une perte impossible à 

évaluer. Ce qui est à retenir, car étant donné 

l’abaissement progressif de l’uranine au débit 

(voir diagramme de restitution, Fig. 6), la 

courbe aurait dû atteindre l’axe X plus tard 

que le point fixé. Autre argument concernait 

le débit du Nahr es Salib. La Compagnie 

arguait que les 4, 5, 6 septembre 1923, un 

Shlouk (vent chaud) d’une rare intensité 

sévissait au Liban. Il aurait augmenté 

considérablement l’évaporation, concentrant 

le colorant dans certaines parties où les eaux 

étaient stagnantes, faussant le calcul des 

pertes. 

Messieurs Odinot et Troccaz, ont 

effectué des mesures exactes du débit des 

eaux en octobre. Ils ont trouvé en amont du 

barrage 43545m 3 par jour, or un mois plus 

tôt, c’est-à-dire vers le 4 septembre celui-ci 

devait être selon appréciation de 15% environ 

supérieur, soit 50000 m 3 de débit d’eau par 

jour. 

5 - Les barrages amont et aval 

péchaient par leur étanchéité. Il était 

nécessaire de réévaluer les pertes d’eau par 

infiltration et par conséquent du colorant 

perdu. 

Quelques observations 

– La coloration met environ une 

DIZAINE D’HEURES pour franchir les 3 km 

qui existent entre le barrage de la Compagnie 

des Eaux du Liban et le point où les eaux 

disparaissent totalement dans le lit de la 

rivière (Fig. 7). La côte approximative de ces 

points est respectivement 1180 et 1160 mètres 

environ, soit une différence d’altitude de 20 

mètres. 

– D’autre part, la coloration met CENT 

TRENTE HEURES environ pour franchir 

le trajet souterrain estimé à seize kilomètres 

entre le point de coloration (1180m) et où 

elles surgissent à Jiita (60m). 

Fig. 8 

Conclusion 

En guise de conclusion, ce texte manuscrit de M. Claris (1923), 

(Fig. 8). 

Annexe 

Cet encadré paru dans le quotidien libanais L’Orient-Le Jour du 30 

juillet 2008 (signé Victor Fleury) nous informe qu’un vaste programme 

d’étude a été lancé en collaboration des organisations italiennes dans le 

but de préserver les eaux du Nahr el Kelb. 

En voici de larges extraits : 

“Un projet d’étude sur la qualité de l’eau du Nahr el Kelb a 

été présenté dernièrement lors d’un séminaire à l’Université Notre- 

Dame de Zouk Mosbeh. Les représentants des principaux partenaires 

de cette initiative, le ministre de l’Energie et de l’Eau, le Centre de 

recherche de l’eau, de l’environnement et de l’énergie de l’Université 

Notre-Dame (WEERC-NDU), la fondation AVSI et l’Institut italien 

pour la coopération universitaire (ICU), étaient présents lors de cette 

conférence. Cette recherche pourrait permettre à l’avenir la mise en 

place d’une politique de préservation efficace des réserves d’eau dans 

cette région”. 

Et plus loin : A terme, les objectifs principaux de cette recherche 

sont multiples. Les scientifiques souhaitent constituer une base de 

données sur le versant de Nahr el-Kalb, pour pouvoir développer 

ultérieurement des projets d’infrastructure, visant à améliorer la gestion 

de l’eau. 

Il est regrettable que le Spéléo-Club du Liban n’ait point été 

présent à ce séminaire. Il aurait indiqué aux organisateurs de nombreux 

éléments concréts. 

A titre de rappel: 

a - Il avait été démontré dès 1923 qu’une partie des eaux du bassin 

versant du Kesrouan alimentait directement la rivière souterraine de 

Jiita, source principale du Nahr el Kelb (voir l’article intitulé ‘Les 

premiers traçage à l’uranine au Liban’). 

b - La revue libanaise de spéléologie et de karstologie du Spéléo- 

Club du Liban (Al Ouat’Ouate- Nouvelle série - N°3 - 1988 - pp. 3 à 

17- B. Hakim, J. Loiselet - G. Srouji - S. Karkabi) décrit précisément 

l’aspect spéléologique du cours d’eau souterrain, les 

traçages réalisés en amont et une carte hydrogéologique du 

bassin versant du Nahr el-Kalb établie par le Dr Bahzad 

Hakim. 

c - La revue Al Ouat’Ouate N°4 - 1989, pp. 6 à 16 

fournie une étude faite sur 150 échantillons d’eau prélevés 

de 25 sources du Kesrouan sur une période de 9 mois. Ces 

échantillons furent soumis à des tests bactériologiques 

et physiques par le Professeur Joseph Hatem et M. Fady 

Chbatt M.S. Le nombre de sources contaminées s’est élevé 

à 84 %. 

d -A signaler aussi, qu’une reconnaissance nous a 

amené en 2007 sur les lieux de la coloration effectuée en 

1923 sur les ordres du Général Weygand. Nous avons pu 

localiser l’emplacement des pertes du Ouadi Bou Roqaa 

grâce au croquis N°1 établi par M. Odinot (géologue) et 

membre de la commission de la Cie des Eaux de Beyrouth. 

Le paysage est aujourd’hui entièrement bouleversé. 

De nombreux terrains des rives gauches et droites ont 

gagné sur le lit de la rivière.Terrains agricoles, maisons 

individuelles et immeubles ont été construits le long des 

berges. Nous avons pu toutefois repérer l’emplacement 

des gouffres du Moulin et celui du Platane. Ce dernier a 

été partiellement exploré et non topographié. 

Fig. 7 

En jaune sur le croquis, l’emplacement des pertes des gouffres du 

Moulin et du Platane. 

Photo 1 

Terrain agricole amputant le cours d’eau. 

Des eaux usées se déversent à l’heure actuelle dans 

le cours principale de la rivière. Ces eaux se perdent en 

des fissures en aval du gouffre du Platane. Les marres 

résiduelles, la puanteur et les moustiques y habitent de 

concert. Les documents photographiques ci-joints illustrent 

cette catastrophe écologique. 

En conclusion : de graves problèmes de pollution 

apparaissent sur le bassin versant du Nahr el Kalb. 

Photo 2 

Constructions en bordure du cours d’eau. Les eaux usées coulent à 

leurs pieds. 

Photo 3 

Marre stagnante et eaux usées dans le cours du Ouadi Bou Roqaa. 

Photo 4 

Le gouffre du Platane. 


Photo 5 

L’entrée du gouffre. 


À L’URANINE AU LIBAN

CAVE SURVEY Maïa Sarrouf | maiasarrouf@gmail.com 

ةقطنملا يف تلاكشتلا ىلع انعلطي لاقملا اذه 

تدمع .اتيعج ةراغم ىف رمحلأا رمملا تامسملا 

نافنص ىلإ تلاكشتلا هذه فينصت ىلع ةفلؤملا 

.رمحلأاو ضيبلأا ,امهنيب نوللا قراف ىلع ةدمتعم 

ROUGE SUR BLANC 

Une description des Galeries Rouges de Jiita 

Fig. 2 

Gours inondés dans la partie amont des Galeries. 


This article presents a general description of the Galeries Rouges’s concretions in Jiîta cave, visited 

during the Spéléo Club du Liban expeditions in 2007. The concretions are described according to the 

author’s vision who divided them into two categories, based on the striking contrast of white and red 

color found in the gallery. 

INTRODUCTION 

Cet article présente une description 

générale des concrétions dans les Galeries 

Rouges de Jiita visitées en 2007, à l’occasion 

des expéditions organisées par le Spéléo Club 

du Liban. 

LOCALISATION ET DESCRIPTION 

DES GALERIES ROUGES 

Les Galeries Rouges se trouvent sur la 

rive gauche de la rivière souterraine, à environ 

200 mètres en aval du siphon terminal. On y 

accède par un porche de moyenne dimension 

menant à une large salle d’effondrement. 

L’appellation des Galeries Rouges (1954) 

revient à la présence de concrétions 

particulièrement rougeâtres formées de 

dépôts d’argile et d’autres minéraux fortement 

calcifiés ornant l’ensemble des réseaux. Ces 

galeries se développent sur 140 mètres de 

long et se partage en deux sections ne se 

connectant pas (Fig. 1). La première est de 

direction E-O de 60 mètres de longueur, la 

seconde est de 80 mètres et son entrée se 

caractérise par une grande coulée de calcite 

révélant des concrétions riches et variées. 

Elle se termine par un large gour inondé. Sa 

topographie rejoint la tendance directionnelle 

du cours d’eau, NE-SO. 

A l’entrée des « Galeries Rouges », les 

spéléologues se déchaussent avant toute 

progression par souci de protection des 

fragiles formations calcaires. 

Les Galeries comprennent une variété 

de concrétions de calcite (stalagmites, 

stalactites, colonnes, draperies et coulées) 

ainsi que différents types de concrétions 

émanant de l’écoulement de l’eau sur le 

plancher (gours et micro-gours). Le contraste 

Fig. 1 

Topographie des Galeries Rouges de Jiita. 

qui existe entre ces deux types de concrétions 

blanchâtres et rougeâtres caractérise au 

mieux le charme de cet espace et a inspiré 

le titre de l’article (rouge sur blanc), dont la 

suite propose une description des différents 

spéléothèmes observés. 

CONCRETIONS DES GALERIES ROUGES 

Concrétions rougeâtres 

Le rouge caractérise par les gours qui 

ornent le plancher des couloirs. En amont, 

ces bassins naturels sont espacés (Fig. 2) et 

atteignent des profondeurs de 20 à 30 cm, 

tandis qu’en aval, ils montrent un festonnage 

plus régulier, concentré et moins profond 

(Fig. 3). 

Les plus grands gours (dont le gour 

terminal) comprennent des plans d’eau calme 

permettant le développement de calcite 

flottante (Fig. 4). Cette pellicule, rarement 

observée au Liban, est fragile et se précipite 

au fond de la vasque à la moindre secousse 

ou vibration. Les gours moins profonds sont 

généralement secs à l’étiage. Ils présentent de 

nombreux cristaux de calcite dans leurs parois 

internes ainsi que des formations nodulaires 

sous forme de billes d’argile. Les bords 

externes de ces gours sont pour la plupart 

festonnés de micro gours (Fig. 4 et 5). 

Concrétions blanchâtres 

Les concrétions de calcite blanches des 


Fig. 3 

Gours dans la partie aval des Galeries. 


Galeries tranchent avec les gours et le plancher stalagmitique de 

couleur rouge. 

Les draperies (Fig. 6) se développent sur les plafonds ou les 

paroisses inclinées et possèdent des dimensions variables de 

quelques mètres, atteignant 5 à 6 mètres de longueur. 

Les coulées sont assez répandues au sein des Galeries. 

La forme la plus commune est celle des cascades (Fig. 7) 

retombant sur les gours gorgés d’eau et formant un clair 

contraste blanc sur rouge. Elles possèdent des tailles variant de 

2 et 5 mètres de long. 

Le mondmilch (formations blanchâtres) (Fig. 8), a été 

repéré sur la majorité des parois des Galeries surtout dans les 

branches comprenant les gours. Etant humides, ces formations 

étaient douces et plastiques lors de leur identification. 

Fig. 6 

Draperie au sein des Galeries. 


Fig. 4 

Calcite flottante et micro-gours sur le bord 

externe des gours. 


Fig. 7 

Calcite blanchâtre délicatement « coulée » sur les gours rougeâtres. 


. 

Fig. 5 

Formations nodulaires dans le bord interne et micro-gours dans le 

bord externe des gours. 


Les stalagmites, stalactites et colonnes (Fig. 9, 10 & 11) 

sont de loin les plus communément observées et ornent le plafond 

et le plancher des Galeries. Certaines stalagmites et colonnes sont 

légèrement teintées aux couleurs de l’argile ou d’autres minéraux 

et pigments inorganiques. 

Des stalactites tubulaires sont de même observées. La 

Photo 12 illustre une stalactite tubulaire qui s’est jointe au micro 

gour du plancher formant une petite colonne d’environ 20 cm 

de longueur. Notons de plus, l’observation de stalactites dont 

la face externe est couverte de pointes cristallines, facilement 

assimilables à de minuscules excentriques et ne dépassant pas 2 

cm de long. 

Un type particulier de stalagmite est de même noté, celui 

des stalagmites d’argile (Fig. 13). Leurs dépôts sont associés aux 

Fig. 8 

Mondmilch sur les parois des couloirs. 


Fig. 9 

Massif stalagmite montrant à sa base le contraste 

blanc sur rouge marqué par le niveau de l’eau. 


Fig. 10 

Stalactite au sein des Galeries. 


changements dans la composition de l’eau d’écoulement. 

Leur morphologie est caractérisée par leur forme conique et par 

l’existence d’un cratère ou trou central. Au sein des Galeries, elles 

ne furent observées que dans les gours et ne possèdent pas plus de 

30 à 40 cm de haut, ne dépassant pas la hauteur des ces bassins 

étagés. 

CONCLUSION 

Un diagnostic aussi préliminaire des concrétions des Galeries 

Rouges permet de conclure que cette partie de la grotte mérite 

une attention particulière, formant une combinaison de tonalité 

et de richesse rare à observer. Des études plus approfondies 

sont recommandées pour tenter de comprendre la présence et la 

séquence de formation des concrétions. 

Fig. 12 

Petite colonne formée par la jointure d’une stalactite 

tubulaire aux micro-gours du plancher. 


Fig. 13 

Stalagmite d’argile à cratère central observé au sein des gours. 


Fig. 11 

Remarquable contraste formé par une colonne et des gours. 


RÉFÉRENCE 

Auteurs ayant travaillés sur des articles similaires: 

Bou Jaoude, I., Karanouh, R., 2002. Identification 

of Calcite Speleothems in Mgharet Nabaa el 

Shatawie. Al-Ouate’Ouate, 12 , 48-57. 

Bou Jawdeh, I., Karanouh, R., 2005. Photographic 

Documentation of Some Special Speleothems 

from Lebanon, Al-Ouate’Ouate, 13, 62-71. 

RECONNAISSANCE 

L’auteur remercie les contributions 

techniques, les commentaires et les avis de Sami 

Karkabi et de Issam Bou Jaoude. 


CAVE SURVEY 

Fig. 1 

‘The Ballerina’ in Salle Beayno. 

(Photo by Issam bou Jaoude) 

Elias Labaki | e.labaki@gmail.com 

FINAL 

NOTES 

ON 

SALLE 

BEAYNO 

Samer harb | samaelh@hotmail.com 

ريبك ددعب رواغملا يف بيقنتلل ينانبللا يدانلا قفار اتيعج ةراغم نم ءزجلا اذه 

ام فاشتكا ةداعا ّمت نا دعب ىهتنا لمعلا نكلو .مرصنملا ماعلا يف تلاحرلا نم 

.اتيعج ةراغمل يلامجلاا لوطلا ىلا فاضي مقرلا اذهو تارمملا نم م 850 نع ديزي 

لاغشلاا هذه تقفار .ةراغملا نم ءزجلا اذهل قيقد روصم عضو يدانلا نوكي كلاذبو 

.لاقملا اذه يف بتاكلا اهيلا قرطتي ةقوشم ثادحاو تارماغم 

Après sa première visite, la salle Beayno a été réexplorée et retravaillée. Même 

si elle ne figurera plus dans nos prochaines sorties, elle laissera toujours dans 

notre mémoire tous les souvenirs d’une belle salle, là-haut, en passant par le 

boulevard SCL de Jiita. 

Fig. 2 

The large tunnel in Salle Beayno. 

(Photo by Issam Bou Joude) 

Fig. 3 

Mud stains on crystal white calcite a result of careless explorers. 

(Photo by Rena Karanouh) 

Salle Beayno… 

For the last year this name accompanied us in each and 

every Jiita trip, but now it’s over (Fig. 1, 2 and 3). 

The result: eight hundred and fifty-five meters of extra 

cave development to be added to the total development of Jiita cave 

with a fourth connection to the main Jiita axis; a new and more 

accurate survey is now finally completed (Fig. 4 and 5); and above 

all, lots and lots of adventures, stories and memories… 

We’re definitely going to miss the delightful climb up left 

after the SCL camp site, the opposition climb following that and 

finally the caving ladder, leading to a traverse line which leads in 

turn to a crawl, then a big chamber and a crawl and a… the point is 

that we spent memorable moments in gallery Beayno’s tunnels and 

chambers. 

Come to think of it, it was not long ago that we first 

decided to re-explore this section of our beloved mother of all 

caves, Jiita. The first trip to Salle Beayno took place in June of last 

year. 

During that outing, a small group of SCL cavers pointed 

out the discrepancies between the published map and the actual 

structure of the cave (Labaki and Harb, 2008). 

Salle Beayno had – again – its fair share of allotted time 

during the infamous three-day expedition trip in October 2007. 

The team spent a whole day exploring and surveying the galleries, 

except for the sinkholes which required dedicated equipment. These 

drops were later fully explored and drawn during a third trip. 

Two question marks remained on the survey map. Now, 

is it just me or are they really provoking…. those small question 

marks left behind, here and there on cave surveys? 

So we packed our bits and pieces in June 2008 and 

journeyed in once again. The remaining two sinkholes were finally 

explored; they turned out to lead into a common chamber and 

from that chamber a second sinkhole had to be rigged. The rigging 

was fast, the array of stalagmites, stalactites, columns and other 

formations made our rigging rather easy. The natural choice was to 

rig around these. 

To rig ‘naturally’ whenever possible, as much as possible, 

saves the burden of using nuts and bolts on the delicate cave 

environment, an environment that already bore a lot of scars from 

previous expeditions. An environment, that in some places, used 

to be as white as snow, as beautiful as heaven, and now most of its 

beauty is covered by mud (Fig. 3). Ethics in speleology should be 

reminded, taught and stressed again and again. 

That second sinkhole guided us to the top of the giant 

‘coulee’ between the camp of SCL and the climb that leads to Salle 

Beayno. The view from up there was impressive, just like sitting 

on a balcony on top of a valley of wonders, with roaring water and 

twinkling stars; steep, intimidating edges framing the spectacle 

from the ceiling to the floor... then, back to caving reality… we 

were getting cold and had to leave. 

One last passage was left unexplored though. It was one 

of those tight tunnels that only Rena K. can do, or so we decided… 

she loves them really! 

She did enter and Hadi K. followed. 

She found herself in a new, virgin tunnel but then she 

let go and suggested we leave it for future generations and we all 

agreed. We will certainly not tell them that it’s filled with that sticky 

thick heavy mud. Good luck to them. 

Leaving Salle Beayno that day, we knew, deep inside, 

that the work was over for now and we will probably never see this 

place again (Fig. 6 and 7). But at least the next time we pass by the 

SCL camp in Jiita, when someone points to a climb or an opening 

on top of a massive ‘coulee’… we know what’s up there… 


Fig. 4 

The survey of Salle Beayno showing the last section that was discovered which is the fourth link between the gallery and the main Jiita cave axis. 

(m) 

40 

35 

30 

25 

20 

15 

10 

5 

0 

(N) 

A 

Fig. 5 

Cross section of Salle Beayno. 

Main Jiita Tunnel 

black level 

red level 

brown level 

B 

green level 

(S) 

Fig. 6 

A general view of Salle Beayno. (Photo by Rena Karanouh) 

Fig. 7 

The general view of a tunnel in the Big Room of Salle Beayno. (Photo by Rena Karanouh) 


CAVE SURVEY 

Issam Bou Jaoude | iboujaoude@gmail.com 

Wassim hamdan | whamdan@earthtimegroup.com 

يف نيروغتسملا نم ددع ماق اهفاشتكا خيرات نم ةنس 45 دعب 

فاشتكا ةداعاب 2005 ةنس يف رواغملا يف بيقنتلل ينانبلا يدانلا 

ةعاقلا ىمست اتيعج ةراغم طسو يف ةقطنم طيطختو ريوصتو 

خيراتل قرطتت ةلاقملا هذه .عصانلا اهضايبل انميت ءاضيبلا 

ةداعا نيحل 2005 ةنس ىلا 1960 ةنس ةقطنملا هذه فاشتكا 

.نيخيراتلا نيذه نيب ام تلاواحملا عيمج لصفتو اهفاشتكا 

45 ans après sa découverte, la Salle Blanche a été de nouveau accédée par des 

spéléologues en 2005 . Cette galerie d’un blanc pur extraordinaire, avec son grand 

nombre de formations exceptionnelles, de larges cônes de tailles différentes (qui 

n’ont pas été documentés auparavant au Liban) a été revisitée, topographiée 

et photographiée. Cet article reflètera l’histoire de la Salle Blanche depuis sa 

découverte en 1960 jusqu’à sa redécouverte en l’an 2005; incluant les tentatives 

intermédiaires infructueuses. 

THE 

SALLE BLANCHE 

EXPEDITION 

The Salle Blanche (White Gallery) was a 

legend of Lebanese speleology until its rediscovery in 

2005. 

It was discovered in the early 60’s during the 

Jiita cave expeditions conducted by SCL. Ever since 

then attempts to access the gallery were unsuccessful 

due to a treacherous climb in its approach. 

The archives of the Speleo Club du Liban had 

no survey of this gallery and the final Jiita cave survey 

only showed the location of its entrance. There were 

also a few tantalizing photographs taken by Mr. Sami 

Karkabi in the 60’s. 

After 45 years an expedition in the summer 

of 2005 made the breakthrough and Salle Blanche 

was once again accessed by cavers. This amazingly 

pure white gallery with its large number of special 

speleothems, mainly large cave cones of various sizes 

(that have not been documented in Lebanon before) 

was revisited, mapped and photographed (Fig. 1). 

This article will glance into the history 

of Salle Blanche, from its discovery in the 1960 

until its rediscovery in the year 2005; including the 

unsuccessful attempts inbetween. 

ATTEMPTS To REACH SALLE BLANCHE 

The Salle Blanche was discovered by Mr. 

Sami Karkabi and his mapping crew in early 1962 as 

they were surveying the main axis passage of Jiita cave 

using the theodolite. 

When they got to the Chaos Gallery they 

wanted to measure the height of the ceiling, which 

appeared very high to them. So they assembled a long 

stick with a kerosene lamp and raised it to light the 

roof. This is how they came to define the 80 m height of 

the ceiling. 

During this endeavor and at the height of 

approximately 70m, they noticed an opening on the 

right side close to the beginning of the Chaos Gallery. 

This opening was the entrance of the gallery to be 

named Salle Blanche (Personal Communication with 

Sami Karkabi). During that trip they did not have 

time to climb and explore the cavity so they left it for 

another expedition. 

30 | 

Fig. 1 

The White Gallery showing cave domes, columns and speleothems. 

(Photo by Issam Bou Jaoude) 

Al-Ouat ’Ouate 15 | 31

On September 12, 1963 Sami Karkabi 

accompanied by Raymond Khawam, Robert Kasparian 

and Emile Ghanem free climbed the 70 m with very 

limited equipment, discovered the gallery and named it the 

Salle Blanche due to its marvelous and pure white surfaces 

(Personal Communication with Sami Karkabi). 

Sami Karkabi took a dozen of pictures, two of 

which are present in the Al-Ouat’Oaute magazine issue 

number one published year 1986. A number of other 

pictures are also present in the archives of Sami Karkabi 

(Fig. 2 and 4). 

Even though the location of the Salle Blanche 

is clearly shown on the Jiita cave map drawn in the year 

1962 (Fig. 5), it was not mapped for 45 years and attempts 

to reach it failed until 2005. 

After the Lebanese civil war ended in 1990 SCL 

members were reminded by Sami Karkabi of the presence 

of the gallery, however no attempts were made to access it 

during that period until 2003 when an attempt was made to 

reach the gallery. It was unfortunately unsuccessful due to 

shortage of equipment. 

That attempt saw seven members of SCL access 

Jiita cave from its lower entrance. This meant working 

their way against the water current for 3 km where the 

Salle Blanche was located. The trip upstream was difficult 

as the water current was strong. One of the dinghies got a 

puncture and after about 4 hours the team finally reached 

the Salle du Domes. They ascended a 45 degrees slope and 

rigged a rope at about 60m up on a large white concretion. 

At this level the mud traverse was found but it 

was dangerous to continue without any aid. However, one 

of the team members made his way across and climbed up 

10m and reached the entrance. Obviously the location of 

the Salle Blanche and its possible course were located on 

this trip but it was a risky situation and the exploration and 

mapping of this gallery was left for another trip. 

Fig. 2 

The cavers who first entered the Salle Blanche. 

(Photo by Sami Karkabi) 

Fig. 3 

The cavers of the 2005 Salle Blanche Expedition. 


Fig. 5 

The survey of Salle Blanche. 

EXTRACT FRoM TRIP REPoRT 

BY ISSAM BoU JAoUDE: 

At the terminal siphon we wore our 

wet suits and began the 6 hour trek to 

reach the 1951 camp site. 

A small incident delayed us further 

during the first 100 m of the wet section. 

One of the group members blew his inner 

tube and according to him managed to 

dislocate his shoulder. However, after a 

break of few minutes all was back to normal 

and we were on our way again. Stress builds 

up at the early stages of the expedition 

and one must be careful. 

This section of the cave before 

the allocated camp site is mostly a wet 

section interrupted by short dry walk-able 

portages, mostly walking on rocks in the 

shallow depth of the water ways. 

Two short rope sections were required 

before reaching the camp site at 5:30pm 

the same day. The first rope is located 

before passage Zoughbi and the other close 

to Palais des Milles et une Nuit. 

Located almost in the center of the 

cave, the camp site was chosen in a dry 

spot at the end of the huge gallery called 

the Chaos Gallery. Its name is quite 

indicative for it is large and one can 

easily get lost there. In the middle of 

Salle du Domes, 20 minutes before reaching 

the camp site, a muddy slippery 30mdecent 

was encountered. At this location 

and after 8 hours of nonstop activities, 

exhaust and fatigue can easily promote 

2005 SALLE BLANCHE EXPEDITIoN 

The trip was scheduled to start on the 5 

Fig. 6 

Map showing the location of the Salle Blanche on the Jiita Cave map. 


th of 

August. The plan was to enter the cave by descending 

into the Daraya tunnel at 7:00 am. Delays in caving trips 

are always expected and after approximately 2 hours we 

started our descent into the tunnel at 9:15am. 

Daraya’s tunnel is a man made tunnel measuring 

approximately 600m, descending at a slope of 45 degrees 

from the northern side of the valley of Nahr el Kalib 

to the terminal siphon of the cave. The tunnel can be 

accessed through a meandering road that descends from 

the Ballouneh village on top of the mountain to nearly 

the river level. The tunnel was a government project 

made primarily for the exploitation of the underground 

water that emerges form that terminal siphon.rily for the 

exploitation of the underground water that emerges from 

the terminal siphon. 

To meet our objective, the plan was to spend the 

night inside the cave and then exit on the 6th Fig. 4 

of August, 

The entrance of the Salle Blanche photographed from the inside to outside. 

Inset is the same location from the first exploration in the 60’s. 


making the total duration of the trip around 36 hours. 

THE SALLE BLANCHE 

EXPEDITION

lack of concentration while descending this 

particular slope. 

At the camp site tasks that were 

assigned previously were carried out, with 

some members collecting water and purifying 

it and others cooking dinner. 

The next day we woke up at 7:00 am; 

five of us were assigned the task of trying 

to reach the Salle Blanche while the other 

two volunteered to remain at the camp site. 

The cliff where the Salle Blanche is located 

(70m above the level of the river) is 

fifteen minutes from the camp site towards 

the west. 

The climb has already started. A rope 

was rigged at a muddy steep slope from a 

previous expedition. At an elevation of 60 

meters the tricky 30m horizontal slippery 

traverse had to be rigged. Rena belayed 

me and I planted 5 bolts to complete the 

traverse. With a final vertical climb of 

15m I reached the entrance of the gallery 

at around 11:30am. I called on everyone 

to follow. Even the guys at the camp were 

called upon by Johnny to join in the 

exploration, topography and photography of 

this gallery. Dirty cloths and boots were 

removed at the entrance in order to protect 

the fragile white environment in Salle 

Blanche (Fig. 3 and 4). 

We regrouped at 3:00 pm in the camp 

site, ate a small snack, packed our gear 

in dry bags, wore our neoprene, and headed 

towards the exit at around 4:30 pm. 

The last kilometer of the cave is 

a river passage (including the show cave 

section); therefore, it was necessary to 

make use of scuba diving fins to aid in 

swimming this section. 

At around 8:30 pm on the 6 th of August 

we exited the cave. 

SALLE BLANCHE 

The Salle Blanch represents a large dry L-shaped 

gallery that extends in the E-W direction. It measures more 

than 2250 m 2 (Fig. 5 and 6). 

The entrance of Salle Blanche is rectangular in 

shape (Fig. 7) with a pool of water acting as a gate that 

separates the outer section which is a balcony overlooking 

the main gallery of Salles du Domes. 

The walls, floor and roof of this gallery are all 

decorated with pure white calcite speleothems. The 

calcite is in the form of stalactites, stalagmites, war-club 

bulbous stalactites, columns, flow stones, rafts, popcorn, 

and moonmilk. All of those speleothems in the gallery 

are purely white in color from which the name “Salle 

Blanche” was derived. 

After passing the entrance (Fig. 7) there is a 

descent into a dry pool with white calcite covering the 

floor. Moonmilk covers this calcite and it is sometimes 

so thick that it forms a soft spongy-like feeling under the 

feet. Large columns with diameters of more than 3 m are 

present (Fig. 8). The ceiling of this gallery is filled with 

white stalactites and soda straws. 

Several bat skeletons were discovered in the 

southern end of Salle Blanche (Fig. 5). These skeletons 

were covered with a few millimeters of calcite coating. 

At the end of this gallery war club like bulbous 

stalactites dangle from the roof. It is believed that these 

are features that form under water in cave pools. This 

is a clear indication that this gallery was under water 

for an extended period of time and later dried out due 

to unknown reasons. However, some small water-filled 

pools of various sizes are still present. The most important 

feature in this gallery is the large number of cave cones 

and tower cones scattered on the floor (Fig. 1). These vary 

in height and diameter, up to 2m and 1m, respectively. 

Cave cones of that size and number have never been 

documented in Lebanon before. 

Most of the speleothems in this gallery are 

decorated with coralloids and covered with moonmilk 

(Fig. 8). 

Salle Blanche proved rewarding in terms of its 

scientific value and beauty. We cannot but end this article 

by pointing out that care should be taken while visiting 

this gallery. It is important that cavers remove their caving 

shoes and their muddy gear before entering into this fragile 

environment. 

REFERENCES 

Abdul Nour, H. and Kallab, O., Al Ouat’Ouate 5 (New 

Series),1986. Bulletin du Spéléo Club du Liban. pp.12. 

Fig. 7 

A general view of Salle Blanche from the entrance showing one of the columns to the left. 


Fig. 8 

A general view of Salle Blanche showing large columns. 

34 | (Photo by Issam Bou Jaoude) 

Al-Ouat ’Ouate 15 | 35

SPELEoThEMS 

* Fadi h. Nader | 

Sophie Verheyden | 

FIRST GEOCHEMICAL 

STUDY OF 

STALAGMITES 

FROM THE 

JIITA CAVE 

Abstract 

In a previous contribution, Nader et al. (2007) 

presented and discussed absolute-dated oxygen and 

carbon isotopic profiles from a Holocene stalagmite from 

the Jiita cave (Lebanon). This contribution has two main 

objectives: (1) to compare the previous oxygen and carbon 

isotopic profiles to the variations in crystallographic habit, 

stalagmite diameter and growth rate; and (2) to compare 

data of the Jiita cave speleothem with other speleothems 

and other proxies (pollen, lake sediments,…) in the 

Levant area, and provide additional information about the 

Holocene climate evolution in Lebanon. Based on the good 

correlation between the morphological, crystallographic 

and geochemical parameters in the stalagmite and the 

correspondence with other stalagmites form central and 

northern Israel, we relate high δ 18 O and δ 13 C values to drier 

conditions. Between 6.5 and 5.8 ka an increase in isotopic 

values, a decrease in growth rate and stalagmite diameter 

suggests a transition from wet conditions in the early 

Holocene towards drier conditions in the mid-Holocene. 

Keywords: 

Speleothems, oxygen isotopes, Holocene, Jeita, Lebanon, 

paleoclimate. 

Department of Geology, American University of Beirut, 

PO Box: 11-0236/2010 Beirut – Lebanon 

*Corresponding author (Present Address): F. H. Nader, Sedimentology-Stratigraphy 

Department, IFP, 1 & 4 Av. de Bois-Préau, 92852 Rueil-Malmaison Cedex – France, 

Tel : +33-1-47527457, Fax : +33-1-47527126, fadi-henri.nader@ifp.fr. 

Université Libre de Bruxelles, Département des Sciences de la Terre et de l’Environnement (DSTE), Avenue 

F.D. Roosevelt 50, 1050 Brussels, Belgium & National Fund for Scientific Research (FNRS) Belgium. 

Introduction 

The Levantine region (Lebanon, Israel/Palestine, 

Syria, and Jordan; Fig. 1) witnessed important Glacial 

- Interglacial (G-IG) climate changes as well as a shift 

of varying climate belts (Robinson et al., 2006). This 

region currently lies very close to the arid/semi-arid 

boundary and has a long history of human settlement 

and habitation (at least the last 5,000 years). Hence, the 

Levant is believed to be an ideal region for the study of 

climate and societal changes. 

Previously constructed δ 18 O and δ 13 C curves from 

Israel/Palestine – e.g. Soreq, West Jerusalem and Peqiin 

caves – all show similarities for the last ~250,000 years, 

with changes in δ 18 O and δ 13 C corresponding to changes 

in precipitation and soil activity, respectively, and 

therefore demonstrated the high potential of speleothems 

for regional paleoclimate reconstruction (Bar-Matthews 

et al., 1997, 1999, 2003; Frumkin et al., 2000). They 

provided evidence for rapid and large climatic changes 

during the last Glacial-Interglacial cycle. 

This paper attempts to reconstruct the Holocene 

paleoclimatic and environmental evolution of Lebanon, 

which is an important step for discussing the regional 

climate changes and vegetation dynamics in that region 

in order to evaluate climatic predictive approaches for 

the future. Furthermore, the particularity of Lebanon 

with respect to ancient human settlements and trades 

makes this study an attractive approach for further 

multidisciplinary research projects aiming to investigate 

the impact of climate on socioeconomic developments 

during the Holocene. 

ةحورطملا اتيعج ةراغمل يولعلا قباطلا نم ةدعاصلا نع ةيملعلا ةساردلا 

نيجيسكولأل صاوخلا ينحنم نراقي لولاا قشلا .ناقش اهل لاقملا اذه يف 

يف تاريغتملاو ,ةدعاصلا رطق يف تاريغتملا عم نوبركلأ ديسكوأ يناث و 

ةدعاصلا نع تايطعملا نراقي يناثلا قشلا .ومنلا يف تاريغتملاو ,تايرولبلا 

.طسولأا قرشلا ةقطنم يف ىرخا تاسارد نم تامولعم عم اتيعج ةراغم نم 

Dans cet article, Nader F. et Verheyden S. ont deux objectifs: 

(1) Comparer les profils précédents d’oxygène et de carbone isotopique aux 

variations cristallographiques, le diamètre des stalagmites ainsi que leur rythme 

de développement; et (2) comparer les données des formations de la grotte de 

Jiita avec des formations et des données (pollen, sédiments de lacs, ...) dans 

la région du Levant. 

Fig. 1. A simplified topographic map of Lebanon showing the main physiographic units (Mounts Lebanon and Anti-Lebanon, and the Bekaa Plain) – the inset map shows 

the location of Lebanon and the Levant (striped area) in the Middle East. B. Simplified precipitation map of Lebanon – from UNDP (1970). The position of the Jiita cave is 

indicated with an arrow on both maps. 

Fig. 2. A geological map of the Jiita region (western flank of central Mount-Leban) showing the cave underground development (Dubertret, 1955; Karkabi, 1990). B & C. Crosssections 

intercepting the Jiita cave and displaying the relationship of the cave development and the various geological aspects (e.g. western Lebanon flexure, overburden 

rocks; Nader et al., 2003). 


Fig. 3. A. Topographic survey of the Upper showcave (Galerie Supérieure) modified 

from Karkabi (1990), showing the location of the sampled stalagmite JeG-Stm-1. B. 

Composite cross-section showing the location of JeG-Stm-1. 

Climatological settings 

The Lebanese territories cover the central-eastern 

coastline of the Mediterranean Sea, between latitudes 

32°34’N and 34°41’N (Fig. 1A). It is characterized 

by a Mediterranean climate close to the arid/semi-arid 

climate boundary (in Israel/Palestine). The average annual 

precipitation rate at the Jiita cave site today is around 

1000mm (Fig. 1B; UNDP, 1970). The climate is seasonal, 

with rainy winters (between November and February) and 

dry, relatively hot summers (usually the period from May 

to October). 

Location 

The Jiita cave (Fig. 1) is the longest and most wellknown 

cave in Lebanon (Nader, 2004). It is located within 

the western flank of central Mount Lebanon (Fig. 1A, B). 

The natural entrance of the cave is situated at about 100m 

above sea-level (N32°56.616’; E035°38.516’), ~5km East 

of the Mediterranean coastline and ~15km North of Beirut 

City (Capital of Lebanon; Fig 1A, B). The cave system is 

entirely developed in Middle Jurassic grayish fossiliferous 

limestone rocks (the Nahr Ibrahim Member; Fig. 2A, 

B, C), a part of the Kesrouane Formation, which has an 

average stratigraphic thickness of 1000 m (Dubertret, 

1975; Walley, 2001, Nader et al., 2004). 

Since the 1950s, a part of this cave had been 

Fig. 4. Cut face of the JeG-Stm-1 and a sketch showing the U/ 

Th dating values (from Nader et al., 2007) – rectangle shows the 

location of Figure 5. 

Fig. 5. Photomicrograph showing the ‘wings’ pattern at the sides of 

the stalagmite (location of photo is shown in Figure 4). 

transformed into a touristic cave through the efforts 

of local cavers and cave scientists. A tunnel was dug 

making the cave more easily accessible to tourists. The 

cave was also subject to various studies mainly related to 

hydrogeological aspects, as it hosts a major underground 

river with a discharge of about 2.3m 3 /s during the 

recession period (UNDP, 1970). The cave hosts numerous 

speleothems in large underground halls, especially in an 

upper gallery that is located in the touristic part of the 

cave (Fig. 3A). In many places, the ceiling is more than 

fifteen meters high (Fig. 3B) and most speleothems are 

characterized by a ‘pile d’assiettes’ or dish-stacks type 

structure. The stalagmite JeG-stm-1 was retrieved from 

the upper gallery of the Jiita touristic cave in October 

2005. The stalagmite was collected at ~200 meters from 

the entrance (N32°56.620’; E35°38.640’) of the upper 

gallery (Fig. 3). The ceiling of the cave at this location 

is situated at 16.45 m high, and the thickness of the 

overburden rock (mainly micritic limestone) is estimated 

to be around 100 m (Fig. 3B). Water dripping from the 

high ceiling occurs in the stalagmite site during winter 

and spring seasons, while possible short-term dryness 

prevails during the summer. Cave temperature at the 

stalagmite location is 22.0±0.5°C and remains constant 

throughout the year. 

Petrographic Aspects 

The sampled JeG-stm-1 stalagmite part is 121.5 

cm long. The inner profile of the stalagmite (Fig. 4) 

displays a regular deposition of dense calcite, varying in 

colour from dark grey to light yellow-beige. A regular 

lamination with very thin layers (

Fig. 7. δ 13 C and δ 18 C profiles (values are in ‰ VPDB) of the JeG-stm-1 

stalagmite (Jiita cave, Lebanon). Slightly modified from Nader et al (2007). 

and Pequin caves are located in the present-day semiarid 

Mediterranean-type climatic regions, all situated at less 

than 50 km from the East Mediterranean coast in the 

western Mediterranean – facing flanks of their respective 

mountain systems. The Jiita cave is at a distance of 

115 km from the Peqiin cave, some 240 km from the 

West Jerusalem cave and 260 km from the Soreq cave. 

The present day similar climate and close geographical 

location of the four caves invoke a common isotopic 

response to climate and subsequent vegetation changes 

(Bar-Matthews et al. 1997, 1999, 2003; Frumkin et al., 

2000). Furthermore, the similarity of the Jiita δ 18 O record 

to that of the Soreq cave, and that of the Jiita δ 13 C record to 

that of the West Jerusalem cave confirms that the studied 

speleothems reflect similar responses to regional climatic 

variations. Such climatic changes as invoked from the 

Jiita stalagmite isotopic record and compared to the 

records from the nearby caves are grouped into three major 

time periods. 

Period from 11.9 to 10.1 ka: 

According to the review of multiple datasets of 

Robinson et al. (2006) the Younger Dryas (YD), between 

12.7 and 11.5 ka, was a regional event with extremely 

arid and cold conditions. The Jiita cave record starts 

at 11.9 ±100 (2σ) ka with high δ 18 O values consistent 

with higher aridity during the YD. The Jiita δ 18 O record 

begins to decrease at 11.2ka, at the same time compared 

to the δ 18 O decrease in Soreq cave speleothems (Fig. 8) 

corresponding to the end of the YD and the transition to 

more humid conditions of the pre-Boreal (PB) Similar to 

the δ 18 O record, the carbon record starts (at the base of the 

studied stalagmite) with relatively high values (-9.8‰) in 

agreement with a less favourable period for soil activity, 

associated with the drier conditions of the YD, however 

not dry enough to significantly decrease speleothem 

deposition as suggested by a still relatively high growth 

rate (1.65 cm/100yrs; Fig. 6) and thick speleothem 

diameter (between ten and eighteen centimetres). 

Period from 10.0 to 5.8 ka: 

During the period 10.0-5.8 ka (Early Holocene), 

the Jiita stalagmite displays particular low δ 18 O and δ 13 C 

values compared to the rest of the stalagmite. The isotopic 

data from the JeG-stm-1 stalagmite indicate that during 

the Holocene, most humid conditions in western Lebanon 

occurred between 9.2 and 6.5 ka. This period corresponds 

to parts of the stalagmite with particularly high growth 

rates (between 1.17 and 2.62 cm/100 yrs; Fig. 6) and in 

general the thickest stalagmite diameter giving further 

evidence for a high water availability and/or a high CaCO 3 

saturation of the depositing water linked with an active 

vegetation above the cave. Simultaneously occurs the onset 

of clear dish-stacks stalagmite morphology; which needs 

a high ceiling (Gams 1981 in Hill and Forti, 1997), but 

also a high water supply with an important “splash effect” 

and high carbonate supersaturation for the development 

of the “wings” (cf. Fig. 5). Only a short part of the 

stalagmite around 6.7 ka, displays a slightly lower growth 

rate (0.92cm/100 yrs). Since δ 18 O and δ 13 C records are 

remarkably stable during this period, the observed change 

in growth rate is believed to have no regional climatic or 

environmental cause. It is more probably related to local 

changes in the water supply system, as also suggested by 

the horizontal shift in growth axis occurring at 6.7 ka (see 

Fig. 4). 

A warm and wet Early Holocene is evidenced in 

several other proxy data (pollen, lake sediments,…) in the 

Levantine region. The Early Holocene (9.5-7.0 ka) could 

have been the wettest phase of the last 25,000 years across 

much of the Levant and Eastern Mediterranean(Robinson 

et al.,2006). The same period witnessed higher lake levels 

of the Lisan and Dead Sea lakes. The lake level record was 

further refined by Migowski et al. (2006), who dated this 

period between 10 and 8.6 ka; Fig. 8). 

A sudden increase in δ 18 O and δ 13 C values in the 

JeG-stm-1 stalagmite suggests a decline from wet to drier 

conditions at around 6.0 ka. The transition occurred in 

two steps with a progressive decline from 6.5 to 5.9ka 

interrupted at 5.9 ka by a short (~100 years) return to 

Fig. 8. Correlation charts from various speleothem records and proxies, see text for details 

(Bar-Matthews et al., 1997; Frumkin et al., 2000; Migowski et al. 2006; Robinson et al., 2006). 

wetter conditions and followed by an equal but rapid 

decline in less than a century (Fig. 7). The change to 

dry conditions indicated by the δ 18 O and δ 13 C profiles is 

supported by the decrease in diameter, the drop in growth 

rate (Fig. 6) and a progressive change towards a matt white 

porous calcite (Fig. 4). 

A wet Early Holocene was also recorded in 

speleothems from Oman (Neff et al., 2001; Fleitmann et 

al., 2003; 2007), and the probable link with other climate 

systems such as the Asian monsoon system and the North 

Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) is explained by Staubwasser 

and Weiss (2006). 

Period from 5.8 to 1.1 ka 

The JeG-stm-1 stalagmite displays indications for 

dry conditions until the end of stalagmite deposition at 1.1 

ka through high δ 18 O and δ 13 C values (Fig. 7) and smaller 

stalagmite diameter, as well as changes to a more whitish 

porous stalagmite without dish-stacks morphology (Fig. 5). 

The Soreq cave record (Bar-Matthews et al., 1997; 1999) 

and other terrestrial data such as lake levels, paleosoils and 

snail records (Robinson et al., 2006; Fig. 8), suggest wet 

FIRST GEOCHEMICAL STUDY OF 

STALAGMITES FROM THE JIITA CAVE 

conditions for the period from 4.5 to 5 ka, while according 

to the JeG-stm1 stalagmite record, a wetter period occurred 

only between 3.0 and 4.0 ka (as suggested by a small 

decrease in δ 18 O and δ 13 C values). At about 4.0 ka, a brown 

layering suggests the occurrence of a flood event often 

responsible for the rapid transfer to the cave of impurities 

like oxides or clay particles with incorporation in the 

stalagmite. The absence of a drastic change in petrography 

as well as in δ 18 O and δ 13 C values confirms that the brown 

layering is not due to a regional climate event. Instead, a 

slight regular decrease in δ 18 O and δ 13 C values indicates 

a gradual change towards less dry conditions to 3.0 ka. 

The relatively wetter period between 4.0 and 3.0 ka seems 

contradictory with the evidences from other proxies for 

severe drought during the so-called 4.2 ka climate event 

brought in relation with the decline of the Akkadian empire 

(deMenocal, 2001) and several other civilizations of the 

Indus Valley (Staubwasser and Weiss, 2006). After the 4.2 

ka event, entire regions of northern Mesopotamia, Syria 

and Palestine were intensively resettled (Staubwasser 

and Weiss, 2006), suggesting a return to relatively wetter 

conditions in agreement with the indications of JeG-stm-1 


in the present study (see above). Between 3.0 and 1.1 

ka, soil activity progressively decreased as indicated by 

increasing δ 13 C values. δ 18 O values present more variability 

and it is therefore less clear if the δ 13 C increase is due to a 

progressive dryer climate (in which a δ 18 O increase would 

be expected) or if it is to be ascribed to a decrease in soil 

activity linked with increasing agriculture and/or grazing. 

Conclusions 

This contribution emphasises on the importance of 

speleothem studies by providing complementary data that 

help in understanding the Holocene paleoclimate of the 

Levant area. Petrographic and geochemical studies carried 

out on the JeG-stm-1 stalagmite (previously dated; 11.1 

to 1.1ka) from the Jiita cave, central Mount Lebanon, as 

well as regional correlation with speleothem records from 

several nearby caves in Israel/Palestine, resulted in the 

following conclusions: 

1- The wettest period in western central Lebanon 

occurred from 9.2 to 6.5 ka. 

2- 

3- 

A two-step transition from wet Early Holocene 

to drier Mid-Holocene conditions is observed 

between 6.5 and 5.8 ka. 

The JeG-stm-1 stalagmite registered a dry Mid- 

to Late Holocene until the end of stalagmite 

deposition at 1.1 ka, with exception of a 

relatively wetter period between 4.0 and 3.0 ka. 

Acknowledgements 

This research was primarily funded by the Lebanese 

National Council for Scientific Research (LNCSR). Dr. 

Nabil Haddad, director of MAPAS (operator of Jiita 

Grotto showcave), is especially thanked for his continuous 

support and generous hospitality throughout the project. 

Mr. B. Idriss (AUB) is thanked for field and lab-work. 

Mr. M. Ijreiss (AUB) is thanked for technical support. 

Mrs. A. Koumaiha & W. Nasr Jad are thanked for graphic 

support. Members of the Spéléo Club du Liban are thanked 

for their help during the fieldwork (inside the cave) and 

for providing maps and data concerning the cave. Mr. 

Sami Karkabi is acknowledged for fruitful discussion and 

guidance. 

References 

Bar-Matthews, M., Ayalon, A., Kaufman, A., 1997. Late 

Quaternary paleoclimate in the eastern Mediterranean 

region from stable isotope analysis of speleothems at Soreq 

cave, Israel. Quaternary Research 47, 155-168. 

Bar-Matthews, M., Ayalon, A., Kaufman, A., Wasserburg, 

G. J., 1999. The Eastern Mediterranean paleoclimate as a 

reflection of regional events: Soreq cave Israel. Earth and 

Planetary Science Letters 166, 85-95. 

Bar-Matthews, M., Ayalon, A., Gilmour, M., Matthews, 

A., Hawkesworth, C. J., 2003. Sea-land oxygen isotopic 

relationships from planctonic foraminifera and speleothems 

in the Eastern Mediterranean region and their implication 

for palaeorainfall during interglacial intervals. Geochimica 

et Cosmochimica Acta 67(17), 3181-3199. 

deMenocal P.B., 2001. Cultural response to climate change 

during the Late Holocene. Science 292, 667-673. 

Dubertret, L., 1975. Introduction à la carte géologique au 

1/50000 du Liban. Notes et Mémoires sur le Moyen-Orient 

23, 345-403. 

Fleitmann D., Burns S. J., Neff U., Mangini A., Matter A., 

2003. Changing moisture sources over the last 330,000 

years in Northern Oman from fluid inclusion evidence in 

speleothems. Quaternary Research 60, 223-232. 

Fleitmann D., Burns S.J., Mangini A., Mudelsee M., 

Kramers J., Villa I., Neff U., Al-Subbary A.A., Buettner 

A., Hippler D. and Matter A., 2007. Holocene ITCZ and 

Indian monsoon dynamics recorded in stalagmites from 

Oman and Yemen (Socotra). Quaternary Science Reviews 

26, 170–188. 

Frumkin A., Carmi I., Gopher A., Ford D.C., Schwarcz 

H.P. and Tsuk T., 1999. A Holocene millenial-scale climatic 

cycle from a speleothem in Nahal Qanah Cave, Israel. The 

Holocene 9 (6), 677-682. 

Frumkin A., Ford D.C. and Schwarcz H.P., 2000. Paleoclimate 

and vegetation of the last glacial cycles in Jerusalem from 

a speleothem record. Global Biogeochemical cycles 14 (3), 

863-870. 

Karkabi, S., 1990. (Editor) Al Ouat’Ouate N°5: Special 

Jeita – Cinquantenaire de la spéléologie libanaise. Spéléo- 

Club du Liban, Lebanon, 136. 

Migowski, C., Stein, M., Prasad, S., Negendank, J. F.W., 

Agnon, A., 2006. Holocene climate variability and cultural 

evolution in the Near East from the Dead Sea sedimentary 

record. Quaternary Research 66, 421-431. 

Nader, F. H., Swennen R., Ellam, R., 2004. Stratabound 

dolomite versus volcanism-associated dolomite: an 

example from Jurassic platform carbonates in Lebanon. 

Sedimentology 51 (2), 339-360. 

Nader, F. H., Verheyden, S., Cheng, H., Swennen R., 2007. 

Etude pétrographique et géochimique d’une stalagmite de 

la grotte de Jeita (Liban). Lebanese Science Journal 8 (2), 

45-58. 

Nader, F. H. 2004. The Jiita Cave (Lebanon). In Gunn, J. 

(Ed) Encyclopedia of Caves and Karst Science, Fitzroy 

Dearborn, New York – London, pp 463-464. 

Neff U., Burns S.J., Mangini A., Mudelsee M., Fleitmann 

D. and Matter A., 2001. Strog coherence between solar 

variability and the monsoon in Oman between 9 and 6 kyr 

ago. Nature 411, 290-293. 

Robinson S.A., Black S., Sellwood B.W., Valdes P.J., 

2006. A review of palaeoclimates and palaeoenvironments 

in the Levant and Eastern Mediterranean from 25,000 to 

5,000 years BP: setting the environmental background for 

the evolution of human civilization. Quaternary Science 

Reviews 25, 1517-1541. 

Staubwasser M. and Weiss H., 2006. Holocene climate and 

cultural evolution in late prehistoric-early historic West 

Asia. Quaternary Research 66, 372-387. 

United Nations Development Program (UNDP), 1970. 

Liban Etude Des Eaux Souterraines. Government of 

Lebanon, Beirut, Lebanon. 

Walley, C.D., 2001. The Lebanon passive margin and the 

evolution of the Levantine Neotethys. In: Ziegler, P.A., 

Cavazza, W., Robertson, A.H.F. and Crasquin-Soleau, S. 

(Eds.): Peri-Tethys Memoir 6: Peri-Tethyan Rift / Wrench 

Basins and Passive Margins, Mémoire du Muséum national 

d’Histoire naturelle, Paris, 86, 407-439. 

Left. the 1952 camp bottle showing the names of Sami Karkabi, Lionel Gorra and Raymond Khawam (This bottle can still be found on site inside Jiita cave). 

Right, the 1951 camp bottle showing the names of Albert Anavy, Joseph Ghannum and Lionel Gorra with a small Lebanese flag (This bottle can still be found on site inside Jiita cave). 

(Photos by Rena Karanouh) 


SPELEoLoGY 

JIITA 

WITH 

SAMI 

Rena Karanouh | renakaranouh@hotmail.com 

Fig. 1 

Sami in Jiita,1954. 


Fig. 2 

Sami in Chaos. 

(Photo by Issam Bou Jawdeh) 

اتيعج ةراغم لخاد 2000 ةنس تلصح ىتلا ةرماغملا ىلا لاقملا اذه قرطتي 

اتيعج ةراغم يفشتكم مها نم دحاوو راوغتسلاا ةدمعا دحا اهيف كراشو 

ةصاخبو ثادحلاا يوري هنلأ ةيمها هل لاقملا اذهو .يبكرك يماس ديسلا 

خيرات ىف اهريغو لايرغنشلاو رقصلا عقوم لثم ةمهملا تاطحملاو عقاوملا 

.ميظعلا روغتسملا اذه نيعا للاخ نم ةراغملا هذه فاشتكا 

IT IS GOOD WE 

ARE DOING 

THIS IN DARKNESS... 

WE WOULD NEVER 

DARE IF WE SAW 

WHAT WE WERE 

ACTUALLY DOING 

H.BLISS 

Shangi-la, Styx, Maxwell, Bliss, the Eagle, Dardanelles, 

La Minaret, La Pagode, Pantheon, Chaos, Thompson, 

Crusaders Column, Rapids de l’Enfers, the Tunnel… 

What am I going on about? 

What images do these wild places inspire? 

They are all actual places soon to be seen by me for the 

first time! 

To start. 

Why are we doing this? How are we finally being 

taken by Sami K. to see Jiita through his eyes? The only 

thing I will say at this point is Sami Karkabi is Jiita. If 

there is anyone who knows, lives, breaths, and loves this 

cave, it is he. 

A couple of months back he had said he wanted to 

tell us the history of Jiita. We (Issam and I) told him that 

it would so much better to go into Jiita and then he can 

explain the history on the ground. He agreed. We couldn’t 

believe it. Sami Karkabi after a 20 year absence, was 

entering the lower gallery of Jiita to spend two days in the 

cave he helped discover and map in the 50’s. 

So that was it. 

As simple as that. 

We all met at 2pm in the parking lot of Jiita to enter 

the cave. For me this was the first time in this area of 

Jiita, so excited doesn’t even begin to explain how I was 

feeling. We had planned to arrived slightly earlier than 

Sami as we wanted to prepare all the bags before we went 

inside. Sami was also notoriously known to get very angry 

if anyone was late. Sami’s reputation preceded him. 

But true to form we all arrived together! At least we 

were on time for once and not late. 

We arrived at the parking lot of Jiita Cave in our 

cars. The pioneering explorers could only access the cave 

using donkeys to carry the supplies down into the valley, 

a 2.5km trek that used to take around half an hour. Our 

boat inside the cave was made of an aluminium alloy 

with a flat hull. In 1873 they used a few planks of wood 

tied together and supported by inflatable goat-skins (Al 

Ouat’Ouate, No5, 1990). 

3:30pm 

After the bags were placed in the boat we all got 

in. Marc steered at the front, Issam and I rowed, next sat 

Sami and finally Joe, who steered from the back. A steerer 

at the front and one at the back does not make for good 

steering, ‘too many cooks…’ came to mind very often. 

At last count there were 13 sacs, four cameras, lots of 

food, 2 writing books, lots of smiles, and the feeling that 

something special was happening. We also had a gallon of 

water because earlier in the week we had gotten a lecture 

from Marc about the water in Jiita being contaminated 

with Epoxi-hepi-fluoro-sewage-bacter’ium-includis…… 

no-one ever understands Marc but we didn’t want to take 

the chance of ending up with the previously mentioned 

disease so we took our own water….ever heard of ‘Water, 

water, everywhere but not a drop to drink?’…that was us. 

We were finally on our way. The first 400m was the 

illuminated tourist section Lac Thomson, named after 

the first person to explore and write about the cave. Here 

we saw the Screen, a narrow passage where Sami had 

dynamited the rock to allow the boats to pass through. 

Before the dynamiting the barrier of rock meant that the 

boats had to be carried over the rock and then replaced 

into the water. Then came; Tower of Pisa on the right 

which was indeed a leaning stalagmite, the Weeping 

Willow on the left, a beautiful curtain wall, the Flic (the 

police roundabout) which was a protruding rock in the 

middle of the water. 


JIITA 

WITH SAMI 

Une aventure extraordinaire vécue par quelques spéléologues en l’an 2000 et qui leur 

a permis de voir l’incroyable grotte de Jiita à travers les yeux d’un de ses explorateurs 

M. Sami Karkabi. Shangri-la, Styx, Maxwell, Bliss, l’Aigle, Dardanelles, Le Minaret, La 

Pagode, Pantheon, Chaos, Thompson, Crusaders Column, Rapides de l’Enfer, le Tunnel... 

tous ceux-là et bien plus ont inspiré le vieillissant Sami K. à vivre ses rêves à nouveau.

We stopped at the sand mound on the right just after 

the Flic and before Maxwell’s Column. Sami and Issam 

photographed, we modelled, held flashlights, and listened 

to Sami as he explained the history. 

In 1873, W.J Maxwell, an engineer from London 

commissioned by the water board entered Jiita with the 

purpose of studying the cave to see if the water from the 

Dog River can be used to supply water to the city of Beirut. 

The other men who entered with him for the exploration 

were W.G Huxley his second on the engineering staff, Rev. 

D Bliss, then president of the Syrian Protestant College 

(later to be the AUB), and R.W. Brigstocke. Maxwell had 

read a previous account by a Dr. Thomson, an American 

missionary, who in 1836, had fired a gun into the cave 

and judging from the echoes he heard said the cave must 

be very big. He had no boat at the time to explore but he 

had seen the beautiful concretions at the entrance (with 

foresight this was a good thing because in his account 

he states that he longed for a boat so he can gather the 

stalactites and stalagmites. He became the first ‘caver’ 

to write an account of a cave in Lebanon. Unknowingly 

he had entered the first 50m of Jiita (Al Ouat’Ouate, No5, 

1990). 

4:00pm 

From the sand mound we stood on we could see 

Maxwell’s Column. This gigantic column is a landmark 

in the cave. I recognized it from all the old photographs 

and etchings I had seen in the Al-Ouat’Ouate. Issam of 

course found some concretions that got him all excited. 

Decalcification seems to get him all hot and bothered these 

days. 

We all got back into the boat and made our way 

to Maxwell’s Column. Surrounded by sand, this pillar is 

stunning. It is approximately 8m high and seems to stand 

guard to the rest of the cave. In Maxwell’s report he writes 

that this column was so imposing and grandiose it stopped 

their exploration for a while, 

‘Standing out in bold relief, with fine fluted front 

and continued to the rear in a mass of pendent drapery, 

like a sheet let down in graceful folds from the roof. The 

leader of the party, amid ringing cheers was compelled to 

allow his name to be given to the central attraction.’ (Al- 

Fig. 3 

A dinghy passage, 1954. 


Ouat’Ouate, No5, 1990) 

From that time on the pillar came to be known as 

Maxwell’s Column. 

We climbed the rocks behind it only to discover 

a small bottle placed on top of a colonette. We opened 

the bottle and read the paper that had been placed 

inside, ‘Christmas 2000, Dr. Nabil Hadad.’ (Dr. Hadad 

is currently the director of Jiita cave). Sami didn’t like 

this very much as all the bottles that had previously been 

placed in Jiita were placed as a reward and proof of the 

explorers’ feats in the cave. 

I wandered through the forest of stalagmites on 

the slope next to the column when Sami asked me, ‘So 

do you recognize this?’ I thought and thought and then I 

recognized it from his photos. I had seen it many times 

and here it was in front of my eyes. I shouted the answer 

to Sami and he smiled. This game was to carry on through 

the entire trip. I loved it. We had reached ‘the Minaret’ 

and ‘the Pagoda’. Marc was wandering through the 

stalactites, Joe was sitting on a rock and I was watching 

Sami and Sami just stood there. What must have been 

going through his mind? It had been 20 years since he had 

been inside this cave. He had lived, breathed, explored, 

slept her for 15 days straight, twice, while he was drawing 

the survey and exploring the cave. For twenty years this 

cave was his life and during the civil war in Lebanon, due 

to political events, it had been taken over by someone else 

to manage. What a feeling. He was now back standing in 

the same places. This was a cave he had told us repeatedly 

that he would never enter again and this outing was 

special for us because of Sami. But here he was. I guess 

when you love something the heart always wins over the 

mind. 

4:40pm 

We left Maxwell’s Column to pass through 

‘The Dardanelles’, a series of water channels between 

protruding rocks. After that we arrived at a well known 

site, which is portrayed on the old Lebanese pound note. 

Fig. 4 

The Lac Dorothy dinghy crossing. 


We were sitting now looking at the real thing. We passed 

a curtain concretion called the Medusa, or ‘The Jellyfish’. 

The English called it ‘The Parachute’. In this passage 

we passed the postage stamp (original photo taken by 

Manoug) illustration called the ‘The Camel’. Behind and 

above the Medusa lies a pocket of red straw concretions. 

We stopped at a mound of eboulis with an iron 

ladder placed at the top. It was old, rusted and connected 

the Lower Gallery with the Upper Gallery. Here was 

where they had placed the mat and gone up to discover 

the beauty of the Upper Gallery. Marc and Joe went up to 

walk around a bit. 

In 1957 a mat was bought from Grenoble in France. 

This was used by Raymond Khawam, in 1958, who 

went up the ladder and placed a rope. Later George Farra 

went up but it was finally Kasparian, Sami Karkabi and 

Raymond Khawam who went up and reached the upper 

gallery some 55m up. They actually climbed 80m up and 

then came down 33m to reach the Upper Gallery. On 

the first attempt they found themselves on the opposite 

side of what is now the touristic upper gallery. Then they 

took ladders and connected with the other side. President 

Chehab approved turning the Upper Gallery touristic from 

photographs taken by Sami. While they were exploring so 

many rocks fell below that the boat they were using was 

destroyed. 

5.15pm 

We were now some 600m inside the cave. Marc 

found an old coin that was apparently thrown from the 

Upper Gallery. Asking Issam to photograph it didn’t go 

down all that well with Issam. Marc had thought that the 

coin was stuck on the calcite but Issam was able to take it 

out and later on, at the end of the sortie, Issam gave it to 

Marc who (to put it mildly) didn’t appreciate the offer and 

immediately ratted us out to Sami. Sami just laughed it off. 

My comment of, ‘It is not a naturally occurring element 

in a cave so it was good we took it out’ was met with a 

hostile look. Oh well! 

5:35pm 

Rapid Bliss. 

Where were they? 

We could not find them. 

We were then told that it was due to the dam that 

had been built at the ‘entrance’. The water level had gone 

up and the rapids were lost. 

And now, the Pantheon. 

Maxwell explained: 

More than a half mile underground we find 

ourselves in a spacious cavern, whose roof is lost in the 

gloom. Under this dome, standing out clear as alabaster in 

midst of darkness, is one of the most beautiful stalagmite 

formations of the grottoes, which, from its resemblance 

to the Pantheon, has been distinguished by that name (Al- 

Ouat’Ouate, No5, 1990). 

As we rowed we missed the place were we could 

go up into the Pantheon. We tried to go up from another 

location but the rock was covered with a black slimy 

coating. Later we found out that this was manganese 

oxide. We went back to the proper de-embarkation point 

which we knew was correct as there was a survey point 

at the top that we found on the map as well. We explored 

inside The Pantheon and here Sami told us that we need 

to survey this part of the cave as they had not done 

it. We followed the black cable and arrived at a sand 

plateau. Here we found Issam...his nose (already very big 

naturally) stuck in some rather interesting concretions. 

Hot and bothered again! We were, at this point, getting 

used to it. He photographed them. We named them ‘The 

Delta’ and ‘The Recrystalisation’. Issam tried to explain 

this phenomenon to Marc who only seemed interested in 

peeing and filling his carbide lamp with water. A small 

fight ensued over where Marc should pee. Should he pee 

in the water or the sand?…finally the sand won…As he 

was doing this Marc noticed bubbling in the water. He 

got all excited that this was a spring but Issam soon put 

an end to that saying it was his weight pressurising air in 

the sand and it bubbled out under the water. We made our 

way around the rest of the Pantheon which doubles back 

to the main axis river. 

6:50pm 

We were back in the boat. We passed by Bliss’s 

bottle. This bottle had been placed at the top of a 

stalagmite. It is calcified now and the note inside is 

unreadable. Explorers of the cave have tried to shake the 

bottle loose but to no avail as explained by E. Thompson 

on his 1927 expedition. 

In it (the Pantheon) is an island that rises to a peak, 

icy in pallor, and in slipperiness, on whose summit is the 

bottle containing the names of the first explorers, placed 

there more than fifty years ago. It stands in an incessant 

rain, and is now a solid part of the rock; we could not 

shake it in the least (Al-Ouat’Ouate, No5, 1990). 

To date the known bottles with notes inside, that were 

placed in Jiita by the early explorers are: 

-Bliss’s bottle, Pantheon, 1873 

-Bottle (unknown who placed it but probably Maxwell), 

Pantheon, 1874 

-West and Crawford’s bottle, Lake Dorothy, 1926 

-Thompson’s bottle, Thompson’s Cavern, 1927 

-Sami’s bottle (unknown location) 

-Gorra, Anavy, Ghanuum, inscription at 2800m (Falaise 

Karkabi) 

-Grand Chaos bottle, 1951 

-Salle Seche Camp, 1952 

As we rowed we found we are approaching the 

‘Potern’ and what seems to be a very narrow opening. In 

fact it was just large enough to fit the boat. 1.5m wide 

by 0.5m high from the water. A semicircle hole in the 

rockface. Sami said that they had to blast certain areas to 

allow the boat to go through. The tourist’s boats used to 

reach here (800m) but now they do not because it takes 

them too long to reach this point and return. The route 

was decreased to 300m so that less of this beautiful cave 

can be seen by the public for purely economical reasons, 

less time, more people, more money. 


JIITA 

WITH SAMI

Fig. 5 

The ‘cross’ in the Rapides de l’Enfer, 1955. 


7.35pm 

Chaos. 

No….. I mean the place! 

1000m into the cave. 

We had arrived at our bedroom for the night. 

Chaos is a mountain of rocks surrounded by beautiful 

curtains of concretions, one, the Torpedo, is 12m high 

(after a haggling match with Marc), the Two Sisters (two 

identical large, white stalagmites) but what stood out the 

most was a column on the opposite side that was massive, 

known as Crusader’s Column. We had to carry our 

equipment up as we were sleeping in Shangri-la. We took a 

break here and Sami once again started talking. 

In 1892 and 1902 a professor A. E. Day reached the 

1000m accompanied by a crew from the water works. 

In 1923, Odinot reached 400m only researching the source 

of Jiita. 

In 1925, Dr. Lamarche, Odinot, Delanges and Janvier 

enter reaching 1000m. 

In 1926, Dr. Lamarche, Brun, Delanges and Janvier reach 

1100m, using a hand made boat. 

In 1926 W.A. West and J.P. Crawfard reach 1320m, 

reaching and naming Lake Dorothy and ‘The Tunnel’. 

In 1927, E. Thompson, D.H. du Bois, H.Hall, P. W. Ireland 

explored the cave using rafts made from 16 benzene tins. 

1940, Clan Lyautey, 1060m. Lionel Gorra was not allowed 

to enter with them. He was told that he was too young (he 

was18 years old) but it is believed that he was not allowed 

in because he was Lebanese. 

1946, L. Gorra, A.Anavy, L.Eid, N. Elnékavé, 1950m - The 

first Lebanese led expedition. Louis Eid was to discover 

Shangri-La. The Lebanese had finally taken back their 

cave back from the Americans and the French. 

1947, 1949, 1951 saw Lebanese led expeditions into the 

Fig. 6 

The ‘cross’ in the Rapides de l’Enfer. 

(Photo by Issam Bou Jawdeh) 

cave. They reached 2800m (Al Ouat’Ouate, No5, 1990). 

The speleological age of the Lebanese had begun, there 

was no stopping them now. 

As we transported the bags Sami told Issam that he had 

no photograph of the Crusader’s Column (this was thus 

called because the 1940 expedition was lead by the French 

who where from the Clan ‘Crusaders’ who discovered this 

column). So Issam went down to check the site out. At this 

point I was praying (For what? I hear you ask).…well my 

prayers were not answered as a few minutes later I heard 

Issam’s voice….’RENA…come here….’ Oh well, I guess 

it will be a bit of flash holding and modelling for me….so 

grudgingly I went down and posed next to the column. 

The fact that Issam forgot to tell me that he had 

finished taking the shot, and so leaving me standingfor a 

good five minutes in a very awkward position, one foot on 

the column and the other on a rock, made my scream of 

‘Haven’t you bloody well taken it yet?’ loud enough to get 

him out of his trance, releasing me from my position. 

The Jiita cave has gone through lots of name 

changes, from the Grottoes of Nahr el Kalb, Djaita, Jehita, 

to finally settling on Jiita. The name change from Grottoes 

of Nahr el Kalb to Jiita Grottoes seems to have happened 

in 1927 when in newspapers the name Jiita Grottoes was 

used. Naher el Kalb was the name of the river that runs 

through Jiita Grottoes but the entrance to the cave is an 

area called Jiita which means ‘roaring water’ in Aramaic. 

Finally we were all in Shangri-la. After a small 

clamber to the top of the Chaos’s rockfall we found that 

we could see the entire room from the top. It was like a 

balcony overlooking a surreal landscape. The Crusader’s 

Column was directly in front of us. The Torpedo 

concretion was to the left. The beautiful draperies of Chaos 

were to the right, and behind us was ‘The Jug’ (a huge 

stalagmite shaped like a Lebanese jug). The old explorers 

had reached here wearing swimming suits and carrying 

candles. To just stand here knowing all the work Sami 

and the others had put into this place made me feel like 

I was walking on sacred ground. Marc of course decided 

to smoke the cigar Sami had given him on this jug. Sami 

also told us of the dry 1600m upper passage that leads to 

Clayton’s Passage which starts from here. Basically it is a 

passage that runs on an upper level but on the walls of the 

lower galleries. 

8:00pm 

Shangri-La 

To sleep per chance to dream… 

No such luck! 

We settled in for the night. First things first. Candles 

lit up the place making it appear to be like a temple. 

Shangri-la turned out to be a 10m by 6m white room 

undergoing decalcification. The floor was stone much to 

our distress….Sami told us this was the first time anyone 

had ever slept in Shangri-la. Marc argued that he would 

have liked to sleep on sand rather than rock… 

‘Did someone say ‘karkabi’?’ Sami asked, 

‘I had no idea what he was talking about until he pointed 

to the mess we had made with our stuff. ‘Look at the 

‘karkabi’ in Shangri-la!’ he continued. Of course, to all 

non-arabic speakers reading this, you are not going to get 

the joke since it is a play on words in Arabic! Karkabi 

means ‘mess’ in Arabic. 

As the noodles were cooking we asked Sami what 

they had eaten on their expeditions. ‘On short trips dry 

things were on the menu. For long expeditions rice, 

chicken, eggs, stews’….Sami had also only allowed one 

glass of Arak a day for each person. He told us that he 

checked all bags that were entering the cave to see if 

anyone had brought with them any useless stuff. 

What was on our menu? 

Curried noodles, salami, ham, mushrooms, hot dogs, 

wheat, bread, and a bottle of wine brought by Sami. 

10:30pm 

All the food was packed and we settled to sleep. All 

the lights were switched off and it was so dark I couldn’t 

tell if my eyes were shut or open. This was the time for 

thinking. If I had been born in Sami’s time I would not 

be here. Sami had told us that he didn’t allow women in 

explorations as they distract from the work. They only 

came on ‘picnic’ sorties. I am glad things have changed. 

Issam told Marc to set the alarm at 5:00am. When 

everyone had settled in for the night Issam got his camera 

out and started photographing us while asleep. Sami 

shouted at him ‘voyeur!’ 

7:30am 

Sami woke us up. Marc had forgotten to set his alarm 

and if Sami had not woken up we would have slept even 

longer. The joke of the night was that we will wake up 

when the sunlight appears…well it was funny at the time 

and I guess you had to be there…. 

We were making breakfast debating why Shangrila 

was called Shangri-la. Sami said it meant ‘paradise’. I 

think the guys had other ideas. Breakfast consisted of tea, 

cheese, bread, fruit salad (Issam, who else?), croissant and 

wheat. 


Fig. 7 

The boat being used during surveying, 1955. 


Fig. 8 

Arrival at the end point. 


JIITA 

WITH SAMI

8:15am 

We packed all our stuff and placed the bags back 

into the boat. Carrying the dinghies we were on our way. 

We could hear the Rapid’s d’Enfers (also known as Hells 

Rapids) known as Huxley and Bridstockes’s Rapids… 

these rapids had stopped many of the earlier expeditions. 

After walking for about 10minutes Issam climbed 

up to rig a ladder. I tried to find another way to go up 

and I did. Sami didn’t like this a lot as he said we were 

trying to retrace the old explorer’s routes. Issam gave me 

an exasperated stare…sorry…I just thought it would be 

easier. At the top of the rock we found old wine bottles 

from the 1902 expedition. Then we reached the rapids. 

Marc went ahead to find the walkway that would get us 

past them safely. He found it and we followed. There 

was a traverse and then a protruding rock from the rapids 

which was used as a foot hold and over to the other side, 

another traverse and then another cross over, until we 

reached a deep passage. We had to blow the dinghies up 

and use them to pass the deep part. All clear? Marc and I 

had a little race over the wall. He was not impressed when 

I got his feet wet! Calling me a little cheat was all I could 

hear in the distance as he ate my dust!!!…just kidding… 

he also swore unprintable things! Thompson in 1927 had 

written about this next part of the traverse. 

You lower yourself from ledge to ledge, to a 

place where you can stretch one foot to a split rock in 

mid-water, an inch or two below the surface. The upper 

side of the split is firm; the lower is loose and is better not 

stepped on. From this rock you spring across, and then 

climb. Though never so high again (Al Ouat’Ouate, No5, 

1990). 

Here, in this passageway were two inscriptions 

could be found. The first was “1873”…the other being 

“1875 another hundred feet”. 

10:00am 

1080m. 

The dinghies were placed in the water and Issam 

and Sami went first so that Issam could rig the second 

ladder. There was an old metal ladder still dangling and 

Issam climbed about 2m and rigged the ladder. The water 

here is very strong as we were close to a waterfall. We 

followed and climbed up the two meters to a ledge. The 

dinghies were transported with us, carrying them over the 

climb and past the Deversoir Lamarche waterfall. We then 

walked through the ‘Tunnel’. 

The Tunnel turned out to be exactly as its name 

describes. It was an easy walk all through the entire 

section of this passage. It looked like a deep, straight 

canyon. Only one dingy was used to pass Lake Dorothy. 

Again this took two trips, transporting Sami, Issam and 

I first, and then going back to get Joe and Marc. Lake 

Dorothy is not really a lake as such. It is just where the 

river becomes wider and deeper. 

We had finally landed on the sands of Thompson’s 

Cavern. This room is massive. After walking for 5 

minutes over rocks and sand beaches we arrived at what 

is commonly known as The Eagle Obelisk. This large 

stalagmite had what looks like a head of an eagle on its 

top. We were now at 1700m. I stood at the bottom of the 

pillar while Issam photographed, and Marc and Joe held 

flashes. Sami was wandering between the rocks and we 

followed him a few meters behind. 

We then arrived at what was to be out final 

destination: The Gours. These turned out to be beautiful 

rimstone dams with cave pearls the size of marbles. What 

a sight….One by one we took our shoes off and walked 

on the wet dams. Joe placed a bottle here with all our 

names. Who knows, maybe in one hundred years someone 

will find it and wonder who we were. Issam, Joe and I are 

the only ones who know what was written on that note. I 

hope someday someone reads it and agrees with what was 

written. 

We put our shoes back on and made our way back. 

Back through Thompson, the Eagle, Lake Dorothy, the 

Tunnel, the Inscriptions (at this point I have to tell you 

that we didn’t actually see these writings but I am sure we 

will on later occasions), the Hell’s rapids, the Crusaders 

Pillar, Chaos, Shagri-la, Styx, Pantheon, Maxwell’s 

Column, Le Flic, the Willows, Lake Thomson…and 

finally the exit. 

So we were finally back where we started. 

2:00pm 

Our boat was called Caroserce Abillama. 

Thank you for not tipping us into the water. 

We carried all our bags towards the cars. Sami 

wanted to get photographed under the sculpture that now 

stands outside the lower gallery of Jiita cave. ‘The God of 

the Cave’ I presume. So we took the most touristy photos 

ever (Fig. 10). All smiles and laughter. 

2000m upstream. We still have a lot to do inside 

this cave as this was only the beginning. The history 

continues. 

I came out of the cave full of emotions. I felt 

that this was something so special. Probably never 

to be repeated again. Sami promised to take us to the 

Upper Gallery and tell us about that escapade. The next 

report will contain names like Anavy, Gorra, Khawam, 

Kasparian and of course Karkabi. It will contain places 

like Cascade Mica, Falaise Karkabi, Salle Blanche, Salle 

Rouge, Salle du Dome, Palace of the Thousand and One 

Nights, Grand Chaos, I can go on and on…. 

At this point I would like to point out that Sami is 72 

years old. Just a thought to ponder on. 

Thank you Issam, for being patient with my endless 

questions. 

Thank you Joe for being so reliable. 

Thank you Marc for not asking too many questions. 

But most of all thank you Sami for being who you are and 

for loving caving so much. 

Last but not least thank you Jiita, for still having secrets 

you want to share with us. 

Until next time. 

References 

- S. Karkabi, 1990. Cinquantenaire de la speleologie 

Libanese, Al Ouatouate. 

- Personal communication with Sami Karkabi. 


Fig. 10 

The 2000 Jiita cave expedition. Issam bou Jaoude, Rena Karanouh, Sami Karkabi and Marc Metni (from left to right), 

Joe Mhanna took the photograph. 

(Photo by Joe Mhanna) 

Fig. 9 

The 1950’s SCL cavers of Jiita cave. 

(Photo by Farid Zoghbie)

SPELEOTHEMS 

The gianTs 

of jiiTa cave 

stalagmites & columns of jiita 

ةيسلكلا دعاوصلاو ةدمعلأا 

اتيعج ةراغم يف ةدوجوملا ةمخضلا 

ىلع دهاش يه لاوأ :ناتزيم اهل 

ايناثو ةراغملا هذه فاشتكا طاطحم 

نيروغتسملل حيتت ةقراف تاملاع يه 

ةيلمع للاخ مهعقاوم نم دكاتلا 

.ةليوطلا راوغتسلأا 

Issam Bou Jaoude | Georges Haddad 

iboujaoude@gmail.com 

| jorjehaddad80@hotmail.com 

The maxwell column 

Ces formes géantes de stalagmites et 

colonnes de carbonate de calcium cristallisé 

témoignent et tracent les évènements 

historiques qui ont abouti à la découverte et 

à l’exploration de la grotte de Jiita, et servent 

toujours de points de référence pour les 

nouveaux explorateurs et les aventuriers de 

cette grotte extraordinaire. 

from The Time you seT fooT inTo The 

amazing cave of jiiTa you are confronTed wiTh 

gianT calciTe figures in The form of sTalagmiTes 

and columns. Those gianT figures have Been 

and sTill are Bench marks for discoverers and 

explores of This amazing cave. hisTorically 

cavers used Them as reference poinTs during 

Their caving endeavors ThaT sTarTed as early 

as 1873 and conTinued Till laTe 70’s. They have 

well marked Them on Their maps and clearly 

documenTed Them in Their reporTs. recenTly 

afTer The 1990’s cavers used Them as reference 

poinTs for locaTing Themselves during Their 

long venTures inTo This marvelous cave. This 

shorT synThesis highlighTs seven of Those 

gianT figures ThaT Take The form of eiTher 

sTalagmiTes or columns. 

The first of those giants is Maxwell 

Column located in Salle de Maxwell some 400 

meters inside the lower water section of this 

cave. This calcite monster was named after 

W.J. Maxwell in 1873. He was the leader of a 

party of four: D.D. Bliss, W.G. Huxley and R.W. 

Brigstock who explored the first 800 meters 

of this cave in year 1873. The leader was part 

of a group of engineers who were trying to 

find an exploitation method to bring the water 

of the dog river (Nahr el Kalib) to Beirut. The 

following extraction from the report that was 

written in 1875 by Jas. Robertson unraveled 

the historical monument. 

“At this time however, an object of 

imposing grandeur arrested their progress 

and claimed their admiration. It was an 

immense column, some fifty feet high… 

….A shoal at the base of the column offered 

a convenient resting place for luncheon, 

and the leader of the party was compelled, 

amid ringing cheers, to allow his name to 

the central attraction of this cave.” 

Fig. 1 

The maxwell’s column. 

(Photo by Marwan Zgheib) 

The Bliss BoTTle sTalagmiTe (BouTeille de Bliss) 

The crusader column 

The second of the giants is the Bliss Bottle 

stalagmite. This calcite giant foot like stalagmite 

stands 5 to 6 meters tall in the Pantheon in the 

middle of the water way approximately 600 m 

inside the water section of this cave. It was 

discovered in the 1873 by the same group of 

four lead by Maxwell and a bottle was placed on 

top of it by D.D. Bliss, one of the team members. 

However, the name was given to this growing 

calcite giant by the Ward and Thompson expedition 

in 1927 when they discovered a calcified bottle on 

top of this stalagmite and Ed Thompson a journalist 

for the Times and Sphere magazine wrote in his 

report following that expedition: 

“In it is an island, which rises to a peak, 

icy in pallor and in slipperiness, on whose 

summit is the bottle containing the names of the 

first explorers, placed their more than fifty years 

ago. It stands in an incessant rain and now a 

solid part of the rock; we could not shake it in 

the least.” 

Since that time the stalagmite was known as 

the Bliss Bottle Stalagmite. Although the bottle now 

is totally covered with calcite the stalagmite still 

bears the name and holds amazing history in it. 

Fig. 2 

The Bliss bottle stalagmite. 


The third of those giants is the Crusader 

Column. This giant 20 meters calcite column 

greats you at the entrance of the Chaos some 

800 m inside the cave. This area was the 

focus of much exploration during the years 

before 1940. But it was not been tagged by any 

name until the 1940’s when Le Clan Lyautey 

reached the Chaos on the way to extend the 

discoveries in this cave and named it as the 

Crusader Column. On the rough schematic map 

of the cave drawn by A. Anavy in 1950 this 

column is well noted. Although it has been a 

giant figure in the Chaos that cannot be missed 

and a station for explores since the time of its 

discovery it has not been photographed until 

the 21 century. 

Fig. 3 

The crusader column. 

(Photo by issam Bou Jaoude) 


The oBelisk sTalagmiTe 

(oBelisque de l’Aigle) 

Fig. 4 

The obelisk stalagmite. 


The fourth of these giants is an eagle shaped calcite 

stalactite located in the Thompson cavern area of the 

cave some 2000 m from the entrance of the lower wet 

section. This stalagmite stands some 15 meters high 

and was given its name by explorers during the Ward- 

Thompson’s expedition in the year 1927. 

Ed. Thompson a journalist for the Times and Sphere 

magazines joined the 1927 expedition and wrote the 

following in his report on the expedition: 

“Since we were in the mood of naming, when 

we held our breath in delight at a snowy pillar, rising 

40 feet from a base 30 feet above the stream, Ireland 

called out, “I suppose we call this Thompson’s 

Pillar.” “Carried by acclamation,” he announced, 

after my generous comrades’ agreement. “No,” said 

du Bois, a few yards further on. “Obelisk is a better 

word.” 

gianT sTalagmiTes & 

columns in salle du dome 

Fig. 5 

The three stalagmites that make up ‘the Totem’ in salle du dome. 

(Photo by sami Karkabi) 

Instead of having a single fifth giant in this cave the area 

located some 3000 meters inside holds a nest of them. This 

collection of giant calcite figures was named by the 1950 

Lebanese explorers led by S. Karkabi as Stalagmites and 

Columns of the Salle du Dome in relation to the dome shaped 

chamber they are located in. They vary in diameter but reach 

heights of more than 15 m. 

This group of giants greets you when you enter the 

Salle du Dome. They signal the start of a series of elongate 

humongous connected dry chambers that extend some 600m. 

This is an extraction from the report written by Issam B. 

after the 2007 Jiita expedition “One cannot count the number 

of times members of the SCL have sat down under those 

giant stalagmites and columns in the Salle du Dome to catch 

their breath and snake before continuing on their venture into 

the cave or on their way out. The material left their stands 

witness of that and it also reminds us on the effect humans 

have on this fragile environment.” 

gianT sTalagmiTes & 

columns in The palais 

milles eT une nuiT The icing column 

Fig. 6 

stalagmites at the palais milles et une nuit. 


Another collection of giants, the stalagmites 

and columns in the Palais Muilles et une Nuit are 

located some 3300m from the entrance. Those 

giants are in a room called Palais Muilles et une 

Nuit named by the 1950 Lebanese explorers led 

by S. Karkabi. Those stalagmites and column 

stand tall more than 15 meters high sometime 

touching the roof in an area that is quite 

rewarding in its beauty. They are the sixth giant 

group figures inside the cave. 

Fig. 7 

icing column, jiita upper gallery. 


The seventh of those giant calcite figures is located in the 

upper dry gallery of Jiita cave. Although when you enter the 

upper dry cave from the touristic tunnel you are confronted with 

amazingly large number of beautiful stalagmites and columns, 

one giant calcite column some 100 meters inside stands out. It is 

almost 20 meters high and fully decorated with icing shaped calcite 

features. Although the area was discovered in the late 1960’s it has 

not been given a name until recently in the 21st century when it 

was nick-named the Icing Column. 

REFERENCES 

- Jas. Robertson, 1875. The Grotto of Nahr el Kalb. Good Words, Pages 768-773. 

- Ed. Thomson, 1927. Crusader’s coast. The dog river and its caves, Pages 147-171. 

- S. Karkabi, 1990. Cinquantenaire de la speleologie Libanese, Al Ouatouate. 


The gianTs 

of jiiTa cave

PHOTOGRAPHY 

فيشرلأا نم ذوخأم لاقملا اذه يف روصلا مظعم 

لامجلأاب قرطتيو .يبكرك يماس ديسلل صاخلا 

.نمزلا عم هروطتو نانبل يف راوغتسلأا ةئشن ىلا 

قباطلا فاشتكا ىلع ءوضلا لاقملا اذه يقليو 

ةيحايس ةراغم لوا يهو .اتيعج ةراغمل يولعلا 

ريوطت ّ متو .طسولأا قرشلا يف اهمهاو نانبل يف 

ةحايسلا ةرازو فارشا تحت مهملا عقوملا اذه 

دوعي ةريخلأا ةنولأا يف لصاحلا بارخلا نكلو 

.ةميلس ريغلا ةرادلأا ىلا 


Johnny Tawk (pour le traitement des photographies) | johnnytok@hotmail.com 

LA 

phoTographie 

spÉlÉologiQue 

AU LIBAN 

historique et Témoignage 

(suite de l’article du n°14 du al ouat’ouate). 

Photo 52 

les passages délicats ont été sécurisés 

par des mains courantes. 


Taken from the personal archives of mr. sami karkabi this 

article is a photographic documentations and a testimony to the 

birth of lebanese speleology. special attention is dedicated to 

the underground exploration in lebanon with emphasis on the 

development and improvement of underground exploration in 

lebanon with time. This article also pays tribute to the discovery of 

the upper gallery of jiita by lebanese cavers and turning this great 

discovery into the first real show cave in lebanon and opening an 

amazing unknown world to the public. The development was done 

under the supervision of the ministry of Tourism and the national 

council of Tourism and it actual degradation is mainly the result of 

current unprofessional management. 

Résumé 

Le présent article est illustré de nombreux clichés 

inédits. Certains remontent à 1953 et demeurent 

d’inestimables et précieux témoignages des premiers pas de 

la spéléologie libanaise. Il ne s’agira ici ni de prodiguer des 

conseils techniques ni d’exposer de belles photographies 

souterraines, mais de montrer le cheminement premier et 

aventurier de ces passionnés du monde des ténèbres, de 

profiter pour rendre hommage à certains d’entre eux pour 

leur apport à la spéléologie nationale et de rappeler que 

l’an 2008, représente un cinquantenaire (1958-2008) qui ne 

devrait pas tomber dans l’oubli : celui de la découverte des 

‘Galeries Supérieures de Jiita’. Offerte sans contrepartie 

par le Spéléo Club du Liban à l’Etat libanais, elles sont 

devenues la première attraction du spéléo tourisme au 

Liban. Joseph Tarrab, que je remercie ici, en guise de 

conclusion à son introduction du N° 5 du Al’Ouat’Ouate - 

1990, n’hésitait pas à écrire: 

… Alors que la grotte était interdite au tourisme en 

raison de la guerre du Liban: “JIITA, une grande 

cérémonie: inaccessible depuis 15 ans, elle continue 

de nous hanter en ces temps incertains. Elle reste 

l’une des images les plus prestigieuses d’un certain 

Liban, je veux dire d’un Liban certain”*. 

Il reste à déplorer que le prolongement du circuit 

actuel, dont les travaux étaient prévus pour l’an 1975, 

ait été abandonné. J’éviterai, et l’envie ne m’en manque 

pas, de signaler la dégradation des Galeries Supérieures 

à l’heure actuelle, depuis le dessaisissement du ministère 

du tourisme libanais en 1992, en faveur d’une société 

d’exploitation ignorant totalement la fragilité du monde 

souterrain. 

En guise d’introduction. 

C’est avec réticence que j’aborde le second volet 

de “La photographie spéléologique au Liban”. J’aurais 

préféré, qu’une tierce personne achève ce reportage sous 

forme d’entrevue. Ce ne sera pas le cas. 

J’avais décidé l’an dernier (2007) de mettre de l’ordre 

dans mes archives photo-spéléologiques et d’en faire don 

au SCL. Il fallait pour cela classer puis scanner non loin 

de vingt mille documents composés de négatifs couleurs 

et noir et blanc de petit et moyen format, de diapositives 

et de nombreux tirages sur papier. A cela il fallait joindre 

(progrès oblige) toutes les prises de vue en numérique. 

L’idée m’est alors venue de créer en collaboration de 

nos photographes spéléologues, une photothèque au sein 

de notre club. Elle rassemblerait sous forme de banque 

de donnée une inestimable documentation relative aux 

cavernes du liban. Il reste à créer une équipe à même de 

gérer cet ambitieux projet et à rédiger un règlement destiné 

à préserver les droits d’auteur. En attendant sa réalisation, 


* Pour plus 

de détails, 

se référer au 

Al-Ouat’Ouate 

N°5 (1990), 

et le N°14 

(2007).

Photo 1 

franchissement de la falaise située à 2800 mètres de l’entrée en 1953 par 

s. karkabi et f. zoghbi. 


je voudrais remercier Johnny Tawk qui fidèlement et de longs 

mois durant, a consacré son temps à scanner et à classer la 

totalité de mes archives personnelles. C’est à lui que seront 

confiés en un premier temps les originaux de cette collection. 

Je ne m’attarderai pas sur l’aspect technique ou 

artistique de la photographie souterraine. J’avais pour 

cela, dès mes premiers pas, profité de l’expérience de mes 

prédécesseurs. J’évoquerai par contre et sous ses différents 

aspects le témoignage (la mémoire) que la photographie est 

seule capable de générer. Ce retour en arrière ne s’est pas 

fait sans réflexion et émotion. Inexpérience spéléologique 

alliée à la découverte d’un monde souterrain infiniment beau, 

aventure souterraine pleinement vécue, partage harmonieux 

et amical d’un groupe uni. J’en profiterai aussi pour rendre 

hommage à mon ami Raymond Khawam, trop tôt disparu, à 

qui la spéléologie libanaise doit dans nombre d’explorations 

ses sources de succès. Je n’oublierai pas non plus de 

signaler que l’année 2008 représente un anniversaire, un 

cinquantenaire qui ne devrait pas tomber dans l’oubli, celui de 

la découverte des « Galeries supérieures de la grotte de Jiita 

(1958-2008). Un long chapitre lui a été consacré dans le N° 5 

- 1990 du Al Ouat’Ouate (pp. 76 -104). J’y ajouterai d’autres 

informations. 

Mes premiers pas de photographe spéléologue. 

Les premières tentatives ont été catastrophiques, 

l’errance la plus totale. En suivant les conseils de L. Gorra, 

je me trouvais confronté à la fumée abondante due à la mise 

à feu du ruban de magnésium, aux temps de pose trop longs 

et aux instantanés difficiles à exécuter. Le tableau proposé 

par Z. Hakim indiquant les temps de pose et les ouvertures 

en fonction des différentes sources de lumière nécessitait trop 

de temps de réflexion. J’ai finalement opté pour le flash non 

électronique à ampoule fort performant. (Pour rappel, le flash 

Photo 2 

franchissement de la falaise située à 2800 mètres de l’entrée en 1953 par s. karkabi et f. zoghbi. 


électronique à cette époque n’était pas encore miniaturisé). 

J’avais abusé de ce procédé. La réussite du cliché tenait du 

hasard. Manoug y a mis un frein. C’est de son expérience 

que j’ai le plus profité. A titre d’information je joins la liste 

des appareils photographiques utilisés lors de mes différentes 

explorations. 

1953 : Voigtlander (Vito II - f .5.6). 

1958 : Hasselblad 500c. - Modèle standard. Utilisé jusqu’en 1961. 

1961 : Rolleiflex 50mm - f : 4. 

1962 : Nikon sous toutes ses formes : Nikon F et la série des F2. 

2002 : Adoption non sans méfiance du numérique Nikon D100 et 

D200. 

La qualité et la variété des appareils photos, dont 

certains ont fini noyer ou mis hors de service en cours 

d’expédition, ne reflètent nécessairement pas le rendement 

espéré. 

Rappel historique. 

Deux périodes distinguent l’histoire de la spéléologie 

libanaise. La première s’inscrit entre 1946 et 1951 et la 

seconde dans l’après 1951, année de la fondation du Spéléo 

Club du Liban. La première période a été longuement 

décrite dans le N°5 du Al Ouat’Ouate-1990. La seconde 

moins connue s’ouvre sur un fait divers. En 1952, L. Gorra 

organise une expédition à Jiita accompagné de R. Khawam 

et de moi-même. Elle durera 6 jours, du 11 au 17 octobre et 

a pour but de parfaire la topographie de la “Salle du Dôme” 

et de franchir l’obstacle qui avait arrêté l’expédition de 1951. 

Cet obstacle est situé à l’est et dans le prolongement de la 

“Salle du Dôme”. Il se présente sous forme d’un ressaut 

transversal s’adossant aux parois de part et d’autre de la grotte 

et dominant une galerie de grandes proportions. Il est estimé à 

40 ou 50m de hauteur par L. Gorra (p.10 du rapport L. Gorra 

Photo 3 

découverte des sources de la rivière souterraine de jiita en 1954. de gauche à droite : s. karkabi, r. 

khawam, a. anavy et f. zoghbi. 


à l’Office des Eaux de Beyrouth), donc infranchissable avec le 

matériel dont on disposait à l’époque. 

En 1953, riche de l’expérience de cette première 

expédition à laquelle je participais, je décidais de poursuivre 

l’exploration du réseau actif de Jiita. La falaise, au vu de 

l’éclairage dont nous disposions à cette époque, prenait allure 

d’inviolabilité. Cependant, contrairement à mes prédécesseurs 

qui estimaient la hauteur de l’obstacle à une quarantaine ou 

plus de mètres, je considérais qu’elle ne devait pas dépasser 

20 mètres prise à l’une de ses extrémité. Je décidai sous l’oeil 

sceptique de mes prédécesseurs de reprendre l’expédition 

en 1953. Je contactai pour cela Robert de Joly inventeur des 

échelles souples et commandai deux trains d’échelles de dix 

mètres. C’est ainsi que l’obstacle a été franchi (Photo 1). Pour 

rappel le SCL est redevable à M. Kamel Mroué directeur du 

quotidien Al Hayat qui sponsorisa deux expéditions (1953 

et 1954) en échange de l’exclusivité du reportage dans son 

journal AL Hayat de 1953 et du 26 septembre au 2 octobre 

1954. 

Les Photo 2 et 3 demeurent historiques. Le cliché 2 

représente de gauche à droite : S. Karkabi, Yves Arambourg, 

F. Zoghbi et S. Mohbat. Aucun de ces aventuriers ne 

pouvait prétendre à cette époque avoir une quelconque 

expérience spéléologique. Et pourtant cette expédition 

réussit à franchir l’obstacle qui avait arrêté celles de 1951 et 

de 1952 et à découvrir plus d’un km de rivière souterraine. 

la phoTographie 

spÉlÉologiQue au liBan 

Les photo 2 et 3 demeurent historiques. 

La première représente de gauche à droite: 

S. Karkabi, Yves Arambourg, F. Zoghbi et 

S. Mohbat. Aucun de ces aventuriers ne 

pouvait prétendre à cette époque avoir une 

quelconque expérience spéléologique. Et 

pourtant cette expédition réussit à franchir 

l’obstacle qui avait arrêté celles de 1951 

et de 1952 et à découvrir plus d’un km de 

rivière souterraine. Pourquoi historique? 

Parceque aucun membre des anciens 

explorateurs n’en faisait partie. Sang neuf et 

jeune, futur noyau spéléologique du Liban. 

Pourquoi historique ? Parce que aucun membre des anciens 

explorateurs n’en faisait partie. Sang neuf et jeune, futur 

noyau spéléologique du Liban. Le cliché 3 représente l’équipe 

qui découvrit les sources du Nahr el Kelb. Autre exploit : la 

première expédition dans Jiita remonte à 1873 et il aurait fallu 

attendre 81 ans (et 19 expéditions) pour que l’énigme de 

l’origine du cours d’eau souterraine soit résolu. 

La photographie souterraine, aperçu inédit. 

Tout spéléologue détient dans un recoin de sa 

bibliothèque des ouvrages illustrés de haute ou moindre qualité 

d’impression, du monde souterrain. Il n’existe pas au Liban, 

hors les revues du SCL (Al Ouat’Ouate), du GERSL (Le 

Monde Souterrain) et de l’ALES (Spéléorient), d’ouvrages 

spécifiquement spéléologiques. Cependant le sujet ne manque 

pas d’intérêt et mériterait que l’on y accorde plus d’attention. 

Pae ailleurs, l’évolution du matériel d’exploration des 

premières années de la spéléologie libanaise n’a jamais été 

décrite. J’ai puisé dans mes archives de quoi illustrer cet aspect 

jusqu’ici méconnu. 

L’équipement spéléo des années cinquante. 

Les pionniers de la spéléologie libanaise n’exploraient à 

l’époque (1946 - 1951) que la rivière souterraine de Jiita. C’est 

à la suite de la fondation du Spéléo Club du Liban que le 

Photo 4 

equipement personnel 

hétéroclite des premiers 

explorateurs libanais à la 

grotte de jiita. de gauche à 

droite : s. karkabi, n. waked, 

r. Bouchereau, z. hakim, g. 

kasparian et j. koleita. 

(Photo by Manoug) 


Photo 5 

yvette philippine. 


Photo 6 

hélène gombert. 


domaine des investigations souterraines s’est étendu à d’autres 

cavernes. La tenue classique à l’époque se limitait au port 

d’un short ou d’un maillot de bain et d’une chemise à longues 

ou courtes manches (Photo 4). 

L’équipement féminin n’échappait pas à la règle. 

Belle époque où la spéléo féminine ne s’embarrassait pas du 

superflu - Grotte de Nabaa el Chataoui - Antélias - 1955 - 

Photo 5 et Photo 6. 

L’usage de cet équipement pour le moins élémentaire 

est demeuré en pratique jusqu’aux premières reconnaissances 

du gouffre de Fouar Dara (1958) où la température ambiante 

n’excédait pas 6°C. (Photo 7 et Photo 8). 

Les spéléos réalisent alors l’inopportunité de cette tenue. 

Elle sera remplacée par la salopette en toile (Photo 9) et les 

espadrilles de corde par de grosses chaussures de montagne. 

Deux principaux obstacles rendirent cette tenue 

obsolète. Marmites d’eau profondes à franchir et puits arrosés. 

Photo 9 

r. khawam, salopette en toile grise (1962). 


Photo 10 

yves deshays, dara (1965). 


Photo 7 

r. k hawam dans dara en short et espadrilles 

de corde au puits de 15 m. 


Ainsi la salopette en toile perméable ne pouvait convenir 

Les spéléos choisirent d’y remédier. Pour les uns ce sera 

un sac en plastique couvrant le haut du corps (Photo 10), 

maigre protection il faut le reconnaître, pour les autres, un 

survêtement en toile plastifiée, fragile et peu efficace (Photo 

11). 

De l’exotisme en spéléologie Photo 12 et 13. 

Le bivouac souterrain. 

Il n’y a eu au Liban que deux cavernes ayant nécessité 

de bivouaquer : Jiita et Dara. Photo 14, 15 et 16. 

Les repas. 

Toujours bien équilibrés, les repas sous terre n’avaient 

lieu qu’en fin de journée - (Photo17 et 18). 

Photo 11 

emile ghanem, dara (1965). 


Photo 8 

ernest sasson en maillot de bain et espadrilles 

de corde à - 80 m. dans dara. 


Photo 12 

youssef hajj - paysan mais néanmoins batelier à la grotte de jiita qui 

visite en 1958 et en tenue traditionnelle les galeries supérieures. 


Photo 15 

Tente dréssée à -350m dans dara (1962). 


Photo 17 

jiita - 2800m. - r. khawam et f. zoghb (1954). 


Photo 13 

abou Tony - paysan du village de aïn saadé qui visite 

en 1969 la grotte kassarat à antélias. Tenue également 

traditionnelle de la montagne libanaise. 


Photo 16 

Bivouac à -450m dans dara (1965). 


Photo 14 

Bivouac dans la salle du dôme (1960). 


Photo 18 

dara - 450m. de gauche à droite, e. ghanem, a. Boustany, g. farra, y. deshay (1965). 



Les Mesures de Débit d’Eau. 

Farid Zoghbi 

Le SCL doit à F. Zoghbi l’ensemble des mesures 

de débit des cours d’eaux souterrains du Liban. Les plus 

importantes concernent celles effectuées au mois d’octobre 

1960 le long de la rivière souterraine de Jiita. Jaugeages en 12 

points répartis sur 10 jours. Le résultat est surprenant, le débit 

à la résurgence accuse 1203 l/s, alors que proche du siphon 

terminal seulement 975 l/s. (Voir rapport à l’Office des Eaux 

de Beyrouth en date du 8 septembre 1960) (Fig. 5), 

(Photo. 38,39). 

Georges Dobroff 

Dans le but de capter à sa source les eaux souterraines 

de la grotte de Jiita, l’Office des Eaux de Beyrouth entreprend 

d’établir une topographie précise du cheminement souterrain. 

Un tunnel (Daraya) devrait permettre un accès direct au 

siphon terminal situé à 6.200 de l’entrée. Elle s’adresse pour 

cela aux spéléologues à l’origine de la découverte et familiers 

des lieux. 

L’entreprise n’était pas évidente. Il fallait disposer 

d’une équipe solide prête à séjourner de nombreux jours sous 

terre et trouver un topographe capable de réaliser ce projet 

ambitieux et coûteux. Le risque était grand vu l’objectif final. 

Le choix d’un topographe ayant les compétences 

requises devait avoir deux qualités: une connaissance parfaite 

des appareils topographiques en usage: le théodolite, le 

tachéomètre et le niveau et, aussi bien, d’avoir une bonne 

forme physique et morale. 

Je contactai Georges Dobroff (ami d’enfance), 

géomètre assermenté auprès du Ministère des Travaux 

Publics, afin de lui soumettre le projet. Il accepta sous 

réserve de découvrir les lieux, admettant n’avoir aucune 

expérience spéléologique. Nous partîmes pour deux jours en 

reconnaissance sous terre. Le test s’avéra positif. 

Quant aux coéquipiers je ne nommerai que les plus 

réguliers : A. Boustany, E. Ghanem, R. Khawam, M. Spiridon 

et F. Zoghbi, sans pour autant oublier l’apport inestimable des 

membres du SCL et de Youssef Zakkour qui trois ans durant a 

été mon plus fidèle compagnon. 

Les différentes étapes de ce pari souterrain. 

La première étape, la plus déterminante, consistait à 

poser un point géodésique à proximité de la caverne. Le soin 

de cette opération délicate a été confié à M. Jean Grapotte, 

directeur auprès de la Direction des Affaires Géographiques 

et Géodésiques du Ministère de la Défense Nationale. Ce 

point a été matérialisé par une borne en béton située sur le 

toit de la station de pompage face à la résurgence de la grotte 

de Jiita (voir Fig. 6). La seconde étape consistait à établir un 

cheminement concrétisé par des stations aux coordonnées 

géographiques précises d’atteindre le dernier point situé au 

siphon terminal dans le but de percer un tunnel d’accès 

(Fig. 7). La troisième étape consistait en un levé de détail 

des parois et des principaux obstacles du circuit souterrain; à 

savoir le signalement des concrétions importantes et celui des 

passages clefs (Photo 40,41,42). 

Photo 19 

jiita, 1960. 


Photo 20 

mgharet el kassarat, 1969. 


Fig. 5 

fiche technique du jaugeage effectué en amont du déversoir lamarche par f. zoghbi. 

Photo 21 

le cheminement. 


Fig. 6 

le point géodésique fixé sur le toit de la station de 

pompage (rive gauche) du cours subaérien du nahr 

el kelb. 

Fig. 7 

page du carnet de levé tachéométrique de g. dobroff. 

Photo 22 

dernière visée au niveau du siphon terminal. a la mire y. zakkour et f. zoghbi 

dans le canot pneumatique. 


Photo 23 

levé de détail. 



L’occasion se présente encore, de rappeler par la 

photographie documentaire un anniversaire qui ne devrait 

pas tomber dans l’oublie, celui de la très grande découverte 

par le Spéléo Club du Liban des ‘’Galeries Supérieures de 

Jiita.’’ (1958 - 2008). 

1958-2008 

Le cinquantenaire de la découverte des 

Galeries Supérieures de Jiita. 

Le mardi 8 juillet 2008 à 21h30 une émission télévisée 

a été consacrée aux grottes de Jiita. Le but avoué des 

organisateurs était, à l’occasion d’un vote international, de 

convaincre les téléspectateurs de classer cette grotte parmi les 

7 merveilles du monde (wonders of the world). L’interview 

en directe se déroulait à l’entrée des Galeries supérieures de 

Jiita. Faisaient face à l’animateur le gérant touristique des 

lieux, entouré de deux spéléologues confirmé-es appartenant 

à l’Association Libanaise des Etudes Spéléologiques. Durant 

une heure trente, interrompue par de courtes publicités, nous 

avons eu droit à une réciprocité de compliments admiratifs 

et de monologues traitant de l’état d’âme face au monde 

souterrain des intervenant-es. Des Galeries supérieures nous 

n’avons entendu que des éloges concernant l’inimaginable 

beauté du lieu, de son aspect unique au monde, de son pilier 

stalagmitique géant, le plus grand du monde (sic le gérant) 

et de son souci permanent de protéger le milieu souterrain, 

tout en avouant sincèrement n’avoir aucune expérience 

spéléologique. En tout état de cause, je souhaiterai demander 

à ceux nombreux qui ont voté pour Jiita, s’ils ont eu l’occasion 

de voir, ne serait-ce qu’à titre comparatif, d’autres cavernes 

dans le monde. Ce choix était-il objectif pour nos autochtones 

ou simplement inspiré d’une impulsion nationaliste ? 

Par contre, les participants à cette haute émission 

télévisée n’ont à aucun moment signalé les circonstances 

de cette découverte remontant à 1958, dont les auteurs sont 

tous de nationalité libanaise et membres du Spéléo Club du 

Liban. C’est à cette jeune équipe que revient l’initiative de 

son aménagement offert avec le plus grand désintéressement 

à la nation libanaise. Autre lacune, le silence entourant la 

réalisation de ce projet, à savoir son aménagement à grand 

frais par le Ministère du Tourisme et le Conseil National du 

Tourisme dès 1967, puis l’inauguration du site au mois de 

janvier 1969 par un concert électroacoustique au coeur de 

la caverne. Autre occultation de taille, la reconnaissance qui 

aurait dû être faite à notre grand artiste et architecte Ghassan 

Klink à qui l’on doit l’aménagement élégant et sobre qui fait 

l’admiration des spécialistes de l’aménagement des grottes 

touristiques. Le court rappel historique qui suit, rafraîchira 

la mémoire de ceux qui l’auraient oublié. Je conclurais cette 

courte introduction par une tirade entendue ou lue, attribuée à 

un grand homme d’Etat: 

L’ignorance délibérée des sources d’information peut-être 

qualifiée d’imposture intéllectuelle. 

Premier ticket émis lors de l’inauguration touristique 

de la “Rivière souterraine de Jiita”. J’aimerais rappeler 

que jusqu’à sa fermeture en 1975 pour cause de guerre, 

les touristes naviguaient sur six cents mètres en période 

d’affluence et huit cents mètres en période de calme. Qu’en 

est-il aujourd’hui ? Circuit réduit hélas à deux cents cinquante 

mètres. 

premier ticket émis lors de l’inauguration touristique de la “rivière souterraine de jiita”. 

j’aimerais rappeler que jusqu’à sa fermeture en 1975 pour cause de guerre, les touristes 

naviguaient sur six cents mètres en période d’affluence et huit cents mètres en période de 

calme. Qu’en est-il aujourd’hui ? circuit réduit hélas à deux cents cinquante mètres. 

Rappel historique. 

Les spéléologues libanais ont toujours été intrigués par 

la hauteur inaccoutumée de la rivière souterraine de Jiita, à 

environ 500 mètres de la résurgence. Au lieu dit “Rapides 

Bliss” le cours d’eau se rétrécie. La rive droite en raison d’un 

haut-fond caillouteux n’est pas praticable pour nos canots 

pneumatiques. Du plafond de la rive gauche tombe de belles 

draperies au travers desquelles la rivière s’écoule rapide. Il 

faut s’agripper aux draperies pour le franchir. Maxwell dans 

son récit d’expédition” The grottoes of the Nahr el Kelb” de 

1875 le baptise “Bliss’ Straits”. En voici en extrait : 

...Two hundred yards further on the channel was found 

to be so narrow that only one craft could pass at a time, 

and the roof so low that the explorers had to stoop under 

gigantic fringes of stalactite, one mass which resembled the 

convolutions of an elepfant’s trunk, while others were thin 

and shell-like, and when struck gave forth a sound like that a 

deep-toned bells. Maxwell baptisa ce lieu : Bliss’ Straits et les 

concrétions Elephant Trunk. 

A 12m en amont des Rapides Bliss et sur la rive 

gauche, un important cône d’éboulis de 15mx16m et 10m 

de haut se déverse et bloque partiellement le cours d’eau 

souterrain. En temps de crue, la rivière entraîne une partie 

de la caillasse et la dépose en aval au niveau de l‘elephant’s 

trunk. La rivière ainsi endiguée par ce bouchon barrage, 

creuse et se fraye un passage sous les draperies provoquant un 

mini rapide. 

Cet éboulis nous intriguait. Nous apercevions à la 

lumière bien réduite de nos acétylènes et lampes à pression 

une importante ouverture à sa droite. Un obstacle d’une 

dizaine de mètres de haut en défendait l’accès. Il y eut bien 

quelques tentatives d’escalade en libre, bien vite abandonnées 

en raison de l’instabilité de la roche. Il ne restait plus qu’à 

tenter de franchir l’obstacle au moyen du mât télescopique. 

Photo 24 

rapides Bliss - concrétions connues sous le nom de”Trompe d’éléphant ou oreilles d’éléphant”. 


1958 

La découverte des Galeries Supérieures. 

J’ai toujours affirmé que l’exploration d’une grotte est 

une oeuvre collective et l’honneur de la découverte revient 

à l’ensemble des membres de l’équipe en action. Je ferai 

une exception dans le cas de la découverte des “Galeries 

Supérieures de Jiita”. Le mât est monté et dressé contre la 

paroi (Photo 25). A son extrémité supérieure est accroché une 

échelle souple. Raymond Khawam est le premier à l’emprunter. 

Il débouche sur une corniche large de deux mètres. Nous 

sommes à environ 18 mètres au-dessus du niveau de la rivière. 

La corniche bute contre une vire étroite et rejoint une coulée 

de pierres instables. Il devient évident qu’elle est à l’origine du 

gros cône d’éboulis formé au niveau de la rivière. 

Georges Farra assuré par une longueur confortable de 

Photo 26 

le spectacle grandiose qui se révèle à nos yeux. 


Photo 27 

les fondateurs du scl. dans une des galeries de jiita. de gauche à 

droite : r. khawam, a. anavy et l. gorra. 


Photo 25 

le mât télescopique dit “mât t grenoblois” imaginé par f. petlz (1958). 


corde entreprend prudemment son ascension. Il atteint 15 mètres 

plus haut une large plateforme à l’abri des chutes de pierres. Il 

est rapidement rejoint par ses co-équipiers. Au-delà, le paysage 

est grandiose (Photo 45). La voie est ouverte pour les futures 

explorations. 

Quelques jours plus tard R. Khawam, R. Kasparian et moimême, 

reprenons en l’absence de notre ami G. Farra parti au US 

pour des études de pilotage, l’exploration de ce nouveau réseau. 

C’est alors une promenade le long de draperies translucides, de 

gours étagés, de colonnettes de toutes tailles et de piliers géants. 

L’excitation est à son comble et nous invitons à tour de rôle les 

membres de notre club à découvrir les lieux, sans oublier d’en 

faire profiter le personnel actif de l’exploitation touristique (Photo 

28 et Photo 29). 

Photo 28 

un petit groupe de bateliers de jiita. de gauche à 

droite : y. Baroud, j. aziz, r. farrah, m. nseir et en 

avant plan mon fidèle m. hajj. 



Photo 29 

le caterpillar déblayant la partie terminale du 

tunnel. a l’extrême gauche, la petite ouverture 

donnant accès directe aux “galeries supérieures”. 


C’est en 1962 que l’engouement des touristes pour 

la grotte de Jiita, entraîne une situation inextricable (plus 

de 2000 visiteurs par jour). La seule solution envisageable 

pour décongestionner la rivière souterraine était de rendre 

accessible par voie pédestre les galeries supérieures. Il fallait 

pour cela convaincre les autorités compétentes de réaliser 

ce projet. Or “les galeries supérieures” ne sont accessibles 

que par la rivière souterraine. Il était évident que pour une 

exploitation rationnelle, il fallait un moyen plus direct pour les 

atteindre, d’où le choix d’un tunnel. Un relevé topographique 

des lieux établi par G. Dobroff avait déjà déterminé la voie 

d’accès. Ce n’est qu’au mois de juillet 1963 que le Président 

de la République le Général Fouad Chéhab donne des ordres 

destinés à réaliser le projet. En 1967, le projet devait voir le 

jour. 

Le Tunnel d’accès aux « Galeries Supérieures ». 

Août 1967 : le tunnel de 120 m de long est enfin percé. Il 

aboutit avec grande précision dans le prolongement de la 

galerie s’ouvrant plein sud (Photo 29 et 30). 

Ghassan Klink 

1967 - L’aménagement touristique des Galeries Supérieures 

par l’artiste et architecte G. Klink (Photo 31). 

Le programme de l’architecte n’était pas simple. 

Il fallait allier la technique à l’esthétique, soumettre 

les impératifs fonctionnels, cheminement, escalier, rampe, à 

l’harmonie des lieux. Le choix du béton a été retenu pour ses 

qualités plastiques et sculpturales. Le cheminement intérieur 

sera constitué d’un long ruban en béton rappelant les méandres 

du cours de la rivière souterraine (Photo 36). La pierre de taille 

enjolivera les courbes des escaliers. Il faudra aussi édifier un 

pont au niveau des gours créant l’illusion de flottement. Quant 

au grand escalier reliant la partie basse à la partie haute, il sera 

conçu comme un ruban ondulant au dessus du précipice 

(Photo 37, 39). Les câbles électriques destinés à l’éclairage 

seront fixés sous les passerelles et consoles du circuit 

touristique. Pour rappel l’éclairage avait été confié à M. Khalil 

Gannouni, haut fonctionnaire auprès de la centrale électrique 

de Zouk Mikhaël. 

Janvier 1969. Inauguration des “Galeries supérieures” 

en présence de son excellence M Charles Hélou Président de 

la République Libanaise, de M le Premier Ministre Rachid 

Karamé de Cheikh Michel el Khoury et de Mme Nadia 

Kettaneh (Photo 32). 

Photo 30 

les ouvriers affectés au percement du tunnel posant à l’intérieure de la grotte. 


Photo 31 

ghassan klink au pied d’une paroi 

stalagmitique dans les “galeries 

supérieures” (1967). 


L’occasion se présente à nous pour remercier Cheikh 

Michel el Khoury et Mme Nadia Kettaneh pour la réalisation 

de ce projet, faute de quoi celui-ci serait demeuré au stade 

hypothétique d’étude. 

Nous l’avions déjà dit dans un autre contexte que 

la réalisation de l’architecte Ghassan Klink ne pouvait se 

matérialiser sans la collaboration étroite des membres du 

Spéléo Club du Liban, familiers des lieux, mais, plus encore, 

riches en expériences quant aux visites et explorations 

de nombreuses grottes aménagées de par le monde. 

L’environnement extérieur de la caverne devait aussi être 

préservé. Le parking destiné aux visiteurs demeure en soi un 

chef d’oeuvre architectural (Photo 40). 

Plus encore, il a été décidé de préserver le charme 

sauvage de l’accès par la route à la rivière souterraine et 

aux Galeries Supérieures. A cet effet il a été prévu dans 

les bâtiments du départ et d’arrivée de la télécabine, des 

locaux destinés à une exploitation commerciale collatérale 

incluant,musée de spéléologique, restaurants et magasins de 

souvenirs. La visite des grottes pour ceux qui souhaitaient 

marcher serait une promenade en milieu naturel et sans artifice 

alentour. En 1972, les autorités responsables confièrent à 

Ghassan Klink le soin de réaménager l’accès de la rivière 

souterraine dans le but d’homogénéiser l’exploitation 

touristique. 

Photo 32 

l’occasion se présente à nous pour remercier sheikh michel el khoury et mme 

nadia kettaneh pour la réalisation de ce projet, faute de quoi celui-ci serait 

demeuré au stade hypothétique d’étude. 

Photo 33 

les travaux à l’intérieur de la grotte ont nécessité une 

main-d’oeuvre qualifiée et une surveillance soutenue. 


Photo 40 

la rampe d’accès du 

parking, de par ses 

circonvolutions reprenait 

le même schéma que le 

cheminement intérieur des 

galeries supérieures. 

Photo 34 

le pont flottant par dessus les gours. 


Photo 38 

vers l’embarcadère. 


Photo 36 

le cheminement en 

méandre rappelant 

celui de la rivière 

souterraine. 


Photo 37 

la passerelle sur 

console au dessus du 

précipice dominant 

de 55 m la rivière 

souterraine. 


Photo 39 

le porche d’entrée 

historique. c’est de là que 

pénétrèrent les premiers 

explorateurs dès 1836. 


Photo 35 

le grand escalier ondulant au-dessus du précipice. 



Photo 41 

‘la monumentale sculpture’. 


Qu’en est-il aujourd’hui ? Peut-on affirmer que la 

nouvelle exploitation du complexe touristique a respecté 

le programme initial signalé plus haut. La route accédant 

aux grottes est parsemée de bas reliefs et de sculptures 

d’une effarante laideur. Je donnerai à titre d’exemple celui 

de la monumentale sculpture (Photo 41) qui obstrue la vue 

panoramique de l’entrée historique de la rivière souterraine. 

J’occulterai la présence ridicule d’un mini zoo et celui non 

moins polluant du train tracté au moteur à mazout (Photo 42) 

et de l’ensemble pitoyable d’un micro Disney Land de goût 

douteux. Je m’abstiendrai aussi de signaler la dégradation 

intérieure des Galeries Supérieures qui prend des allures de 

catastrophe tout au moins (et pour l’instant) dans ses cents 

premiers mètres. 

Autres aberrances qui est hélas pléthore. Je n’en 

choisirai que deux d’entre elles. 

a - Les stalagmites artificielles suspendues à l’entrée 

du tunnel des ‘Galeries Supérieures’ (Photo 43). Témoignage 

inapproprié si non ridicule vue l’étonnante et riche perspective 

concrétionnée que découvre le visiteur au débouché du tunnel. 

b - La sculpture de Rudy Rahmeh intitulée: Moulin du 

temps, exposée à proximité du tunnel d’accès des “Galeries 

supérieures” est terrifiante à savoir ce personnage à tête 

couronnée d’épines et recroquevillé dans une fourche 

Photo 42 

le train tracté au moteur à mazout. 


Photo 43 

les stalagmites artificielles suspendues à l’entrée du tunnel 

des ‘galeries supérieures’ 


(Photo 42). L’ensemble de cet appareillage (fourche + roue) 

n’est-il pas plus proche d’un instrument de torture que celui 

du mécanisme d’un moulin ? L’homme est-il destiné à être 

écrasé et réduit à des débris humains à l’instar de ceux qui 

jonchent la plate-forme à ses pieds, ou simplement rappeler 

à l’homme son court passage terrestre. Représentation 

surréaliste et visionnaire non loin de rappeler les oeuvres de 

William Blake et de Gibran Khalil Gibran. Qu’a t’on besoin 

de tant de violence et de vision apocalyptique de monstres et 

êtres hybrides ? 

En place n’aurait-il pas été plus heureux de représenter 

par une maquette une coupe instructive et éducative du 

développement des ‘Galeries Supérieures’, en indiquant les 

auteurs (Spéléo Club du Liban), la date de la découverte, de 

leurs ouvertures au public et signaler les maîtres d’oeuvre de 

son aménagement ? 

En conclusion, la photographie documentaire demeure 

un témoignage irremplaçable d’un passé révolu et dans le cas 

de Jiita un triste constat. 


photographs of various jiita expeditions (Photos by issam Bou Jaoude, Johnny Tawk, Marwan Zgheib & Rena Karanouh).

ARCHEOLOGY 

Fig. 1 

preliminary observation of one hip bone reveal the 

presence of osteoarthritis of the femoral head. 

(Photo by Assad saif) 

Fig. 2 

The pierced shell, a cardium sea shell. 


Fig. 3 

piece of wood found with the skeleton. 


Assaad Seif | assadseif@culture.gov.lb 

HOUET mechane 4 

preliminary analysis of The archaeological maTerial 

Fig. 4 

pot is typical of the middle of the 

4 th millennium Bc. 


Fig. 6 

a combed body sherd. 


Fig. 5 

The small jug. 


Published earlier in ‘Al-Ouat ‘Ouat 13’, this cave 

was discovered in 2003 by the SCL. 

In the section ‘A’ levels 1 and 2 of this six level 

cave, a tomb with archaeological material was found. 

Moreover, some scattered sherds were collected for 

analysis. 

I had the chance to visit the cave and observe 

the tomb location in addition to the collected material. 

Consequently, a preliminary analysis of the discoveries 

was done which revealed a long term use of the cave 

namely for funerary practices. 

The archaeological maTerial 

The material collected by the SCL in the year 2000 

included bones, one pierced cardium shell, a piece of 

wood, two almost complete pots and 19 pottery sherds 

collected from different parts of section A of the cave. 

As stated earlier in “Al-ouat ‘ouat 13”, the bones 

were partially smashed by falling rocks, still, some were 

intact. They included some long bones, short bones, 

vertebrae, a few ribs and parts of the skull. A preliminary 

observation of one hip bone revealed the presence of 

osteoarthritis of the femoral head (fig.1). Further analysis 

of the bones will shed more light on the approximate age, 

sex, diseases and diet of the inhumated individual, thus 

giving us more insight into his/her daily life and activity. 

2003 ةنس يف 4 ناشم ةراغم لخاد يف فاشتكا ّمت 

,بشخ ,فادصا ,ةيخيرات ةربقم نمضتي يرثا عقوم 

اذه يف ملاعلا قرطتي .ةمطحمو ةلماك تايراخف 

.ةيملعلا هتلاولدمو فاشتكلاا اذه ةيمها ىلا لاقملا 

The pierced shell is a cardium sea shell found 

abundantly on the Lebanese coast (Fig. 2). This shell was 

obviously used as a necklace and deposited with the deceased 

as it was most probably of his/her personal belongings. Many 

examples of this type of funerary material are found on the 

coast especially within the tombs of Byblos. 

The piece of wood found with the skeleton is in rather 

good condition (Fig. 3). This throws doubt on its contextuality 

and depositional dynamic; it could be a later intrusion. Still a 

dendrochronology or C14 analysis could ascertain its nature, 

date and origin. 

The almost complete pottery types consist of a pot 

with two lateral handles, and a small jug. The pot is typical of 

the middle of the 4 th millennium, BC (Fig. 4). It has two handles 

connecting the top shoulders to the upper part of the neck, 

almost to the level of the rim. These handles have a chevron 

impressed design on their surface. Many examples of this 

type were found in the “énéolithique” tombs of Byblos. The 

same goes for the small jug (Fig. 5), thus forming a coherent 

ensemble with the pot. 

Among the 19 pottery sherds, one combed body 

sherd (fig.6) was identified dating from the Early Bronze II- 

III period (end of the 4 th millennium, BC – beginning of the 

third millennium, BC). Another rim sherd with internal light 

horizontal combing was also collected (Fig. 7); this type of 

surface treatment is typical of the Early Bronze IV and Middle 

Bronze I periods (end of the third millennium and beginning of 

the second millennium BC). Examples of this light combing 

can be found in the akkar region and on the northern coast as 

well as in the Qadisha valley. 

Fig. 7 

rim sherd with internal light horizontal combing. 


Fig. 8 

Two terra sigilata sherds dating from the roman period. 


houeT mechane 4 

preliminary analysis of The archaeological maTerial 

découverte en l’an 2000 par le sCl, cette grotte s’est avérée contenir dans ses deux premiers niveaux une 

tombe avec plusieurs éléments archéologiques incluant des os, une coquille de cardium percée, un bout de 

bois, deux pots presque entiers et dix-neuf morceaux en argile. l’auteur a eu la chance de visiter cette grotte 

une fois de plus et en a fait une évaluation préliminaire présentée dans cet article. 

Two terra sigilata sherds dating from the roman period 

were also found (Fig. 8). 

Nine other body sherds could be easily dated to the 

middle 4 th millennium BC because of their fabric and surface 

treatment. The remaining 8 sherds were non diagnostic; still their 

fabric and surface treatment may indicate a later date. 

In addition to the above mentioned archaeological 

material, scattered sherds especially with combed surfaces 

were found incrusted within the calcite bed in level 2 section A 

of the cave. Those sherds could have been brought down by the 

sediments or they could have been part of the material of other 

tombs destroyed by later natural or anthropic activity. 

preliminary conclusions 

Our knowledge of early as well as later period settlement 

in the Nahr Ibrahim Valley is presently very limited and this 

largely results from the lack of research undertaken in this 

region. 

However, most of the discovered sites are located in the 

upper valley rather than in the lower mountain belt as is the case 

with the Mechane cave. Moreover few of the discovered sites in 

the valley date from the Bronze Age. The few Bronze Age sites 

of the high lands are Yanuh, Tadmor and the cave of St. John 

(Mgharet Mar Hanna), which makes the Mechane cave the only 

evidence of this period in the lower mountain belt region. 

Out of all the sites found in the Nahr Ibrahim Valley, 

Mechane Cave provides the most pertinent evidence for longterm 

occupation in the Valley (4 th millennium BC until the roman 

period). Furthermore, the similarity between the material culture 

found in the cave and that at the major sites along the coast, 

indicates that the two areas participated in a common dynamic 

of cultural exchange. 

More intensive and systematic surveys in this region 

are likely to reveal many more sites and add to the evidence of 

continuity in settlement history. 

BiBliography 

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données. Berytus XXXiX : 177-187. 

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Caza de Zgharta). Rapport préliminaire de la fouille de 2001. Bulletin d’Archéologie et 

d’Architecture libanaises 6: 135-178. 

-Buikstra, J.E. & Ubelaker, D.H. 1994. standards for data Collection From Human 

skeletal Remains, Arkansas Archaeological Survey Research Series No. 44, Arkansas, 

USA. 

-Dunand, M. 1937. Fouilles de Byblos, 1926-1932, i. Paris, Geuthner. 

-Dunand, M. 1950. Fouilles de Byblos, 1933-1938, ii. Paris, Geuthner. 

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Rapport préliminaire 1999-2001 », Bulletin d’Archéologie et d’Architecture libanaises 

5: 93-152. 


Rapport préliminaire 2002 », Bulletin d’Archéologie et d’Architecture libanaises 6: 

211-258. 


Rapport préliminaire 2003-2004 », Bulletin d’Archéologie et d’Architecture libanaises 

8: 119-210. 

-Mann, R.W. & Hunt, D.R. 2005. Photographic Regional Atlas of Bone diseases: a 

guide to Pathologic and Normal Variation in the Human skeleton, Charles C Thomas 

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CAVE 

BIOLOGY 

Ivan Horáček | horacek@natur.cuni.cz 

Petr Benda | petr.benda@nm.cz 

Riyad Sadek | rsadek@aub.edu.lb 


Mounir Abi-Said | mabisaid@cyberia.net.lb 

Radekk Lučan | rlucan@centrum.cz 

Marcel Uhrin | marcel.uhrin@gmail.com 



Samir Akil | samir.akil@gmail.com 

BaT census 

IN LEBANESE CAVES 

2008 & 2009 

Following the article published in the Ouat’Oaute 

Magazine issue 14 and in frame of the monitoring project of 

bat population in Lebanese caves proposed by Horáček et al. 

( * 2008) a bat survey was conducted in almost 21 different 

caves in the year 2008 and 17 caves in the year 2009 mostly 

in the same way conducted in 2007. The two seasons 

revealed startling new discoveries. A simple key for visual 

bat identification is highlighted at the end of the article to aid 

cavers in continuous monitoring such a delicate species. 

resulTs of The 2nd season 

From 16 January to 25 January 2008 controls in 21 

Lebanese caves, mostly those inspected in the same way 

also in January 2007. The results of the census (surveyed in 

Table 1) revealed the following picture: 

(1) We found no essential differences from the previous 

winter (2007) in species composition, proportion of particular 

species and abundances in particular caves and in general. 

This suggests a recurrent pattern of inhabitation of the 

respective underground spaces by bats in winter and, hence, 

a promise of a reliable output of the monitoring project. 

(2) The large hibernating colonies found in 2007 

appeared either at the same place (Miniopterus schreibersii 

in Er Rouiss) or in different chambers of the same cave 

(Rhinolophus ferrumequinum in Afqa), in both the caves 

the total numbers were even higher than in 2007. In Afqa, 

the colony was splitted in four clusters (39, 33, 10, 9 ind.) 

and number of solitary individuals mostly roosting closer to 

entrace than in 2007. The similar pattern was observed also 

in other sites and also an incidence of active or semi-active 

bats was higher than in 2007. 

(3) Apparently, the winter 2008 has been undoubtedly 

warmer than that in 2007, snow cover was much less 

pronounced at time of census, temperature in low altitude 

caves was higher etc. In contrast to 2007, oranges were 

fully ripe and the fruit bats started already to feed on them. 

لبق نم ايرود اهتبقارمو شيفافخلا حسم تايلمعل روصت عضو دعب 

شيفافخلل حسم ةيلمعب ةساردلا هذه يعضاو ماق . )كشتروه 2007( 

ةئاج حسملا جئاتن .نانبل لخاد ةراغم 22 يف 2009 و 2008 ةنس 

.حسملا اذه ةيمها نيبتل شيفافخلا دادعاو ماقرلا ةفرشم 

Cet article montre les résultats de la 2ème et 3ème saison de 

recensement des chauves-souris dans les grottes libanaises, 

dans le cadre du projet de surveillance proposé par Horáček 

et al. en 2007. les auteurs nous propose d’observer 22 

grottes libanaises entre Janvier 2008 et 2009. 

In all colonies of that species, the average body condition of 

fruit bats was excellent - great contrast to situation in 2007 

when these bats show obvious signs of starvation. In three of 

four colonies controlled in winter 2007 we found a significant 

increase of abundance (by about 20% on avergage). 

(4) In fissures at entrances of two caves (Achou, Afqa) 

we found hibernating individuals of Pipistrellus pipistrellus and 

Myotis capaccinnii, not found there in 2007, which also can be 

ascribed to specific climatic conditions of 2008. 

resulTs of The 3nd season 

From 14 December to 25 February 2009 controls in 12 

Lebanese caves, mostly those inspected in the same way also 

in January 2007. The results of the census (surveyed in Table 

2) revealed the following interesting observation: 

(1)There is a noticeable increase in number of bats in 

large hibernating colonies. In the Roueiss cave roost which 

was found in the same place as the year 2008 a noticeable 4% 

increase was observed. 

(2) Two major new colonies were also found. One in 

Marjaba mines a roost of 700 Greater Horseshoe bat, R. 

ferrumequinum was discovered in the galleries of a newly 

discovered Marjaba mine (not controlled in previous years), 

and a colony of 69 bats of Miniopterus schreibersii was found 

in the Achou cave. 

(3) Apparently the winter of 2009 is a bit colder and came 

earlier than the previous year that is most probably why the 

bats were found in large quantities. The snow covered most of 

the mountains. 

(4) In fissures at entrances of two caves (Afqa, Roueiss 

& Marjaba) we found hibernating individuals of Myotis 

capaccinnii and eptesieus serotinos not found there in 2008. 

(5) The next years of the census are expected to answer 

which of the above mentioned differences may refer to some 

general trends. 

BAT SURVEYOF2008 BAT SURVEYOF2008 Locality 

Locality 

Table 1 

results of 2008 winter bat census of the lebanese caves 

BAT SURVEY OF 2009 

BAT SURVEY OF 2009 

Locality 

Locality 

Raeg Rfer Reur Rhip Rbla Mcap Mbly Msch Nnoc Eser Phyp 

Raeg Rfer Reur Rhip Rbla Mcap Mbly Msch Nnoc Eser Phyp 

L20 

L20 

L59 

L59 

L48 

L48 

L57 

L57 

L70 

L70 

L21 

L21 

L-54 

L-54 

L51 

L51 

L-25 

L-25 

L-25 

L-25 

L-18 

L-18 

L-37 

L-37 

L-32 

L-32 

L-31 

L-31 

L-15 

L-15 

L-14 

L-14 

L-64 

L-64 

L65 

L65 

Table 2 

M. Lebanon 

M. Lebanon 

M. Lebanon 

M. Lebanon 

M. Lebanon 

M. Lebanon 

M. Lebanon 

M. Lebanon 

M. Lebanon 

M. Lebanon 

M. Lebanon 

M. Lebanon 

Tripoli 

Tripoli 

Tripoli 

Tripoli 

Chekka 

Chekka 

Chekka 

Chekka 

Aamchit 

Aamchit 

Antelias 

Antelias 

Antelias 

Antelias 

Marjaba 

Marjaba 

Jezzine 

Jezzine 

Jezzine 

Jezzine 

South 

South 

South 

South 

Rouiss Cave 

Rouiss Cave 

Seraaya Cave 

Seraaya Cave 

Bechara Cave 

Bechara Cave 

Terrash cave=Qana Cave 

Terrash cave=Qana Cave 

Nabaa el Mghara Cave 

Nabaa el Mghara Cave 

Afqa Cave 

Afqa Cave 

Achou Cave 

Achou Cave 

Matal el Azrak 

Matal el Azrak 

Musailha Castle 

Musailha Castle 

Gallery near Musailha Castle 

Gallery near Musailha Castle 

Saleh Cave 

Saleh Cave 

Kanaan Cave 

Kanaan Cave 

El-Kassarat Cave 

El-Kassarat Cave 

Marjaba Mines/8 galleries 

Marjaba Mines/8 galleries 

Water spring Gallery 

Water spring Gallery 

Cellar in a house 

Cellar in a house 

Mgharet el Ouataouit 

Mgharet el Ouataouit 

Mgharet el Aaonamine 

Mgharet el Aaonamine 

11 Feb. 2009 

11 Feb. 2009 

11 Feb. 2009 

11 Feb. 2009 

11 Feb. 2009 

11 Feb. 2009 

11 Feb. 2009 

11 Feb. 2009 

14 Dec. 2008 

14 Dec. 2008 

11 Feb. 2009 

11 Feb. 2009 

18 Feb. 2009 

18 Feb. 2009 

18 Feb. 2009 

18 Feb. 2009 

1 Feb. 2009 

1 Feb. 2009 

16 Mar. 2009 

16 Mar. 2009 

8 Feb. 2009 

8 Feb. 2009 

23 Feb. 2009 

23 Feb. 2009 

23 Feb. 2009 

23 Feb. 2009 

24 Feb. 2009 

24 Feb. 2009 

25 Feb. 2009 

25 Feb. 2009 

26 Feb. 2009 

26 Feb. 2009 

2 Feb. 2009 

2 Feb. 2009 

2 Feb. 2009 

2 Feb. 2009 

300 

300 

150 

150 

100 

100 

400 

400 

820 

820 

20 

20 

2 6 8 28 

28 

2 1 

10 

10 

700 

700 

1 4 4 4 

4 1 2 

2 3 4 

1 

2 

1 1 

1300 

1300 

17 

17 

13 

13 

69 

69 

1 

results of 2009 winter bat census of the lebanese caves 


Date 

Date 

Date 

Date 

BAT SPECIES 

BAT SPECIES 

Raeg 

Raeg 

Rfer 

Rfer 

Rhip 

Rhip 

Rbla 

Rbla 

Mcap 

Mcap 

Mbly 

Mbly 

Msch 

Msch 

Ppip 

Ppip 

Eser 

Eser 

Hsav 

Hsav 

Phyp 

Phyp 

L20 M. Lebanon Rouiss Cave 17-Jan-08 16 2 1250 

L20 M. Lebanon Rouiss Cave 17-Jan-08 16 2 1250 

L59 M. Lebanon Seraaya Cave 21-Jan-08 5 3 

L59 M. Lebanon Seraaya Cave 21-Jan-08 5 3 

L48 M. Lebanon Bechara Cave 21-Jan-08 

L48 M. Lebanon Bechara Cave 21-Jan-08 

L57 M. Lebanon Terrash cave=Qana Cave 20-Jan-08 7 2 

L57 M. Lebanon Terrash cave=Qana Cave 20-Jan-08 7 2 

L21 M. Lebanon Afqa Cave 17-Jan-08 99 12 2 5 1 ? 

L21 M. Lebanon Afqa Cave 17-Jan-08 99 12 2 5 1 ? 

L69 M. Lebanon Aabadi cave 22-Jan-08 200 

L69 M. Lebanon Aabadi cave 22-Jan-08 200 

L50 M. Lebanon Nabaa el Saqia cave 20-Jan-08 7 

L50 M. Lebanon Nabaa el Saqia cave 20-Jan-08 7 

L-54 Tripoli Achou Cave 18-Jan-08 1 4 1 3 7 

L-54 Tripoli Achou Cave 18-Jan-08 1 4 1 3 7 

L51 Tripoli Matal el Azrak 18-Jan-083005 1 

L51 Tripoli Matal el Azrak 18-Jan-083005 1 

L-25 Chekka Musailha Castle 

18-Jan-08 

1 

L-25 Chekka Musailha Castle 

18-Jan-08 

1 

L-25b Chekka Gallery near Musailha Castle 18-Jan-08 

1 

L-25b Chekka Gallery near Musailha Castle 18-Jan-08 

1 

L-18 Aamchit Saleh Cave 22-Jan-08 150 4 3 

L-18 Aamchit Saleh Cave 22-Jan-08 150 4 3 

L-37 Antelias Kanaan Cave 25-Jan-08 100 

L-37 Antelias Kanaan Cave 25-Jan-08 100 

L-32 Antelias El-Kassarat Cave 25-Jan-08 400 

L-32 Antelias El-Kassarat Cave 25-Jan-08 400 

L-31 Marjaba Marjaba Mines/7 galleries 21-Jan-08 4 7 

1 

L-31 Marjaba Marjaba Mines/7 galleries 21-Jan-08 4 7 

1 

L-15 Jezzine Water spring Gallery 24-Jan-08 

L-15 Jezzine Water spring Gallery 24-Jan-08 

L-14 Jezzine Cellar in a house 24-Jan-08 1 

L-14 Jezzine Cellar in a house 24-Jan-08 1 

L-64 South Mgharet el Ouataouit 19-Jan-08 850 

L-64 South Mgharet el Ouataouit 19-Jan-08 850 

L65 South Mgharet el Aaonamine 19-Jan-0820 1 

L65 South Mgharet el Aaonamine 19-Jan-0820 1 

L-10b Adloun cave 16-Jan-08 26 

L-10b Adloun cave 16-Jan-08 26 

L-41 Anjar Bekaa Anjar Cellis Cave 21-Jan-08 

L-41 Anjar Bekaa Anjar Cellis Cave 21-Jan-08 

L-42 Bekaa Kfar Zabad Cave 21-Jan-08 1 17 

L-42 Bekaa Kfar Zabad Cave 21-Jan-08 1 17 

BAT SPECIES 

BAT SPECIES

a simple key for visual idenTificaTion of leBanese cave BaTs 

1} 

Bats of very big size, usually in a larger colony, active 

in winter, with large eyes shining when illuminated by 

hand reflectors: 

EGypTian fRuiT baT 

ROuSETTuS AEgyPTIACuS 

2} 

Medium to large sized bats (8–12 cm of head and 

body length) freely sitting on walls, conspicuous by 

their long (as long as a body) tail freely extending 

from short membrane: 

MouSE-TaiLED baTS 

gENuS RhINOPOmA 

Apparently quite rare; it is highly recommended to 

catch an individual, take measurements (forearm 

length 45–62 mm: R. cystops, 61–72 mm R. 

microphyllum) and a detailed picture or a voucher 

specimen. 

3} 

Bats freely hanging from a ceiling or at walls, when 

torpid usually wrapped in membranes, when active 

they are conspicuous for intensive location movements 

of head, soon fly away, at shorter distance you can 

note large membranous leaflet around nose through 

which they emit their echolocation calls: 

HoRSESHoE baTS 

gENuS RhINOlOPhuS 

All are typical cave-dwelling species. 

By visual identification you can easily distinguish 

three size categories: 

-A larger species (10 cm when hanging): 

Greater Horseshoe bat, R. ferrumequinum. 

-A small species (about 5 cm when hanging): 

Lesser Horseshoe bat, R. hipposideros. 

-Medium-sized species (about 8–10 cm when 

hanging). 

This is a bit more complicated category as there 

are several species which come in account in that 

category, all - in contrast to the preceeding two which 

are widespread) relatively rare or even not yet found 

in lebanon. It can be recommended to catch one, take 

a measurement (length of forearm) and examine shape 

of noseleaf and take its macrophotograph, eventually. 

Rhinolophus euryale, R. mehelyi and R. blasii are 

characteristic by a pointed central leaf (visible from a 

side view). The other possible species, Asellia tridens, 

not known from lebanon, is pale or rufous coloured 

and has a noseleaf of a completely different shape. 

Rousettus aegyptiacus 

in mtal al azrak cave 

(photo by issam Bou Jaoude) 

a mouse-tailed bat 

(photo by I. Horáček ) 

photograph of the mediterranean horse shoe bat found 

inside an old house in jezzine. 


4} 

Large bats (forearm length 75–95 mm, body length ca. 

15cm), roosting in fissures, elongated head with short 

and mutually separated auricles and naked belly: 

5} 

Smaller (body length ca. 7–8 cm), pale greyish brown 

coloured bats, often in large colonies hanging in cave 

ceiling, typically in spacious chambers deep inside 

the cave, short but broad auricles not extending dorsal 

profile of a rounded head: 

ScHREibER’S baT 

mINIOPTERuS SChREIBERSII 

Schreiber’s bat, Miniopterus schreibersii almost strict 

cave-dweller which colonies should be monitored with 

particular attention. 

6} 

Larger bats (length of body ca. 10–12 cm) with long 

elongated and pale coloured membranous auricles, 

either hanging from walls or roosting in crevices, 

forming summer large colonies in high chambers inside 

the cave: 

LaRGER & LESSER MouSE-EaRED baTS 

myOTIS myOTIS and m. BlyThII 

Sibling species, both cave-dwellers, which can be 

separated essentially only with genetical techniques, 

the former is larger and has a more eliptic and broader 

auricle. 

7} 

The remaining species which do not correspond to 

any of the above mentioned characteristics, are not the 

typical cave-dwellers, occupy preferably crevices in 

rocks, in shallow caves or in cave entrances. In most 

instances these are rare species which identification 

is not easy as a rule and should be supplemented with 

a detailed examination of an individual in hand. This 

holds true also for the two species which preferably 

roost in caves. 

GEoffRoy’S baT 

myOTIS EmARgINATuS ANd 

lONg-fINgEREd BAT, m. CAPACCINII 

They both remind the large species of the genus (see 

above) but are distinctly smaller (length of body ca. 

5–7 cm). 

for more detailed information: 

BaT census in leBanese caves 

2008 & 2009 

naKED-bELiED ToMb baT 

TAPhOzOuS NudIvENTRIS 

Not known from lebanon as yet, voucher 

specimen or a detailed photograph obligatory. 

several small clusters of shreiber’s Bat found in saleh mines. 


Myotis blythii, detail of the face, Baalbek 

(photo by I. Horáček) 

Dietz C., 2005. Illustrated identification key to the bats of Egypt. Version 1.0. 36 pp. e-publication. pdf: http:// 

www.uni-tuebingen.de/uni/bzt/Kontakt/mitarbeiter_seiten/dietz.htm. 

Dietz C. & Helversen O.V., 2004. Illustrated identification key to the bats of Europe, e-publication. http://public. 

carnet.hr/speleo/znanost/sismisi/Dietz_von_Helversen_2004IDkey_2.pdf 

Horáček I., Benda P., Sadek R., Karkabi S., Abi-said M., Lucan R., Hulva P., and Karanouh R. 2008. Bats of 

Lebanon, State of knowledge and Perspective, ِAl-Ouat’Oaute, 14, 52-67. 


a long-fingered bat 

(photo by I. Horáček)

CAVE PROTECTION 

ىلع ناسنلأا ريثأت عوضوم جلاعت لاقملا اذه يف ةثحابلا 

.ةساسحلا ةئيبلا هذه ةيامح ةيمهلا قرطتتو .ناعنك ةراغم 

ىلع لمعلل ةرماغملاو راوغتسلأا ةيدنا عيمج دشانتو 

.ةساسحلا ةئيبلا هذه ىلع ةظفاحملا 

Maïa Sarrouf | maiasarrouf@gmail.com 

karsT proTecTion commission 

established in 2007 as a working 

group in the spéléo club du liban, its main 

focus is the protection of caves and karst 

environments in lebanon. 

preliminary steps where taken in order 

to identify the vulnerable sites and assess 

the urgency of measures that need to be 

taken. 

after establishing these priorities the 

commission focused its efforts on kanaan 

cave. This cave required protection even 

from cavers themselves. The next protection 

project was al-kassarat cave where a 

government project was being implemented. 

This required a great deal of monitoring and 

protection measures. 

The commission will also address 

issues related to jiita cave, the longest 

cave in lebanon and the most visited show 

cave in the middle-east. 

Photo 1 

development of ferns at the cave entrance. 


EVALUATION 

OF human 

impacT ON 

kanaan cave 

Cet article propose de présenter les différents impacts humains sur la grotte de Kanaan, dans la région 

d’Antelias afin de sensibiliser les lecteurs, les spéléologues et les amateurs sur la protection des grottes 

au liban. il contient une description de l’état actuel de la grotte, une identification des principaux 

impacts ainsi qu’une proposition de mesures de protection et de conservation de ce milieu fragile. 

Photo 2 

development of moss and green algae on speleothems and 

walls close to the cave entrance. 


Photo 3 

moss and green algae on the floor close to the cave 

entrance. 


INTRODUCTION 

Human impact on caves is an endless challenge but 

the duty of a speleologist is to increase awareness among 

the people familiar and unfamiliar to the caving world. The 

following article identifies human impacts on Kanaan cave for 

the purpose of awareness and protection of the cave and other 

similar fragile environments. The article is dedicated to every 

caver and outdoor recreational group, especially in Lebanon. 

CAVE LOCATION AND DESCRIPTION 

Kanaan cave is located in the region of Antelias, few 

kilometers North of Beirut. It was discovered in 1996 by SCL 

members wandering around the quarries area (same area 

containing Al Kassarat cave). The cave is 80 m long and can 

be divided into three different parts (Nader, 1998): 

• The entrance: area intensively damaged by 

quarrying activities from the early sixties. It contains large 

blocks of collapsed rocks and broken speleothems. This area 

is biota rich with the presence of vascular plants such as 

ferns (Photo 1) and non-vascular plants such as moss and 

green algae (Photo 2 & 3). It also contains a variety of insects, 

spiders and an important bat colony with species such as 

the Egyptian fruit bat (Rousettus aegyptiacus) and Savi’s 

pipistrelle bat (Hypsugo savii) (Horacek et al., 2008); 

• The middle part: large muddy section also 

containing collapsed rock and cave features. Cavers developed 

the habit of taking their shoes off in that area before further 

progression towards the last section know as the temple of 

speleology; 

• The end part: described as the temple of speleology 

(Nader, 1998) contains a high variety of cave features 

condensed in a small area, such as stalagmites, stalactites, 

eccentrics, columns, curtains, flowstones, tulips and cave 

pearls. 

Photo 4 

impacts of muddy footsteps on white calcite shown 

in the circles. 


CAVE IMPACT IDENTIFICATION 

Since its discovery, the cave encountered many 

problems due to its proximity to urbanized areas and its easy 

accessibility and developed a high risk factor from continuous 

human contacts. An assessment of these impacts has been 

elaborated to evaluate and visualize the intensity of damage. 

The source of cave damage is generated by human 

activities and interventions in the environment. The 

identification of impacts has been classified into two main 

groups: 

a. Direct human impact generated from current 

activities of visitors and cavers; 

b. Indirect human impact as a result of previous 

activities. 

a. direct human impact 

Direct human impact in the cave is generated by three 

type of visitors: 

i. Recreational groups; 

ii. Local and random visitors; 

iii. Cavers. 

The main damages observed are the muddy footsteps 

on the white calcite (Photo 4) and the muddy palms on cave 

features. Sensitive features such as cave pearls are crushed 

by visitor’s footsteps. Eccentrics and soda straws are broken 

under people’s palms, as visitors tend to ignore their highly 

delicate constitution. 

Litter is also a recurrent problem. How many times have 

we visited the cave to find a cigarette butts or an empty bag 

left behind on the floor? 

Furthermore, the impact of cavers is to be noted with 

special attention. Even with a credo of protecting caves, 

cavers tend to leave too many footsteps behind them and 


Photo 5 

development of a green patina on the exposed side of a 

speleothem to air flow and humidity at the cave entrance. 


muddy palms on highly sensitive areas. First, cavers used 

to adopt the norm of taking their shoes off while entering 

the temple of speleology, a habit that was progressively 

lost due to lack of continuous awareness. Furthermore, the 

easy accessibility of the cave and its rich environment, have 

attracted several scientific studies in the last couple of years. 

Unfortunately, some of them did not adapt the caving world of 

ethics and left too many scars. 

b. indirect human impact 

It is assumed that Kanaan cave had no natural entrance 

before the quarrying activities were actively initiated during 

the late sixties. The blasting involved in these activities caused 

immediate impacts such as the collapse of large geological 

strata, generating an artificial cave opening. 

That direct exposure to air flow and humidity caused 

irreparable alterations to the cave and created a chain of long 

term reactions due to the direct exposure to the external 

environment. Several threats are therefore noted to the cave 

system such as : 

• deposition of dust and mud particles by air 

circulation, slowly progressing into the cave to mask the 

existing features; 

• change in the cave’s microclimate with the 

infiltration of micro-currents of air, affecting the growth of 

speleothems; 

• change in the cave’s biodiversity by increasing 

the development of vascular and non-vascular plants, 

especially at the entrance. The change in ventilation and 

Photo 6 

mice incident i: feces on cave features. 


Photo 7 

mice incidens ii: Tape damage and trail interruption. 


Photo 8 

mice incident iii – final assessment: Trail interrupted and tape 

dragged to the hole. 


Fig. 1 

chain of impacts generated by the quarrying activities 

humidity led to the development of a green patina on the 

surface of exposed speleothems (Photo 5). It is believed that 

this substance is a kind of microflora revealing a change in the 

microclimatological conditions. The increase in temperature 

and the change in concentration of carbon dioxide increases 

photosynthetic ability and encourages the faster growth of 

flora. An association could be made to the “maladie verte” 

(green disease) of caves, term mainly referring to the touristic 

impact generated in show caves (phenomenon that became 

famous in the 1960s with the development of chlorophycea 

from illuminated spotlights and human breath on the famous 

rock paintings of the Lascaux cave in France) (Merdenisianos, 

2005). 

We also note that mice feces were observed on the white 

calcite gours inside the Temple of Speleology section (Photo 6, 

7 & 8). 

The bat colony found at the cave entrance should be an 

important indicator of the caves’ biodiversity evolution. But in 

the case of Kanaan cave it is not known if the colony inhabited 

the cave before its exposure or if it migrated from the Kassarat 

Antelias cave system after the quarrying activities and the 

artificial cave opening. 

A recapitulation of the immediate and long term impacts 

of quarrying activities is shown in Figure 1. 

c. cave impact mapping 

In order to visualize these impacts a cave impact mapping 

was established to assess the damages in each of the affected 

areas (Fig. 2). 

The purpose of impact mapping is to locate the damaged 

areas generated by direct and indirect human activities. Each 

of the three parts of the cave has been assessed and classified 

according to the following rating classes: 

• Light impacts: impact present at a reduced scale – 

no severe damage to cave features; 

• Heavy impacts: heavy damage to cave features 

with possible remediation or restoration; 

• Severe impacts: irreversible damage to cave 

features with no possible remediation. 

Assessments of the impact intensity in each area 

have been identified by several field observations and are 

summarized in Table 1. 

Area 1 or cave entrance is severely impacted as it 

contains large collapsed strata, several broken speleothems 

and an integrated biota system unfamiliar to the cave’s natural 

environment. 

Area 2, the middle part, is heavily impacted as well as it 

contains collapsed strata from blasting and a thick deposit of 

mud. 

Area 3, temple of speleology, contains light and heavily 

impacted areas that could be restored by proper practice. 

ACTIONS TAKEN FOR 

CAVE PROTECTION AND CONSERVATION 

Many techniques might be considered to restore damaged 

features and speleothems. A first step towards conservation 

was taken by the Karst Protection Commission by putting 

forward an action plan with the purpose of increasing 

awareness among cavers and visitors and possibly decreasing 

further degradation: 

area/damage light heavy severe 

Area 1 X 

Area 2 X 

Area 3 X X 

Table 1 

assessment of impacts per area 

evaluaTion of human 

impacT on kanaan cave 


Fig. 2 

map showing the impact assessment in kanaan cave. 

(comprehensive map that does not show all the cave features) 

> sTep 1: awareness campaign 

Campaign among SCL cavers were given to highlight the 

cave’s sensitive environment and the negative impacts caused 

by lack of good practice. Cavers were also prompted to limit 

the number of outings to the cave, reducing the occurrence of 

eventual damage and destruction. Local communities within the 

areas and outdoor recreational groups are the next target for an 

awareness presentations. 

> sTep 2: Trail delineaTion 

Routing was chosen to define boundaries for visitors and 

cavers away from sensitive and damaged areas, especially 

eccentrics, cave pearls, gours and curtains (Photo 9). Non 

biodegradable tape was used on parallel continuous strips to 

delineate an appropriate pathway on both sides of the cave. 

Though wild caves do not need trail designation and should be 

free of access, the observed cumulative impact from visitors 

has led to its serious degradation and routing will help protect 

the cave value. 

Though not rated as the most aesthetic way, trail 

delineation is an excellent tool for managing sensitive cave 

resources. When visitors are confined in defined pathways 

features are better preserved (Hildreth-Werker & Werker, 2006). 

> sTep 3: signs allocaTion 

Along with the defined pathway, signs were assigned 

in specified locations as indicators for visitors to take their 

boots off before entering the temple of speleology and as a 

reminder to respect the path erected all along the cave. The 

signs were written in three languages (Arabic, English, and 

French) stating the following: 

• Vulnerable area ahead! Please remove boots here 

• Do not get off main trail 

> sTep 4: remidiaTion measures 

• The slow progression of mud and dust deposition 

from the middle muddy part could be stopped by the 

construction of a natural gate from site existing rocks to 

reduce micro-currents of air circulation; 

• The visitor’s impact with muddy footsteps 

and muddy palms left on different speleothems can be 

reduced by the definition a routing, away from sensitive and 

damaged areas; 

• Cleaning the damaged features is a remediation 

option that requires intensive work, meticulous and long 

methods using tools such as plastic toothpicks, tweezers, 

toothbrush, sponges, combs, brushes, syringes and other 

customized techniques. 

Photo 9 

Trail delineation inside kanaan cave. 


RECOMMENDATIONS 

Even though cavers do not like to be told how to behave, 

we must not forget that the first enemy of caves is us. Do 

we need a code of conduct? Listed below are some selected 

practices recommended by Val Hildreth-Werker and Jim C. 

Werker to minimize negative impacts on caves (Hildreth- 

Werker & Werker, 2006): 

• Stay on established trails. Sit inside the trails. 

Keep packs and other items within the path. Choose the most 

impacted pathways. 

• Move carefully and gently through the entire cave - 

avoid kicking up dust. 

• Always spot each other in fragile areas. Especially 

watch heads, backs, hands, feet and packs. 

• Touch as little as possible. Avoid leaning on walls, 

ceilings or speleothems. Don’t sit on formations. Look and 

avoid trampling floor deposits. When movement requires hand 

holds, look first to avoid delicate features and use knuckles or 

fingertips for balance rather than dirty open palms. 

• During survey and exploration, establish pathways 

on durable surfaces to minimize future impacts. 

• Point out surface or damaging behaviour. It is every 

caver’s responsibility to ensure that cave environments remain 

as pristine as possible and that every team member is safe 

and aware of conservation ethics. Cave softly…and leave 

no trace. 

Photo 10 

sign assignation along the defined pathways. 



REFERENCES 

evaluaTion of human 

impacT on kanaan cave 

Hildreth-Werker, V., Werker, J.C., 2006. Cave Conservation 

and Restoration. National speleological society, 2006 Edition, 

p. 600. 

Horacek, I., Benda, P., Sadek, R., Karkabi, S., Abi-Said, M., 

Lucan, R., Hulva, P., Karanouh, R., 2008. Bats of Lebanon. 

State of knowledge and perspectives. Al ouat’ouate, 14, 52- 

69. 

Nader, F., 1998. The Temple of Speleology. Mgharet Kanaan. 

Al ouat’ouate, 11, 54-59. 

Merdenisianos, C., 2005. The “Maladie Verte” (Green Disease) 

of the Caves, Proceedings of the 14th international Congress 

of speleology, Volume 2, 493-495. 

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT 

The author would to thank Issam Bou Jaoude for his ideas 

and especially for his precious time.

CAVER 

Photo 1 

raymond khawam. 



Johnny Tawk (pour le traitement des photographies) | johnnytok@hotmail.com 

Raymond Khawam est né le 30 Octobre, 1924, à Haïfa et 

décédé le 13 Juin, 1968, à Faraya. 

Il fait des études d‘électricité et était en charge des installations 

de rayons X pour le Proche-Orient aux établissements Kettaneh. 

C’est là qu’il rencontre Lionel Gorra (premier explorateur 

libanais de la rivière souterraine de Jiita) en charge de l’audio visuel 

dans ce même établissement. 

C’est en 1951, qu’il fait ses premiers pas en spéléologie. 

Marié en 1963 à Augusta Gombert, il est père de deux enfants : 

Dominique et Yves. 

Membre actif du Spéléo Club du Liban il participe à de 

nombreuses explorations et demeure l’inventeur de nombreux 

matériels destinés à améliorer le mode d’exploration. 

-1954: L’éCLAIRAGE FRONTAL à L’ACéTYLèNE. 

-1955: LA SOURIS. 

-1956: LE TéLéPHONE LéGER ET PEU ENCOMBRANT. 

-1962: LE TREUIL DE DARA. 

La Souris (R. Khawam - Al Ouat’Ouate N°4-1955) 

L’idée de la conception de la SOURIS m’est venue en 

étudiant un jour la technique de la descente d’une équipe entière dans 

un gouffre. Le système courant employé pour assurer la dernière 

personne est d’amarrer une poulie au point de départ, de faire 

coulisser la corde, d’attacher une extrémité à la ceinture et d’envoyer 

le reste à l’équipe d’en bas. Rien de plus simple; on descend, 

l’assureur donne de la corde et le frottement est minime comme le 

montre la Figure 1. 

Mais supposons que le gouffre ait l’aspect de la figure 2. Si la 

corde est tendue, il y aura usure par frottement contre la paroi. De plus 

elle risque de s’emmêler à l’échelle ou de céder en cas de chute. 

La “SOURIS” n’a rien de tout cela. Elle grimpe ou descend sur 

une corde fixe en compagnie du spéléologue, le bloquant en cas de 

danger sur simple pression produite par l’assureur sur la corde. 

Le fonctionnement est le suivant; la corde est attachée en haut 

à X, passe en dessous de la poulie A sur C, contourne la poulie B, 

coulisse sur D par dessous A et descend au fond de l’abîme. L’assuré 

s’accroche à la Souris par F et G. L’assureur tient la corde en main et 

tire sur celle-ci. Que se passe-t-il? D est mobile et peu se déplacer vers 

RAYMOND 

khawam 

Raymond Khawam was born in Haifa on the 24th October 1924, and died 

in Faraya on the 13th June 1974, after 20 years of great inventions and 

contributions to speleology in Lebanon. An electrician by profession he joined 

the SCL in 1951. He invented a number of items that facilitated the exploration 

of caves such as the underground telephone, the ‘Mouse’ ascender, the ‘treuil’, 

a pulley system and the enhancement of cave lighting. 

ماع ناريزح يف يفوتو 1924 ماع لولاا نيرشت 24 يف افيح يف ماوخ نومر دلو 

راوغتسلاا لقح ىف ةمهملا لامعلااو تافاشتكلاا نم ةنس نورشع دعب 1974 

رواغملا يف بيقنتلل ينانبللا يدانلا يف عوطتت يئابرهك سدنهم .نانبل يف 

ةرافلا يه مهتافاشتكا يف نيروغتسملا ةدعاس يتلا هتعارتخا نمو .1951 ماع 

.اهريغو فتاهلاو 

Fig. 1 

le souris. 

Fig. 2 

Utilization de la Souris 

C mais garde sa position normale grâce au ressort E. A une certaine 

pression donnée par l’assureur qui est au fond du puits vers Y, la corde 

qui passe sur D, pousse D vers C et s’y coince entre C et D, d’où 

blocage de la Souris sur la corde. Pour le déblocage, il faut relâcher la 

corde. 

Le Téléphone (R. Khawam - Al Ouat’Ouate -N°6 – 1956) 

Schéma d’un téléphone léger et peu encombrant 

pouvant porter à plus de mille mètres. 

1° : Câble employé : 1/2 mm de diamètre. 

2° : F et L ne sont employés qu’en cas de camping 

sous terre ou par temps douteux. 

La chèvre (photo 3) 

La Chèvre crée en 1955 est destinée à éviter tout frottement de 

la corde en l’éloignant de la paroi. Elle est composée de trois tubes 

d’aluminium qui reliés forment une fourche. Dans la partie supérieure 

du manche est fixé une poulie dans laquelle coulisse la corde destinée 

à l’exploration. Un régulateur d’angle posé contre la paroi permet de 

contrôler l’angle de la fourche et par conséquent la verticalité de la 

corde. La Chèvre est reliée au sol par un câble tendu entre le manche et 

le bord du gouffre. 

Le Treuil (photo 4) 

Mis au point en 1962, a été spécialement conçu pour faciliter 

les manoeuvres dans le puits de 120 mètres du gouffre de Faouar Dara. 

Sa conception est simple (voir schéma) mais nécessite quelquefois la 

présence de deux volontaires. 

L’éclairage (photo 5 et 6). 

L’éclairage se réduisait à une torche électrique à la main ou 

frontale et en cas extrême au recours à la bougie. L’éclairage ambiant 

était diffusé par la lampe à manchon dite lampe Lux. Cet équipement 

devait perdurer jusqu’en 1953. La lampe frontale à acétylène mise au 

point par Raymond Khawam n’a été introduite qu’en 1954. 

Le Spéléo Club du Liban doit à Raymond Khawam un grand 

nombre d’inventions et d’améliorations du matériel spéléologique 

individuel et collectif. 

Photo 3 

la chèvre au gouffre de houet sidani à jwar el hoz (1955). 


Photo 4 

le treuil à dara. 


Photo 2 

r. khawam en démonstration de sa capsule téléphonique. 


Fig. 3 

reconstitution du treuil par johnny Tawk. 


l’Éclairage fronTal ÉlecTriQue eT À acÉTylÈne 

Photo 5 

la première lampe frontale électrique en usage en 1953. 

il s’agit du corps d’une torche électrique, décapitée de son 

phare.. en guise d’intérrupteur une poire en plastique. 


Photo 7 

le bec est posé à l’intérieure d’un réflecteur en inox fixé à un serretête métallique 

recouvert de tissu mousse. le tissus est relié au réservoir à carbure par un tuyau 

en plastique. un adaptateur sur le côté règle le serre tête à volonté. un protège 

front de forme elliptique protège l’avant-crâne de l’échauffement du réflecteur. 


Photo 6 

la lampe frontale à acétylène de r. khawam en 1954. 


Photo 8 

en 1955, r. khawam met au point la lampe frontale 

mixte, électrique et à acétylène. 


Photo 15 

Écusson en cuivre incrusté sur le 

coté du réservoir de la lampe à 

carbure. 


Photo 9 eclairage frontage vu de face. 

Photo 10 même éclairage vu de dos. 

Photo 11 casque muni d’un simple bec d’acétylène. 

Photo 12 casque avec réflecteur. 

Photo 13 eclairage avec rajoût du briquet piézométrique. 

Photo 14 combinaison mixte indépendate, électrique et acétylène. 

(Photos by sami Karkabi) 

Photo 16 

le premier lampe, 

made in england 

cristella - engineering 

co Tp leeds. 



9 

12 

10 

13 

11 

14 

la phoTographie 

spÉlÉologiQue au liBan

1 ةمسر 

ةراغملا نا رهظي عطقملا . جردلا ةوهل ةيحطس ةيؤر عم مسق عسوم عطقم- 

تاقبطلا تاحطسم رهظت اهنا مث نمو ، نحنم دحاو رسكل ءانب ًايسيئر عسوتت 

نم ، دعصي نا لبق امهيف رودي نيناكم رهظي عطقملا .ايلعلا رئبلل يوطملا لكشلاو 

نمو ،يساسلأا رئبلا عم يزاوتملاو verstürzte hoffnung لفسلأل دتمملا رسكلا ةهج 

نوكت نا لجا نم ىرخأ ةهج 

.ةقصلاتم عسوملا عطقملاو ةحطسملا ةيؤرلا- 

.ةيواستملا ماسقلاا عم تعسو ايندلا يقوفلا يقفلأا مسقلل ةيحطسلا ةيؤرلا- 

راسكنلاا هاجتا ىلا ةفاضلإاب رهظي حطسلا هاجتاب تارمملا هذه لك نيب لاصتلاا اذهل 

.يسيئرلا 

لماكلا عسوتلا عطقملا رهظي نا بجي .ةمداقلا ةلحرلا رثكا يلمع 

.سايقملابو 

زكتري عسوملا عطقملل مهلأاو ًاراشتنا رثكلأا لامعتسلإا - 

تاراسكنلإا لك .ةراغملا لكشت لوح اهيوتحي يتلا تامولعملا ىلع 

لا هنكل ةحطسملا ةطيرخلاب هريوصت نكمي تابسرتلا عزوت و 

رمملا اذه له .عطقملا يف ةدوجوملا تامولعملا فصن يطعي 

تارمملا تابكارت عقت نيا ؟ )طوغضم رمم لاثم ( يئام حشرت هلصا 

ةدوجوم تامولعملا هذه ةدكؤم ةقيرطب ؟لفقلا ةحتف لكشب رمم ، 

ام لضفاو ادج مهم اهلك اهنيب ةقلاع داجيا نكل ، ماسقلأا يف 

يف رهظي حضاو لثم .عسوملا عطقملا يف ةقلاعلا هذه رهظت 

4 مسرلا 

انيطعي هنا :ًادج مهم مساقملا مسرو تامولعملا عمج ًاضيا 

. تريكشتلا لكش لوح تامولعملا انحنميو يلاحلا رمملا لكش 

ةيثلاثلا ةيؤرلا ةراغملل ةمهملا ةيجولويجلا تازيمملا راهظا فدهبو 

)ماسقاو عسوم عطقم ، ةحطسم ةطيرخ( ةسام يه 

؟داعبلاا يثلاثلا مسرلا اذامل 

يقفا مسر نم رثكا ىلا جاتحن اذامل حرطي لاؤس لوا 

حطس : طيسب وه باوجلا ؟ةيقفلأا رواغملا يف ًاصوصخو 

هليثمت ىلا يدؤي امم طقف نيدعب نم فلؤم ءيش وه ضرلأا 

ةيفارغجلا طئارخلا هعبتت ام اذهو ةطيرخ ىلع ةلوهسب 

ةراغملاف اذه نم سكعلاب .تاقرطلا طئارخو ةيجولويجلا 

هليثمت نكمي لاو داعبا ةثلاث وذ ءيش لعفلاب يه ةيقفلأا ىتحو 

نإف لماكلاب ةيقفا ةراغم يف ىتح .ةطيرخ ةطساوب ةقدب 

لا يتلا تامولعملا نم ريثك ىلع يوتحي رمملا لكشو مجح 

ةثلاثلا داعبلاا هذه تازيمم مدقن نحن يلاتلاب .اهلهاجت نكمي 

نم اذامل حرشن نحن مث نمو .ةداع اهيوتحت يتلا تامولعملاو 

ىلع لمعلا نع سايقمب )يكورك( ةمسر ىلع لمعلا لضفلأا 

نحن ةياهنلا يف .عيرس قيرط طقف وا عيرس فاشتكا ةمسر 

.جئاتنلاو طئارخلا رشن ىلع رصن 

؟حطسملا مسرلا اذامل 

نا .مسرلا ءارجلإ عيمجلل لولأا زفاحلا وه لولأا باوجلا - 

رهظتو ةراغملل لوطلاو تاهاجتلإا رهظت ةحطسملا ةطيرخلا 

هذه ليصافت لك رهظتو اهنيب اميف تلاصولاو ,تارمملا مجح 

.تارمملا 

ىلع لوصحلاب حمسي يقفلأا مسرلا نإف اديدحت رثكاو - 

سفن ىلع ىرخأ رواغم عم ةلمتحملا تلاصولا لوح تامولعم 

ةيقفلأا طئارخلا ىلع ةرظن ءاقلا يرورضلا نم كلذل . روحملا 

لاا اهلجأ نم دجوي لا ةداع يتلاو )تاوهلا( ةيدوماعلا رواغملل 

يقيقحلا دادتملإا . )coupe( ةيعطقم يا ةيدوماع طئارخ 

ًادج ةبيرق اهنا ًلاثم نيبي نا نكمي اهلك تاهاجتلاا يف ةراغملل 

ةيمهلأا غلاب ًارما لكشي امم ىرخأ ةراغمل ةدئاع تادادتما نم 

ةقلاعلا رهظت حطسلا ىلع ةذوخأملا تاظحلاملا )1 مسر( 

.ةراغملا لخاد كلتو حطسلل ةيجولويجلا لاكشلأا نيب 

لوح تامولعم ىلا يدؤت يحطسلا ططخملا ةيؤر - 

ًامئاد انيطعي يحطسلا ططخملا كلذل .ةراغملا لكشت 

ءانب تلكشت ةراغملا تناك اذا ًلاثم تامولعملا نم ريثكلا 

ةطساوب رفح( نايدولا عون نم تناك اذا وا تاراسكنلإا ةكرحل 

)2 مسر ( )ءاملا نايرج 

لوح تامولعملل ردصم يه ةيحطسلا ةيؤرلا نا - 

دجن نايحلأا نم ريثك يف .ةراغملا يف ةاقتلملا تابسرتلا 

تابسرتلا هذه زكرمت نكاما ةفرعم ةلمكت داجيلإ يساسا هنا 

نم عونا هذه .يسيئرلا رمملا يف رورملا قيعت ةجرد يلأو 

يف بتكي مل نا هنكل روغتسملا نم ظحلام تامولعملا 

يف لامكلإا ةيناكمإب ثحب كانه نوكي نل ةحطسم ةطيرخ 

ناكملا اذه 

رهظت لا اهنا ةحطسملا طئارخلا يف صقنلا ىقبي - 

ةصقانلا داعبلاا.ةراغملل يدوماعلا دادتملإا لاو رمملا عافترا 

؟ماسقلأا اذاملو عسوملا يضرعلا عطقملا اذامل 

عطقمب ءافتكلإا اننكمي لا اذامل( قباسلا لاؤسلا سكعب 

طقسملا يضرعلا عطقملا نا وه باوجلا )؟ طقسم يضرع 

طاقسلإا ناك لاح يف ًلاثم . تامولعملا نم ريثكلا يفخي 

مسر اذا( برغلا هجتإب دتمت ةراغمل يبرغ يقرش روحم ىلع 

لامشلا هاجتإب ةراغملا هذه فرحنت مث )ةراغملل حضاو 

ةراغملا رهظيس ءزجلا اذه )3 مسر( ءانحنلإا سفنب لمكتو 

يف تارمملا لكشل ريغت كانه ناك اذاو .يدوماع رئب اهنا امك 

نإ .تامولعملا عيضتسو ءيش يا رهظي نل مسقلا اذه 

ةدعاسمب طاقسلإا نيوكت ديعي نا ردقي ديجلا يفارغوبوطلا 

نم ىقبي هنكل عسوملا يضرعلا عطقملاو يحطسلا مسرلا 

جارختسا )رادحنلإا ريغت ةلاح يف ليحتسمو ( ناكمب بعصلا 

.طقسم عطقم قيرط نع عسوم عطقم 

تاراسكنلإا لئلاد انيطعي عسوملا عطقملا نإ - 

ةيحطسلا ةطيرخلل رظنلاب ىرت نا نكمي لا يتلا تابسرتلاو 

1 مسرلاب ىطعم لثملا اذه.طقف 

تابوعصلا لهسا لكشب رهظي عسوملا عطقملا - 

لكشب ميظنتب حمسيو ).. للاش ،فحز ، رئب ( ةرظتنملا 

Philipp Häuselmann and the UISIC workgroup “Topography and mapping” | praezis@speleo.ch 

Translated to Arabic by Issam Sbat & Mohammad Helo | isssbat@hotmail.com mmmhelou@hotmail.com 

CAVE SURVEY 

مادتسملا طئارخلا مسر 

Sustainable mapping does exist. Experience has shown that il est commun de renouveler la topographie d’une grotte. l’expérience a montré 

remapping of caves is an ever-repeating issue. Often, remapping without que c’est une procédure qui se répète sans cesse. Refaire la topographie d’une 

including necessary data occurs because the cavers involuntarily lack grotte sans en inclure les données nécessaires arrive souvent, dû aux spéléos qui 

knowledge of what is needed and why. The aim of this paper is thus involontairement, manquent de connaissance au niveau de ce qui est demandé et le 

to inform the speleologist working in the field why quality mapping is pourquoi. le but de cet article est donc d’informer le spéléologue sur le besoin d’une 

needed and what elements are necessary. These elements include the topographie de qualité ainsi que sur les éléments nécessaires. Ces éléments incluent 

«holy trilogy» of plan view, longitudinal section (and cross-sections), and la “sainte trilogie” de la vue du plan, de la section longitudinale (et intersections), et 

a written description. We, the team of cave mappers all over the world, de la description par écrit. Nous, l’équipe de topographes de grottes dans le monde, 

hope that this article will be as widespread as possible, to minimize espérons que cet article soit répandu autant que possible, pour minimiser les futurs 

future impacts of remapping projects and to maximize the amount impacts des projets de re-topographie et pour maximiser la quantité d’informations 

of information than can be taken from mapping a cave, even to non- qui pourrait être obtenue par la topographie d’une grotte, même aux spéléologues 

geologic speleologists. 

non-géologues. 

لب )مداق لاقم عوضوم اذه نوكيس( ىرخأ باسح ىلع ةنيعم 

لدبتت لا ةدحاو يه ةيساسلاا دعاوقلا نا طئارخلا يماسر ريكذت 

مسر يف ساسلاا لكشت يتلاو ةيلاتلا طاقنلا ىلا انب يدؤي اذهو ، 

:طئارخلا 

اهتنايص عم ةزاتمم ةلاحب سايق ةزهجا لامعتسا - 

لمعتسنو ... رزيلالاب سايقلا ةلآ ، طيرشلاب سايقلا :رارمتساب 

.سيياقملل ًاقبط ةبرجم ةزهجا ةيلضفلااب 

عم سيياقملل هبنتمو ةربخ وذو بردم قيرف دامتعا - 

.ةيرصب بويع ةيأب ةطاحلاا 

ءاوضا ( نداعملا ىلا ةدئاعلا سايقلا ءاطخا ىلا هابتنلإا - 

مت دقو .)تاراظنلا ةيحايسلا رواغملا تازيهجت تايراطبلا ةرانلإا 

لقحلا ىلع رثؤت ةثيدحلا (led) دلالا راونا ىتح هنا فاشتكا 

ىجري كلذل )لاعتشلاا ةلاح يف طقف ضعبلا( يسيطانغملا 

.كلذ نم دكأتلا مث دكأتلا 

كلذل .ةطقن ىلا ةطقن نم طئارخلا مسر ىلع انه رصن - 

.رمملا فصتنم يف دوجوملا ليمزلا سأر لامعتسا بنجت ىجري 

طاقن يا وا روخصلا ىلع طئاحلا ىلع ، ةتباث طاقن رايتخا بجي 

بجي .رملأا مزل اذا اهداجيإ ةداعاو اهميلعت نكمملا نم ةتباث 

وا ًلاثم رفاظلأا ءلاط( ةمئادو ةيكذ ةقيرطب تاطحملا ميلعت 

نأك ةتباث ةقيرطب تاطحملا ديدحت بجي .ةسكاعلا طئارشلا 

.فقسلا وا ضرلأا طقف رسيلأا وا طقف نميلأا رادجلا ًلاثم مرتحن 

لك يف اهميلعت نكمم ةطحملا .)تارمملا سايقل ةدحاو ةقيرط( 

.لبقتسملا يف اهداجيإ ليهستل ةراغملا نم ءزج 

ريودت ىلع ةداعلا تجرد دقف : ةقيرطلا نع ملكتن اننا امبو 

3.56 وا 3.55 حبصت 3.56 ًلاثمف برقلأا رشعلا ىلع سايقملا 

سايقلا ةلآ ةطساوب يقيقحلا سايقملا يطعا دقل ؟اذاملف 

.ًاديفم اذه نكي مل نا ةقدلا صاقنا متي اذاملف 

يققدم ضعب – ساسح هنا رهظي مسرلا طاقن عقوم 

فدهب( ةراغملا لخاد تاملاع كرت بجي لا هنا نوري لاقملا 

تاملاع كرت بجي هنا نورخآ ىري نيح يف )ايئيب اهيلع ظافحلا 

طاقن عضول زيلاهدلاو قرافملا رهظت ةمئادو ةءورقمو ةحضاو 

رهظت لا ةيفخ تاملاع عضوب وه يصخشلا ييأر .ةيئاهنلا ءاقتللإا 

.ةيسيئرلا تاطحملا دنع لاا عضوت لاو ثحبلا دنع لاا 

نيماو عضاو )يكورك( عيرس مسر عضو يه ةريخلأا ةطقنلا– 

اذامل ةرقف نمض يلي اميف رهظتس مسرلا اذه ةيمها .لصفمو 

يكوركلا مسرت طئارخلا يماسر ضعب ؟ةلصفم عيرسلا ةمسرلا 

رطاسملا لامعتساب( ةراغملا لخاد ىتح سايقملا دامتعاب 

طئارخلا مسر ةيلمع سوملم لكشب ئطبي اذهو )ةيسدنهلا 

.ةمسرلا ةقد نسحيو ءاطخلأا صيلقت ىلا يدؤي هنكل 

نم مغرلاب .ءيشلا ضعب ًابيرغ لاقملا اذه ناونع ودبي دق 

بقل لمحت ماعلا عفنلا تاذ عيضاوملا مظعم انمايا يف هنا 

ريثأتلا فيفختك مادتسملا ةملك انذخا اذا كلذل .مادتسملا 

نع ثيدحلا نجهتسملا ريغ نم هنا دجن اهمارتحاو ةئيبلا ىلع 

.مادتسملا حسملا 

نم ةنيعم ةيعونب ةداشلاا ًادبا سيل لاقملا اذه ضرغ نإ 

نكل )ةيلضفلااب ماس ريغلا ( هافشلا رمحا عون طيطختلا ملاقا 

ةراغملا حسم مت لاح يف مادتسملا ةطيرخلا مسر نا راهظا 

، تاونس ةعضب للاخو ، ةسكاعملا ةلاحلا يف .ديج لكشب 

ًاديدج ًاحسم ءيس لكشب ةحوسمملا ةراغملا دهشتس 

ىلع ةيبلسلا تاساكعنلاا نم ديزم ىوس هل نوكي نل اذهو 

.ةقيقرلا اهتئيب 

تسيل ديدج نم ام ةراغم حسم ةداعا نا رهظت ةبرجتلا 

ًلاثم .حسملا ةداعلإ بابسلاا نم ريثكلا كانه .ًارركم ًلامع لاا 

تايثادحلاا اماو ةعئاض اما ، ةدوجوم ريغ ةيلصلاا ةخسنلا 

عطقملا صقنت وا ،ةلمعتسم ريغ وا ةرفوتم ريغ ةيساسلاا 

ىوتسم نود ًاضيا نوكت دق ةرفوتملا ةخسنلا ةيعون. يضرعلا 

.ةدمتعملا سيياقملا 

نيذلا ، نيروغتسملا نم ديدعلا نا لاملآل ًابييخت رثكلاا رملااو 

مسر نوسني يملعو قيقد لكشب رواغملا حسم نوديعي 

ةجردل .ىرخا ةمهم تامولعم وا ةراغملل يضرعلا عطقملا 

رصانعلا هذه ةفاضلإ طقف ىرخا ةرم ةراغملا حسمل رارطضلاا 

.ةصقانلا 

يف صقاون كانه .ةدوصقم ريغ تاوفهلا هذه نوكت بلاغلا يف 

.»يرورض رملاا اذه اذامل « ، طئارخلا مسر ميلعت 

اذه يروغتسمل حيضوتلا : جودزم اذا وه لاقملا ضرغ 

رصانعلا نايبتو ٍنأتب حسملا ةرورض )طئارخلا مسر( لاجملا 

.ديجلا يعونلا حسملل ةيرورضلا 

ءاوس ، »سدقملا ثولاثلا« ىوس اوسيل رصانعلا هذه 

)زيلاهدلا ماسقا عم (يضرعلا عطقملا وا ، يحطسلا مسرلا 

،رواغملا حسمب لمعي قيرفب ءاضعأك نحنو .يطخلا فصولاو 

رارضلاا فيفختب عساو لكشب لاقملا اذه مهاسي نا لمأن 

حسملل ةرركتملا تاداعلاا ءارج نم يفوجلا طسولاب ةقحلالا 

هجوم اذه حسملا للاخ تامولعملاو تايطعملا عفر نيسحتو 

.نييجولويج ريغلا نيروغتسملل ًاضيا 

طئارخلا مسر تايساسا 

اهضعب ، ملاعلا يف طئارخلا مسر ءارجلإ قرط ةدع كانه 

ةقيرط عيجشت سيل انفده نا ريغ ، رخلآا ضعبلا نم لضفا 


مئادلا طئارخلا مسر 

3 مسر 

طقسم عطقمو ) ىلعلأا نم ( ةيحطس ةيؤر 

نيبي طاقسلإا .ةلمتحم ةراغمب رممل )لفسلااب( 

طبهي نإ ةقيقحلا يف هنا نيح يف رئب لكشب نوكت 

.طاقسلإا حطسم عم يدوماع لكشب ةموعنو ءطبب 

عطقملا طقف نا دكؤملا نم ةمسرلا هذه ةيؤرب 

.يقيقحلا لكشلا رهظي يذلا وه عسوملا 

5 مسر 

يف ةراغملا نم مسقلا اذه يف رهظت مسرلا ةيعون ةيمها 

ةيحطسلا ةيؤرلا ، فاشكتسلإ يكورك وه ىلعلاا مسرلا .اينامور 

لك عم رمملا سفن رهظي ىندلاا مسرلا نا نيح يف ليصافتلا نودب 

و ةركاذلا نم يه تلايصفتلا نا هابتنلإا بجي (.ةظحلاملا تلايصفتلا 

دحا يف لمكيس زيلهدلا اذه نا دكؤملا نم و اهتشقانم نكمملا نم 

زيلهدلل ةلمتحملا ةلمكتلا رهظي قيقدلا مسرلا طقف .)نكاملاا 

.ةعارلا ةراغملا هذهل يسيئرلا رمملا نوكي دق يذلا 

6 مسر 

.نيا فرعا لا يتحول عضو تيسن دقل ! نيسيدقلا لك مساب “ ةئبعت 

2 مسر 

– زاقوقلا ( anglorusskaya peshtshera يف قيض رممل ةيحطس ةيؤر 

لسلست تاذ تامولعم ةدع ىلع يوتحت ةيحطسلا ةيؤرلا انه . )ايسور 

ةيناكما نإف يلاتلابو لوطا وه عسوملا عطقملا نإف ديكأتلاب .يقطنم 

هذه ىلع طقف ءورقم وه حطسلا عم وا ىرخا ةراغم عم عم لصاوتلا 

.ةطيرخلا 

4 مسر 

ةقطنمل لفسلاا نم عسوم عطقمو ىلعا نم يحطس يكورك مسر 

ىذتحي لا ( ةئيس ةيعون نم مسرلا اذه . اينامور يف pestera humpleu لخدم 

لحارملا ةيؤر هللاخ نم اننكمي يذلا عسوملا عطقملا ىلا دجوي لا.)لثملا هب 

رواغملل ةعسوملا عطاقملا ًاضيا اومسرت نا بجي .ةراغملا نوكتل ثلاثلا 

.ةيقفلاا 

اوعض ، ةراغملل يقيقح رطخ لكشي رشنلا ناك اذا ! مكتايطعم 

نيفشرؤم كانه . رواغملل ينطولا فيشرلأا يف طئارخلا نم ةخسن 

.ةمات ةيرسب تايطعملاو طئارخلا ظفح نوحرتقي نادلب ةدع يف 

يف هتئبختب رطخلل مكلمع اوضرعت لا .لامتحلإا اذه اولمعتسا 

.ةزهجم ريغلا مكجاردا 

تايطعملا لخدت نا نكمملا نم ، مكلامعا مترشن اذا ىتح :ةحيصن 

للاخ حطسلا عم ةسارد ةقطنم يف داعبلأا يثلاث جذومنب ةيساسلأا 

دتمت ام ةراغم نا دحا دكأتيل لاثم ادج مهم اذه .نلآا نم نينس ةعضب 

لك يف .ةميدق ةكبشل تارممب لاصتلإل وا ... هضرا تحت راتما ةعضبل 

يف وا اندنع ءاوس ةيلصلاا تايطعملا ةزايح يويحلا نم لاوحلأا هذه 

مكتاركذم يمرب وموقت لا ًادبا .ةينطولا تافيشرلأا يف وا يدانلا فيشرا 

اذهو. نيخستم اوناك ول ىتح ، ةعيرسلا مكتامسرو مكتاظحلامو 

اوناك لاح يف ديدج نم يفارغوبوطلا حسملا ءارجلإ باهذلا نم انيفعي 

ًائيش لكشي لا هلغشت يتلا ناكملا.اهب اوظفتحا .ًاقباس نيبوتكم 

.لبقتسملاب ديدج نم ماقرلأا عفر ديعن نا ةبسنلاب 

لبقتسملا ىلا ةرظن 

يف .يوديلا مسرلا لحم رتويبموكلا ذخأي ًائيشف ًائيش 

مسرل لمعتست )بودلأا لثم( مسرلل جمارب كانه ةريخلأا تاونسلا 

حمسي ايجولونكتلا مدقت .نلآا اهارن يتلا ةليمجلاو ةعئارلا طئارخلا 

صاخشلألو )...روخصلا وا ءاملا وا لمرلل( .ناوللأا ةدايزب ىتح ًاضيا 

ثيح هاندا ةروكذم تنرتنا عقاوم كانه ينورتكللاا ةسرلاب ةمتهملا 

نكل .طئارخلا مسر عيبكتل ةعونصمعجارم ءامساو تامولعم دجن 

قرولا – قرولا وه ةيلاحلا ةعاسلا ىتح مئادلا فيشرلأا نا وظفحا 

لا يد يسلا ضعب نا نيح يف رثكا ةنس 500 ىلا 20 ظفتحي 

نم اوهتنت ام درجم ، نيرصبتم اونوك .نيتنس دعب مهتءارق نكمي 

طقف ةقيرطلا هذهب . اهوفشراو طئارخلا اوعبطا ينورتكللاا مسرلا 

.مكلمع متممتا دق اونوكت 

لوح حئاصنو تامولعم مدقت يتلا تنرتنلاا عقاوم نم ريثكلا دجوي 

مهيصحن نا نكمي لا كلذل .لولحلاو لكاشملا ،طئارخلا مسر تاينقت 

:ًلاامعتسا رثكلأا ركذنس نكل مهلك 

http://www.sghbern.ch/hrh.html 

Site Internet de la HRH (Siebenhengste, Suisse) où l’on trouve bon 

nombre d’articles à propos de la topographie, des erreurs fréquentes, etc. 

.ةعئائلا ءاطخلأاو مسرلا لوح تلااقملا نم ريبك ددع دجن ثيح - 

http://www.carto.net/neumann/caving/cave-symbols/ 

Les symboles officiels de topographie de l’UIS 

.رواغملا فاشكتسلا يملاعلا داحتلاا نم ةدمتعملا تاحلطصملا - 

http://www.sghbern.ch/surfaceSymbols/symbol1.html 

Les symboles pour la cartographie géomorphologique de la surface 

.ةيجولوفرومويجلا طئارخلل زومرلا - 

http://www.ngdc.noaa.gov/seg/geomag/jsp/Declination.jsp 

Pour calculer la déclinaison magnétique tout autour de la Terre 

.ملاعلا لوح يسيطانغملا فارحنلاا باسحل - 

http://www.speleo.ch/~scmn/topographie.php 

Librairies Adobe Illustrator (version 9 et 10) pour dessins sur 

informatique. 

.رتويبموكلاب مسرلل 10 و 9 بودلاا ةبتكم - 

http://www.ssslib.ch (rubrique topo) 

Librairies Adobe Illustrator (version 10 et CS) pour dessins sur 

informatique. 

: ىلا ركش 

نيذلاو ،تاحرتقملاو ،تاحيحصتلاو ،داوملا اومدق نيذلا صاخشلاا لك 

:لاقملا اذه اومجرت 

Lukas Plan (Autriche), Ralph Müller (Allemagne), Ken Grimes 

(Australie), Gabriel Redonte (Argentine), Rafael Carreno 

(Venezuela), Jelena Calic (Serbie), Erik Agrell (Suède), Pat 

Kambesis (USA), Andy Dickert (Suisse), Yvo Weidmann (Suisse), 

Alex Hof (Suisse), Eckart Hermann (Autriche), Arnauld Malard 

(France), Daniela Spring (Suisse). 

لمع قيرف ىلا نوبستني صاخشلاا ءلاؤه نم ديدعلا 

.’طئارخلاو مسرلل‘ (l’UISIC) 

؟يطخلا فصولا اذامل 

ىلع طاوطو مسرت نا تلواح له : يهيدب ادج باوجلا 

نكاملاا وا )رهظي نل سايقملا دامتعاب( ةحطسملا ةطيرخلا 

لوح كيأر يطعتس فيك ؟ ةراغملا طئاوح ىلع ةظوحلملا ةللبملا 

؟ةراغملا لكشت 

نوكي نا نكميو تامولعملل يساسا ردصم وه يطخلا فصولا 

:نيروغتسملل ةبسنلاب نكل ءاملعلل ةبسنلاب طقف سيل ، يسيئر 

ريغلا ديملاجلا روخصلا ةيعون ةرومغملا تارمملا بيكرتلا مزاول 

نكمي لا روملأا هذه ...نيوكتلا ةيلمعو ايجولويبلا سبجلا دوجو ةباث 

طقف يفتكي لا فصولا ًاريخاو .ةباتكلا ىلا ًامئاد جاتحتو مسرت نا 

ىلا يدؤي رمم كراسي نع ًلاثم( ةطيرخلا فصو ديعي طيسب صنب 

.ةمهملاو ةيساسلأا تامولعملا هيف ركذي نا بجي نكل )32 رئبلا 

!ةمهم تاعلاطتساب مايقلا ىلع نورداق انلك معن 

يف تاقرطلا طقف سيلو طئارخلا ةقدب مسرن اذامل 

)يكورك( عيرس مسر وا ةراغملا 

قيقدلاو يبناجلا مسرلا نلأ زاتمم لاؤس اذه ىلولأا ةلهولل 

ًلامع طئارخلا مسر نوكي نلأ يدؤيو تقولا كلهتسي يذلا وه 

لامعتسلإل ؟يودي عيرس يكورك مسرب يفتكن لا اذامل اذا .ًلامم 

. ةلماكلا تامولعملا لمحي قيقد مسر نا ايلج رهظي يملعلا 

نم ريثكلا ىلع لوصحلا روغتسملا عيطتسي ةقيرطلا سفنلابو 

طئارخ مسرل جارختسا وه 5 مسرلا .قيقدلا مسرلا نم تانايبلا 

وهف ىندلأا ءزجلا اما يديلقت مسر حضوي ىلعلأا ءزجلا . ةراغمل 

ةيوازلا يف ؟ضيرعلا زيلهدلا تانوكم يه نيا .ًلاامج رثكا ةقيرطب 

عيطتسن لا ام اذهو .ةلمكتلا داجياو رفحلا عيطتسن ىنميلا ايندلا 

.ةيكوركلا ةمسرلا عم هلعف 

اهعقاومو تابسرتلا صاخ لكشبو تارمملا لكش نإ : راصتخإب 

انيطعت ، رمملا مجح عسوتو قيض لوح ىرخأ تامولعمب ةطبترم 

ةلدلأا هذه نكل .ةلمتحملا ةلمكتلا تلاامتحا لوح ةيقيقح تامولعم 

.ةلصفملاو ةقيقدلاو ةحضاولا طئارخلاب لاا رهظت لا 

موقي نا راظتناب ةزهجلأا ةءارق نم مترجض اذا : صوصخلا اذهب 

؟)اضيا دربلا نم نوصلختت ىتحو( نوعنصت اذام ، هتاموسرب ماسرلا 

. نيديكا ونوك اهنودجتس.ةلمتحم ةيبناج تارمم داجيإ اولواح 

هاجتلااب سيياقم ذخا يه ًاريثك نودربت لا ىتح ىرخا ةقيرط كانه 

.تأجافم اوعقوت .ًةلباقم ةذوخأملل ةقدلا ديكأتل سكاعملا 

سايقمب ةقلعتملا تلااكشلإا ضعب أشنت نا نكمملا نم 

.ةضيرخلا لامعتسلإ ةبسنلاب ددحي نا بجي سايقملا .ةطيرخلا 

هل 1/50 سايقم لمعتسا نكمم نكسلل لمعتسا عقوم نإ 

يف .قاروا ةدعبو 1/500 اهل لمعتسن ادج ةليوط ةكبش امنيب 

.ةريغصلا رواغملا لكل 1/100 سايقم ةداع لمعتسن نحن ابوروأ 

.ةريبكلا رواغملل رتم 1:500 و رتم 500 و 20 نيب رواغملل 1/200 

ةمسرلا نم ءزجلا سفن يف سيياقم ةدع اوطلخت لا نا اولواح 

اننا دكؤملا نم .تامسر ةدعل ماجحلأا نيب ةنراقملا عيطتسن ىتح 

نم سيل ، 1/500 لا دودحب يئاهنلا انمسر نوكي نا ديرن انك اذا 

لا نكل 1/50 لاب يكورك يرجن نا وا تاظحلام نودن نا ديفملا 

ةمسر وه هلعفن نا ًادبا انل قحي لا يذلا اما .لباقملاب عنمي ءيش 

اهمسر مث نمو ةراغم يف 1/500 سايقمب )ةيكورك( ةعيرس 

مسرلا ءارجإب أدبن نا لبق ةياهنلاب ركفنلف .ةقدب 1/50 سايقمب 

سيياقملا ذخاو 

؟رشنلا اذامل 

اهنومسرتف لوخدلا ةلهس ةليمج ةدعاو ةراغم نودجت دق 

داون نم نوروغتسم موقي نا نوشخت دق مكنكلو .دوهجم يا نودب 

اهودقفيف اهلوخدب يشملا نوبحي صاخشا وا حاوس وا ةسفانم 

ةراغملا هذه ىلع ظافحلا يه ىلولأا مكلعف ةدر .اهتايصوصخ 

وا رفاس دق مكدحا ناك اذا هنا وه يبلسلا بناجلا . نيفد رسك 

يماسر دحا نا وا تاونس ةعضبل راوغتسلاا نع فقوتلا ىلا رطضا 

نم طئارخلا قارحاب تماقف هتدلاو عم فلتخا مكيدان يف طئارخلا 

اذه نم تلااح تفرع يننا ذا ليحتسم سيل اذهو اوليخت( .بضغلا 

.تعاض دق تامولعملاف يلاتلابو )رملأا 

لك مكطئارخ لك مكرواغم لك اورشنا متحمس اذا 


GRAPHIC DESIGN 

WHAT’S 

IN A 

logo? 

Nadine Sinno | info@speleoliban.org 

THANK YOU TO ALL THE CAVERS WHO TOOK THE TIME TO SEND THEIR LOGOS 

What is a logo? Why is it important and how do we 

relate to it? There are many famous logos recognizable the 

world over. They can be images, letters from an alphabet 

or a combination of both. Understanding why a certain 

logo is easily recognizable is the main reason a good logo 

is considered exactly that. A logo does not have to show 

everything it is trying to identify. It just has to give us a 

shortcut to particular product, place or person. The best 

logos in the world are the ones that have withstood the 

ravages of time, allowed for flexibility and growth and have 

managed to remain identifiable even as they evolve. 

Most elements in the world today have logos. It is 

hard to find a famous company or a shop or manufactured 

goods that has not been ‘logo’ed to death. It seems that 

caving clubs have also followed this route. 

The idea for this article was simple. If logos where 

brought together from caving clubs around the world would 

they be similar as they are all identifying the same thing? An 

open letter was sent out asking caving clubs to send their 

logo along with a certain explanation for the logo design. 

Over seventy replies were received. 

It was found that the caving club logos fit into 

five different categories: Karstic terrain, where images of 

cavers in caves, cavities underground and general water- 

flow through rocks prevailed; Cave fauna, showing mainly 

bats and proteuses; Type based logos where the initials of 

the caving clubs are used; equipment from karabiners to 

helmets; Abstract which are mainly geometrical patterns. 

Combinations of some of the other categories together 

elements. 

There does not seem to be a predominant colour 

for the logos. Only when the colours are significant to the 

country does a logo tend to have specifically different 

colours as with the KARST logo and the Mexica. 

‘The logo was designed in 1955 

featuring a bat and the lebanese 

national tree, the Cedar.’ The 

newer version (on the right) has 

been digitized into vectors with 

the cleaning of the cedar tree and 

more definition in the bat. 

sami karkabi, founder, speleo 

club du liban 

The predominant shape is the circle and over 60% of 

the logos were circular in format. 

It was found that from the hundreds or so logos 

researched the most used image to be placed on caving 

clubs logos is that of a bat, with approx. 30% of the logos. 

Some represent typical design elements of that 

specific country. The Swiss and German cleanliness and their 

strict geometrical typeface is typical of the design history of 

these countries. 

The combination logos can also create interesting 

images. The combined images of type with karst elements 

such as the NSS logo and the CSS show the integration of 

different aspects of caving such as the bat and a carbide 

lamp and type and karstic features. 

Some of the most beautiful logos remain the simplest. 

Depicting the most fundamental caving images these 

seem to keep the design identity of a country as well as 

understanding what caving is. The Carbide lamp with wings, 

the man climbing inside a country’s shape. There are too 

many to speak of. 

All in all it seems that caving clubs’ logos do not 

vary that much from each other with respect to the images 

they portray because in the end that is what joins them all 

together. Whether we see the differences or the similarities 

we all represent one thing and that is we all love these little 

(or not so little in some cases) underground heavens. How 

we choose to represent them depends on the country we 

come from and its graphic design history. We can see that 

the older the logo the more it is influenced by graphic design 

trends of the country but in recent time and with the newer 

logos this seems to have disappeared as it indeed has from 

mainstream graphic design since the advent of computers 

and the internet when so many styles are prevalent and so 

much is available to look at. 

THIS IS AN ON GOING PROJECT SO If YOU ARE INTERESTED IN SENDING YOUR LOGOS AND DETAILS PLEASE SEND THEM TO: 

renakaranouh@hotmail.com 

له ملاعلا يفراوغتسلاا ةيدنا تاراعش عمج مت اذا 

قرطتت اهنوكل نومضملا ثيح نم ةهباشتم نوكتس 

يذلا لاؤسلا وه اذه ؟راوغتسلأا وهو عوضوملا سفنل 

ددع ةثحابلا تعمج نا دعبو .لاقملا اذه يف جلوع 

ىلا اهمصق ملاعلا يفراوغتسلاا ةيدنا تاراعش نم ريفو 

وأ ةسراكلا عيضاوم :اهتاراعش يف ظحلت تآف ةسمخ 

تادعموأ ةيدنلاا ءامسا تاحلطصموأ رواغملا تاناويح 

.ةيلايخ عيضاوم ظحلت تاراعش اريخا و نيروغتسملا 

L’auteur de cet article se pose: si les logos des différents clubs de spéléo dans 

le monde étaient regroupés, seraient-ils pareils vu qu’ils identifient la même 

chose? Il a été trouvé que les logos des clubs de spéléologie appartiennent à cinq 

catégories différentes : le terrain karstique, où les images des spéléos sont des 

grottes, des cavités souterraines et des écoulements d’eau généraux à travers des 

rochers dominants; la faune des grottes, montrant surtout des chauves-souris et 

des proteus; des logos en lettres, où les initiaux des clubs de spéléologie sont 

employés; l’Equipement, des mousquetons, aux casques; Abstrait, des logos à 

motifs géométriques: combinaisons de certains éléments des autres catégories. 

VICTORIAN SPELEOLOGICAL ASSOCIATION, AUSTRALIA 

UNIÓN MEXICANA DE AGRUPACIONES ESPELEOLÓGICAS, MEXICO 

AGRUPACION SPELEOLOGICAL CLUB, MEXICO 

CZECH SPELEOLOGY SOCIETY, CZECH REPUBLIC 

BOLOGNA SPELEOLOGICAL GROUP, ITALY 

‘This logo is called «Nargun». The 

«Nargun» is the name of a mythical 

creature who lived in caves and caught 

people who came near. This is a myth 

of the east gippsland aboriginal tribes. 

We have at least two caves associated 

with this myth. The emblem logo was 

stylized as a cave man from a silhouette 

photograph of a caver in the entrance 

of a cave.’ nicholas white, australian 

speleological federation. 

‘The first semicircle means the union 

between the speleological groups; the 

second semicircle symbolizes a cord, which 

is an important element to practice the 

speleology. The human figure represents a 

seated Mayan wise person within the cave 

and is a symbol of the knowledge that is 

due to have to study the caverns suitably. 

Finally in the center of the emblem there are 

stalactites and stalagmites, typical formations 

that are observed in the surroundings of the 

means in which you make its activities the 

speleologists.’ dr. palacios-vargas, mexico. 

‘our logo is a Mexica - our ancient culture 

- stylized bat with a waterfall coming 

out it’s mouth and a red caving helmet. 

surrounded by a yellow frame with 

stalactites and stalagmites.’ guillermo 

gonzález canales, mexico. 

i am sending the logo of the Czech 

speleological society - it was drawn by 

Karel saudek, a famous Czech painter. 

jirina novotna, css 

‘A symbol of a complete collaboration between the historical speleological groups of 

our city: Bologna speleological group (1932) and Bologna speleological union (1957).’ 

stefano cattabriga secretary of Bologna speleological group 

KARST, ORGANIZACIÓN ARGENTINA DE 

INVESTIGACIONES ESPELEOLÓGICAS, ARGENTINA 

PLANIVY VERTICAL TEAM, CZECH REPUBLIC 

‘The colours are the colours of the 

Argentine flag: Blue and White. The 

brickyard is the geological symbol of 

the limestone. The caver inside with 

the form of a ‘K’ is the first character 

of the word KARsT, the name of our 

group that was create in 1972.’enrique 

lipps, karst, organización 

argentina de investigaciones 

espeleológicasadheridos a la sociedad 

argentina de espeleología. 

The official logo of this speleo club was 

established in 1959. The pigmy in the 

center of one is the basic symbol of the 

Planivy speleogroup. 

‘Here you are the logo of the, FeAlC, 

Federacion espeleologica de America 

latina y el Caribe, designed in 1981 

in Cuba (valid for Brazil, Venezuela, 

Argentina, Cuba, Costa Rica, Republica 

dominicana, Mexico, Bolivia). You can 

choose the best electronic version as you 

want. i also will re-send your mail into 

the latin-American email list, so dozens 

of societies inside these countries can 

help you in your work.’ rafael carreño 

federacion espeleologica de america 

latina y el caribe fealc. 

‘Here is the logo of the FeAlC, Federacion 

espeleologica de America latina y el 

Caribe, designed in 1981 in Cuba (valid for 

Brazil, Venezuela, Argentina, Cuba, Costa 

Rica, Republica dominicana, Mexico, 

Bolivia).’ 

Some of the logos were sent with an explanation of the reasoning 

behind the imagery. There does not seem to be an area specific 

single logo identity but most follow local legends or myths or 

just caving equipment. Some take into consideration the main 

interest of the club such as vertical descents or diving. 


PLANIVY SPELEO CLUB 

SOCIEDAD VENEZOLANA DE 

ESPELEOLOGIA, VENEZUELA 

LATIN AMERICAN AND CARRIBEAN SPELEOLOGY FEDERATION 

Planivy speleo club which are 

interested in research or making of 

expeditions to deep vertical cave 

systems.

logos Based on cave fauna 

SPORT ASSOCIATION OF SPELEOLOGY, 

MOROCCO 

OTXOLA SPELEOLOGY CLUB, SPAIN CENTRE ROUTIER SPELEO, BELGUIM SPELEO CLUB OF ORVIETO, ITALY SWISS SPELEOLOGICAL SOCIETY 

SPELEOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF JAPAN SPELEO CLUB OF ROME, ITALY 

JAMARSKO DRUSTVO SEZANA, SLOVENIA 

VENEZIANA RICERCA GROUP, ITALY 

SPELEO CLUB OF MONTAGNES NEUCHATELOISES, 

FRANCE 

ARAGON SPELEOLOGY CENTER, SPAIN 

DOCUMENTATION CENTER OF SPELEOLOGY, ITALY CZECH SPELEOLOGICAL SOCIETY, CZECH REPUBLIC SPELEOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF SEŽANA, SLOVENIA SPELEOLOGICAL CLUB ORCUSو CZECH REPUBLIC 

SPELEOLOGICAL SOCIETY, ITALY SPELEO CLUB OF TOULON, FRANCE TOPAS SPELEOLOGICAL CLUB, BRNO 

ALPINE AND SPELEOLOGICAL CLUB SPELEOLOGICAL CLUB OF SAVONESE, ITALY 

KARST AND CAVES / MUSEUM OF NATURAL 

HISTORY VIENNA, AUSTRIA 

POTOMAC SPELEOLOGICAL SOCIETY UNDER ACHIEVERS CLUB, AUSTRALIA 

The majority of the cave 

fauna that were placed on 

logos were bats accounting 

for over 30% of logo imagery. 

The proteus also seems to 

be a common favourite. 

logos Based on cave fauna (cont’d) 

JAMARSKA ZVEVA, SLOVENIA SPELEO CLUB OF VALCERESIO, ITALY JOURNAL LOGO, SLOVENIA KARST INSTITUTE, POLAND 

CAVING CLUB LJUBLJANA, SLOVENIA 

logos Based on cave eQuipmenT 

SWISS SPELEOLOGICAL SOCIETY, SWITZERLAND CZECH SPELEOLOGY CLUB, CZECH REPUBLIC 

GERMAN SPELEOLOGICAL FEDERATION, GERMANY CLUB ESPELEOLOGÍA TALPA, SPAIN 

SPELEO-DIVING GROUP HRANICKY 

KARST OLOMOUC, CZECH REPUBLIC CLUB FOR THE SPELEOLOGICAL RESEARCH 

SPELEOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF WALLONIE SPELEO CLUB OF NUORO, ITALY 

SPELEO CLUB OF FORTE DEI MARMI. ITALY 

SWISS CAVE DIVING, SWITZERLAND 

ASSOCIATION SPELEOLOGIQUE & 

ARCHEOLOGIQUE GOUYTOISE JAMARSKI KLUB, SLOVENIA SPELEO CLUB OF ARIZE 

SPELEO CLUB OF FRANCONVILLE VAL D’OISE, 

FRANCE 

SPELEO PETRA SPELEOLOGICAL GROUP, ITALY 

SPELEO CLUB LES STALACS, FRANCE 

SPELEOLOGICAL FEDERATION, ARGENTINA 

SPELEO CLUB GODINNOIS, FRANCE 

The caving helmet seems to 

be the favourite among cave 

club logos with the carbide 

lamp featuring too. The entire 

range of SRT equipment is 

also shown with carabiners 

and rope descents. 


whaT’s in a logo? 

2 

5

logos Based on karsT feaTures 

CROATIAN SPELEOLOGICAL FEDERATION, 

CROATIA 

NORWEGIAN CAVING CLUB, NORWAY 

FOND SPÉLÉOLOGIQUE DE BELGIQUE, BELGUIM 

SPÉLÉO CLUB DE LA VALLÉE DE JOUX, SWITZERLAND REDAN CAVING CLUB, BELGUIM 

ITALY THE DEVON KARST RESEARCH SOCIETY, UK 

BOSTON GROTTO, USA 

SOCIETE SPELEOLOGIQUE DE WALLONIE 

BALKAN SPELEOLOGICAL UNION 

speleo 

QUEBEC SPELEOLOGICAL SOCIETY, CANADA 

ICELANDIC SPELEOLOGICAL SOCIETY NATIONAL CAVING ASSOCIATION, UK GREECE 

AUSTRIAN CAVING ASSOCIATION , AUSTRIA NATIONAL SPELEOLOGICAL SOCIETY, USA 

ESPELEO SOCORRO, SPAIN 

LEBANESE ASSOCIATION OF SPELEOLOGICAL STUDIES NATIONAL CAVE AND KARST RESEARCH INSTITUTE SPELEO CLUB OF RIBALDONE. ITALY 

CASTELLI ROMANI CAVE GROUP, ITALY 

TEXAS SPELEOLOGICAL SURVEY, USA 

LINCOLN SCOUTS CAVING CLUB, UK 

Underground karstic 

features do indeed show up 

a lot whether it is fractured 

rocks, underground terrain 

or speleothems. 

logos Based on Type 

HOHLENFORSCHERGEMEINSCAFT REGION HOHGANT, 

SWITZERLAND 

SPELEOLOGICAL GROUP OF URBINATE, ITALY 

SPELEOLOGICAL GROUP OF ARTIFICIAL CAVES, ITALY 

GRUPO ESPELEOLÓGICO ANTHROS, COSTA RICA 

CANTERBURY CAVING GROUP, UK 

GEDA SPELEOLOGY GROUP, CUBA 

BELGIUM UNION OF SPELEOLOGY, BELGUIM CAVE RESEARCH INSTITUTE OF KOREA, KOREA 

CAMBRIDGE CLIMBING AND CAVING CLUB 

AUCKLAND SPELEO GROUP, AUSTRALIA AUCKLAND SPELEO GROUP AUCKLAND SPELEO GROUP 

logos Based on aBsTracT shapes 

KINGSTON UNIVERSITY CAVING CLUB, UK 

GROUPE D’ETUDES ET DE 

RECHERCHES SOUTERRAINES DU 

LIBAN, LEBANON 

Typography based logos do 

not seem to be very popular 

and only a few were identified 

mostly forming combined logos 

and rarely type on its own. 

SANDIA GROTTO, USA SPANISH CAVING FEDERATION, SPAIN 

SPELEOFORUM, CZECH REPUBLIC 

SPELEO RESCUE, MEXICO 

SPELEOTHERAPY CENTER SVEJAN, SLOVAK REPUBLIC ALBERTA SPELEOLOGICAL SOCIETY NEW ZEALAND SPELEOLOGICAL SOCIETY 

Some logos are abstract and 

have a symbolic aspect to 

them where the logo can be 

understood on a number of 

different levels. 


1951-1955 

Lionel Gorra’s 

house (Fig. 1) 

CLUB-HOUSE 

Fig. 1 

lionel gorra’s house, BeiruT. 

Fig. 2 

alBerT anavy’s house, BeiruT. 

Bashir khoury | www.bashirkhoury.com 

Fig. 3 

renTed house, TallaT jumBlaT sT. BeiruT. 

Fig. 4 

scl headQuarTers, 1998, Bsalim. 

Fig. 5 

The cluBhouse wiTh The climBing wall, 2009. 

We always had this problem. We were on the move 

regularly. Even before the war we were always nomadic. 

We did not stay in one place for long. We had to move all 

our equipment and change our weekly meeting location 

frequently, for various reasons. The material we owned 

and collected throughout the years were sometimes lost 

and other times stolen due to this wandering existence. 

1950 1960 1970 1980 1990 2000 

1955-1962 

albert anavy’s 

house (Fig. 2) 

1962-1975 

Rented house, Tallat Jumblat St., 

beirut (Fig. 3) 

1975-1985 

The Lebanese War. This same 

rented house was emptied of its 

equipment, archives and library. 

The materiel was moved to 

alain Maroun’s house (aoukar, 

beirut suburbs), the archives 

and library were put in Sami 

Karkabi’s house (faraya) until 

1985. That same year all the 

documents of the library were 

submitted to Hani abdulnour. 

1989-1992 

Joe Zgheib’s 

house, biyada 

1985-1989 

Lionel Gorra’s house, 

Zouk Mosbeh. 

OUR 

THURSDAY 

MEETING 

headQuarTers 

ever since The founding of The spÉlÉo 

cluB du liBan in 1951 we have moved 

headQuarTers more Than Ten Times. 

1992-1993 

bTD headquarters 

courtesy of Michel 

Majdalani, Zalka. 

1996-1997 

Société Général bank 

location, ashrafieh 

1993-1996 

Société Général bank 

put a quarter for ScL 

disposition, naccache 

1998 to date 

ScL headquarters, 

Qennabet broumana 

1997-1998 

church Hall, badaro 

بيقنتلل ينانبللا يدانلا لظ اماع 47 ىدم ىلع 

نأ ىلا ,رخا ىلا ناكم نم لقنتي رواغملا يف 

ةنس يفو .1998 ةنس انامرب ةبانق يف ّ رقتسا 

يهيجوت ططخم يدانلا نم ءاضعا عضو 2007 

ىلع ططخملا اذه ذفنيو يدانلا رقم نيسحتل 

.ةيلبقتسملا ءاضعلأا تابلطتم بسح لحارم 

In 1998, we no longer had to move, the club-house in 

Bsalim was bought (Fig. 4). 

The importance of finding a central hub where all our 

books, archives, equipment and gear can be stored was 

beginning to take shape. 

The club-house was bought in 1998 when Hughes 

Badaouie was the president of SCL. The cost at that time 

was $30,000. Half of it came from club members who 

donated money and the other half came from work done 

on the Qattine Azar sinkhole project conducted by BTD 

(Bureau de Techniques et du Development) managed by 

M. Majdalani. 

The location is a two-level, 370 sqm warehouse 

located in Qennabet Broummana, 10 minutes from Beirut. 

Since 1998, club members worked on improving 

its condition. This included painting, tiling, installing a 

metal staircase, an entrance door, and lighting. They also 

allocated a room for the caving equipment and a small 

room for archiving. This was all done with very good 

intentions but without any proper preplanning. 

The new design for SCL’s club-house came about 

after members showed a need to identify themselves to the 

space in order to appropriate it and feel at home. 

How are we to satisfy these aspirations? 

Recently Johnny T. and I have worked on a new 

design for the club-house that satisfies the modern caver’s 

needs and aspirations. The plans in Figure 5 and 6 show 

this new design of the lower level and the upper level or 

mezzanine level. 

A roof covering the entrance was necessary not only 

to conceive a small working space for washing and storing 

dirty equipment and ropes which is very vital for the 

cavers, but also beautifies the club’s entrance. 

Rearranging the stairs to the mezzanine level 

provided direct access from the entrance. Direct access to 

the upper level was necessary for transporting material in 

and out of the library which was named “Sami Karkabi’s 

dans cet article, l’auteur met l’accent sur le problème d’avoir dû déménager plus de 10 fois déjà depuis la 

fondation du spéléo Club du liban en 1951. le sCl n’a pas duré longtemps dans le même emplacement pour 

plusieurs raisons. le matériel du sCl, approprié et collectionné au fil des années était parfois perdu, d’autres 

fois même volé malheureusement, jusqu’à l’année 1998 lorsque le sCl a acheté les locaux à Bsalim. Cet article 

expose comment les quartiers généraux du sCl sont restaurés et commencent à prendre forme, pour devenir un 

centre où tous nos livres, archives, équipements et matériels peuvent être conservés. 

Fig. 6: The first floor Fig. 7: The mezzanine floor 

Library”. This library is now recognized by the UIS as 

being the Middle East caving documentation centre. 

The 15 sqm library is moved to a bigger 40 sqm space 

(Fig. 6). This area is now called the Media and Library 

room. This will accommodate the continuous flow of 

Middle Eastern caving books and materials and to provide 

a suitable environment for research activities. The room 

will also be provided with a round table for work groups 

and committee meetings. The area that housed the old 

library and the old archive room will join to become a 

large archive room. 

Toilets, showers and a small kitchenette are located 

on the upper level (Fig. 6). 

The meeting room remains in its old location on the 

lower level (Fig. 5). However modifications were made 

to isolate it by defining it spatially, and to reduce sound 

echoes and create thermal isolation. 

A museum to expose our rich club heritage (next 

article) was situated in front of the entrance next to the 

equipment room. This gave it more value and central 

position with special lighting effects. 

Finally an area in the middle of the club was allocated 

for training activities optimal for maintaining physical 

fitness and technical abilities of the club members. 

This includes ropes and ladders to practice SRT 

techniques. A 120 sqm climbing wall with overhangs and 

a bouldering area in the shape of an arc resembling part 

of a tunnel-cave that highlights our caving identity is also 

present in this area (Fig. 7). 

This dream come to life, a child of SCL’s intuition 

and years of hard work, is what we were all waiting for; it 

is what we still needed for our family to become closer to 

accomplished: we finally have what we can proudly call 

HOME. Now, even Our Thursday’s meeting place will 

very soon take form in our newly born Darling Hub. 

SCl would like to acknowledge all those who helped and 

contributed to make the SCl club-house reality. 


CAVING HERITAGE MUSEUM 

PROTECTING 

OUR caving 

heriTage 

SCL’S CAVING HISTORY 

AND HERITAGE MUSEUM 

The ever growing need to collect, 

organize, store and display varied 

caving items, revealing the long history 

and heritage of caving in Lebanon, has 

lead the SCL to allocate a small corner 

in the its headquarters in Qanabet 

Broumana, Lebanon to be the home 

of the Caving History And Heritage 

Museum. 

After cavers stop caving their 

equipment is usually stored away and 

collects dust. It is a huge loss if these 

items are sold or thrown away as they 

represent the history of caving exploits. 

After the dawning of the 

millennium the SCL decided that along 

with allocating a specific section in the 

club house for a library and an archive 

they decided, with a limited budget, to 

allocate a special space for a Caving 

History and Heritage Museum within 

the caving club headquarters. With the 

great efforts of dedicated cavers such 

as Issam B. J., Karen M. and Rena K. 

the idea came into life. When cavers 

were contacted and informed of the 

nature of the project contributions to 

the museum began and have continued 

to trickle in ever since. 

In wooden cabinets behind 

protective glass, the museum displays 

a varied array of caving paraphernalia 

Karen Moarkech | karenmoarkech@hotmail.com 

تادعم نم هب ساب لا ددع ضرعو ظفح ,بيرعت ,عمجل ةحلملا ةجاحلا le besoin permanent de rassembler, organiser, conserver et exposer les différents objets 

لايجلال يخيراتلا نوزخملا اذه نايبتو اهيلع ةضفاحملل ةميدقلا نيروغتسملا de spéléo, révélant la longue histoire et l’héritage de la spéléologie au liban, a mené le sCl 

نم بناج رواغملا يف بيقنتلل ينانبلا يدانلا صصخي نا ىلا تدا ةمداقلا à consacrer un petit coin dans ses locaux à qannabet Broumana, pour être l’emplacement 

.نانبل يف راوغتسلاا ثارت فحتملل ةاون نوكيل انامرب ةبانق يف هرقم 

du musée d’Histoire et d’Héritage de la spéléologie au liban. 

(Fig 1). The current museum is made of 

four stands composed of shelves on the 

upper part and closets on the bottom. 

The closet holds the major part of the 

items classified into different categories 

according to their nature. Due to space 

and financial limitations only significant 

items of each group are displayed inside 

the glass shelves. 

The following briefly describes each 

group and some of the interesting items 

displayed: 

Rocks collected from caving 

expedition form an interesting section 

in the museum. Rocks such as geodes, 

breccia, pisolites, limestone, dolomite 

and fossils that reveal the geological 

history of Lebanon are all present. 

Each rock is carefully labelled and 

displaced. Cavers can not go by without 

understanding some of the geological 

history of Lebanon and how few types of 

rocks form and evolve. 

The next category ‘Speleothems’ 

represents a big number of concretions 

from different forms of calcite to tar. 

Decalcified stalactites, calcite crystals, 

cave fans, cave corals, cave pearls, 

stalactites and stalagmites are all 

displayed. A few cave pearls were cut 

and are displayed to show the concentric 

rings. They educate the audience on their 

Fig. 1 

a general view of one of the museum’s cabinets showing old helmets, 

geodes and old caving photography equipment. 


beauty and fragility. 

It is worth noting here that the SCL are 

aware of the fragility of caves. They have a 

clear picture on the natural conditions and 

time needed for a cave to grow and thus 

don’t collect anything from inside caves. 

The famous ‘take only pictures from caves’ 

stands but in Lebanon many caves are 

being destroyed by construction activities 

such as roads, houses and quarries. When 

we know a cave is going to be destroyed 

we enter and remove any elements we 

deem important and educational after 

documenting it carefully. 

Animal and human remains and 

artefacts such as bones, pottery and 

jewellery have a category on there own 

and they are worth noting. Those items are 

collected and documented by specialized 

cavers from caves in Lebanon. Examples 

include the Brown Bear bones (ursus 

actors cf. syriacus) including several skulls 

that were found in Mgharet el-Wahch in 

Lebanon. Those items are valuable since 

this species is not found in Lebanon 

anymore. Some pottery remains from the 

burial site found in Mgharet Michane. 

War has been with Lebanon since 

its creation. War artefacts were and will 

always be found in caves. Caves during the 

war were used as places to store, hide and 

even dump weapons. Several items of war 

Fig. 2 

ٌreport written by samir akil about his shoe adventures in jiita cave. 

are displayed. The items were disarmed 

and extracted from caves with the help 

of the Lebanese Army. They include 

hand grenades, guns and shells. 

Caving, like any other extreme 

sport, relies on specialized technical 

equipment in order to progress. For that 

reason, a number of tools have been 

developed by the cavers throughout time 

and that equipment uncovers the history 

of caving not only in Lebanon but also in 

the world. This history is unfolded to all 

visitor of this museum. 

Personal equipment such as 

ascenders, descenders, harnesses, 

anchors, carabiners and helmets are 

exhibited. Some of the highlights are 

the first helmet that was made in 1953 

by Raymond Khawam made of a simple 

metallic head light connected to a 

carbide lamp (Fig. 3). In comparison, a 

‘modern’ helmet is also displayed that 

played an important role in saving the 

life of a caver when a 1000cm 3 rock fell 

on his head in Houet el Dakhoun. As 

well as that a broken Croll from Qattine 

Azar Sinkhole is present. The Croll broke 

400m underground and the caver had to 

hold the Croll closed using his hand all 

the way to the surface. 

The harness that was made by SCL 

cavers from Tripoli, when they were 

eager to do caving before they could 

have a chance to join SCL and learn 

proper caving techniques. An anchor, 

similar to the hook that we use today in 

aid climbing, that was used by Marwan 

Zgheib in the exploration of Houet el 

Aaqroub is also displayed. This anchor 

allowed the cavers to explore a new 

section of the cave when he used it 

to pull himself 20m towards a distant 

pinnacle. The anchor was thrown until it 

hooked and then the caver pulled himself 

towards the pinnacle. 

The category ‘photography’ 

displays items such as old cameras, 

flash holders and bulbs used in the fifties 

and sixties as photographic aid tools. 

Most of the black and white photos 

we see today were taken with such 

equipment donated by Sami Karkabi. 

Sami Karkabi has donated many of 

his old clothes such as the tops worn on 

their exploration of Fouar Dara where the 

cold and water elements inside the cave 

presented its own problems. 

Samir Akil’s handmade shoe is 

also exhibited when he lost one of his 

boots 3km inside Jiita at the beginning 

of a three day expedition and had to put 

together (from inner tube lining) a shoe 

to protect his foot and complete the 

expedition. 

Fig. 3 

one of the carbide lamps used in the jiita cave explorations in the 50’s. 


Figure 2 shows the hand written 

Arabic formula that shows the way the 

boots were assembled. 

Other minor items are classified under 

general speleological items such as food 

items used by the first expeditions. Old 

cans that have been removed from Jiita and 

Fouar Dara are exhibited. 

The museum now represents a 

historical memory of the efforts made 

by different generations of cavers in the 

exploration of the caves in Lebanon. It 

offers a wide range of speleological tools 

that had been used since the foundation of 

the club in the 50’s. The SCL museum has 

gone through the first step of referencing 

some scattered and forgotten caving items. 

Although tedious the effort should not stop 

and the museum should grow. Members 

should actively contact old cavers and 

collect their old no-longer-being-used caving 

paraphernalia that most still keep probably 

under their beds or in garages. A bigger 

collection could also be exposed after 

finding proper funding, making the museum 

more informative to its visitors. Old and 

new reports and maps will be hopefully 

displayed in the near future. This window 

will hopefully highlight the importance of 

such museum and will attract in the near 

future support and funds to preserve this 

part of Lebanese history. 


CAVE CLIMBING 


Additional contributions by fadi farra, Michel Mufarej and Samer Harb 

‘LOOK UP, THERE 

MUST BE SOMETHING 

HIDDEN BEHIND THAT 

DARK HOLE…’ 

There is always a high dark unreachable hole that could lead to new passages or to a tight 

impenetrable squeeze or just simply to nowhere. Yet we can never know until we actually climb to reach 

it. So a small group of avid SCL cavers learnt to rock climb in order to reach these seemingly inaccessible 

parts of caves. 

Most often the ‘adventure’ is the journey itself rather than the ultimate destination. This journey 

took us to six different Lebanese caves in the last few years where we witnessed and lived various cave 

climbing adventures. 

متعلا اذه فلخ دجوي اذام ىلعا ىلا رظنا 

جرخت اهنمو ملاحلاا أدبت اذكه .سمادلا 

ماق .رواغملا لخاد قلستلا تارماغم تارماغملا 

يف بيقنتلل ينانبلا يدانلا يروغتسم نم ضعب 

ةعفترملا نكاملأا قلصتب صصختلا يفرواغملا 

فلخ دجوي اذام فاشتكلأ رواغملا لخاد 

ةسلا تلاحرلا ةيمها نا .سمادلا متعلا اذه 

رواغملا يف بيقنتلل ينانبللا يدانلا يروغتسمل 

نم هنمظتت ام يه ةقباسلا ةليلقلا ماوعلأأ يف 

.هتاذ دحب فدهلا سيلو قيوشتو ةرماغم 

This is how it usually 

starts and this is how 

we begin dreaming of 

a certain cave climb. 

‘Regarde là-haut, il devrait y avoir quelque chose qui se cache derrière 

ce trou noir…’ C’est généralement comme ça qu’on commence à 

rêver d’une escalade en grotte. on trouve toujours un trou noir, haut et 

inaccessible qui pourrait nous mener à de nouveaux passages, parfois 

serrés, très étroits, même impénétrables, ou menant à tout simplement 

rien. Mais nous ne pouvons le savoir qu’après avoir grimpé pour y 

arriver. un petit groupe avide de spéléologues du sCl ont alors appris à 

escalader dans le but de pouvoir atteindre les parties inaccessibles des 

grottes. Très souvent, c’est l’excursion elle-même qui fait ‘l’aventure’ 

plutôt que la destination finale. Nous avons été dans six différentes 

grottes libanaises où nous avons vécu et assisté à des aventures 

variées d’escalade en grotte. 

JIITA Ever since the days of Sami K. and his team, every black 

hole observed in the ceiling and cliffs of this cave was a target of 

some sort of climbing endeavour. There are hundreds of potential 

climbs that still need to be attempted though and one cannot 

but help dream of finding other galleries like Salle Rouge, Salle 

Blanche and Salle Beayno in the amazing Jiita cave. One small 

adventure however has led us up a massive flowstone at camp 

SCL in Jiita cave. 

At the entrance of camp SCL, 1000m from the terminal 

siphon, looking up to the left one can clearly see a big flowstone 

that embraces the ceiling. During the 2007 Salle Beayno 

expedition, attempts were made to unravel its mystery and try to 

find a possible connection to Salle Beayno from this upper level. 

The climb starts from the right side as a fairly easy free 

climb. This was easily traversed with no rope onto a ledge 

that passed to the left side of the flowstone. By then we are 

approximately 15m from the floor and at the bottom of the giant 

flowstone (Fig. 1). 

Team 1 (Samer H., Hani H., and Hiba A.) lead by Rena K., 

started the climb by using aid climbing techniques. They climbed 

several meters and decided to go laterally for 20m in order to 

reach a ledge which led to another climb up to the top of the 

giant flowstone. Five bolts were planted, starting the traverse. 

Team 2 continued (Elias L., Harout G., Samir A. and Issam B 

(the team leader)), where they planted several bolts to get to 

the ledge on the other extremity of the flowstone. The ledge 

was actually a small muddy room with small stalagmites and 

stalactites. Elias L. and Harout G. traversed the ledge and then 

decided to continue the climb. Issam belayed Elias who had to 

lead climb up the flowstone to get to a small opening at its top. 

He disappeared behind the flowstone only to shout later that he 

could not go further for it was too narrow to penetrate. Our hope 

of connecting this section with the Beayno Gallery faded. 

Fig. 1 

Team 1 attempting the climb to the ‘flowstone’ in jiita cave. 


ROUEISS 

At the intersection between two major geological faults 

a dark hole up in the roof of the Dream Theater (a huge room in 

the upper galleries of Rouaiss cave (Figure 2)), held captive the 

imagination of a few SCL cavers in 2001. These cavers, that 

committed themselves to this impressive 100m climb, could not 

but admit that the climb led absolutely…. nowhere. 

The following report was written by two members of the 

climbing team, Michel Moufarege & Fadi Farra: 

The very enigma of the knowledgeable Lebanese 

caver who is supposed to have been to the 

most frequently visited cave in Lebanon, 

namely Roueiss cave, was undoubtedly the upper 

galleries ceiling that revealed to the attentive 

eye an intriguing chimney whose end blurred in 

the deep darkness of the cave. 

Given the imprecise and aging map of the 

Roueiss cave drawn by the club years ago, in 

addition to the cave being quite large and mazy, 

the Committee had launched a contest in 2001, 

in which club members would unite in teams and 

complete a new topography of the cave by the 

end of the year. The winning team was to obtain 

caving overalls at the next general assembly. 

We did not really have the competition in 

mind, but rather the will to reveal what lay 

above this unreachable level. An unorganized yet 

energetic team was randomly assembled during a 

Thursday meeting, composed of Michel Moufarege, 

Jean-Claude Janssens, Fadi Farra, and Aram 

Sulkdjian. We were accompanied sporadically by 

May Farra and Youssef Assaf, who was tested, 

for the first time, on the rope, in quite a 

challenging first time environment. 

It was undoubtedly our “Spiderman”, 

Michel, who took the lead of the climb, as 

fearlessly and as crazily as the superhero. 

Closely followed by Jean-Claude, who took care 

by passing the equipment periodically, and 

Fadi who ensured safety (if any) and suggested 

itineraries by looking at the “big picture”. 

It took us five outings and as much as 20 

bolts to reach the top, which unfortunately 

dead-ended. The cliff is quite large (width 

ranging 7-25m depending on the height) and 

extends up to approximately 100 m. At the end 

of the cliff, an overhang reveals a slightly 

upward-angled slope, presenting several active 

concretions, mainly coatings and rim stone 

dams on the wall, and each side surrounded 

by stalactites and stalagmites often joining 

together in a column. The end can be simply 

described as the junction of the ceiling and the 

slope. A small hole on the upper right corner 

gives at first sight a hope of continuation, 

yet turns out way too small to fit anyone.’ 

Fig. 2 

photographs of the dream Theatre in roueiss cave where the climb was done. 

(Photo by elias labaki) 


CAMP SCL, THE GIANT ORANGE FLOWSTONE 

UP 100M AND THAT IS IT

AL KASSARAT 

HOW NARROW CAN IT GET? 

In the summer of 2005, a dark space, which signalled the 

possible presence of a gallery, was observed at an elevation of 

approximately 37m from the underground river in Al-Kassarat 

Cave. It is located on the wall opposite to the President 

Gallery, slightly offset from it (Fig. 3). 

A potential climb was confirmed during the wet season 

of that year when the water, of the underground river, was 

12 meter higher than normal. Bolts were planted during that 

season to facilitate the climb during the dry season and to have 

a jump start on this climb (Figure 4) in summer when the river’s 

elevation went back down to normal. 

Aid and traditional climbing techniques were applied with 

the help of a battery powered drill to climb the remaining 25 

meters (Fig. 5). Thick mud covered the wall making them 

slippery and the climb dangerous. The danger was not only 

from slipping but also from dislodged blocks. Unstable loose 

blocks of different sizes were continuously falling on the 

climber and his be-layer. Fifteen bolts were planted along 

the route with several natural rigs. At one point Rena K. got 

flustered, after I inquired about the problem, she pointed out 

that we were hanging in the middle of a cliff, at around 25m 

from the ground, with no rope going up and no rope going 

down and just hanging on a few natural rigs and some bolts. 

Fig. 3 

The climbed cliff face and the entrance to the discovered gallery 

with the rigged rope seen in the lower middle. 


I had not noticed this predicament as I had been climbing for a 

while, but to a caver, having no rope is like cutting their lifeline. It 

was interesting to note the difference in thoughts, and I planted 

another rigging point just so that she would feel more comfortable! 

I do not think she did. 

It took us two attempts to reach a huge opening next to the 

roof. Rena K. was the first to reach the top followed by Johnny T. 

then myself. According to Rena K. the last few meters of the climb 

were the most treacherous for no rig points could be found and 

very thick mud was covering most of the slope. 

The dark hole was actually a big opening that led to a short 

walk able passage that narrows down very quickly into a very 

tight squeeze. We had to remove a few rocks in the passage 

to squeeze ourselves through after taking all our climbing gear 

off. As usual Rena K. was the first to go in for she is the most 

experienced person in these tight squeeze passages. I followed and 

to our surprise we found out that it connects after 40 meters with 

the Well Gallery. The map published in the Ouat Ouate magazine 

issue 13 year 2005 shows the connection. 

Not that there wasn’t a great discovery at the end of this 

climb, especially in length discovered, but the attempt and the 

success themselves are what matters the most and what we will 

always be remembered. 

Fig. 4 

Drilling the first bolts when the water was high after spotting the potential climb. 

(Photo by Issam Bou Joude) 

Fig. 5 

Issam B.J. climbing the cliff face with Johnny T. belaying him. 


In the years following its rediscovery in 2001, Jihad 

sinkhole was the focus of many caving trips. Only 60 vertical 

meters separate it from the underground river of the Al Kassarat 

Cave. For this reason, any potential opening and climb was being 

investigated to try to make the connection. 

A potential continuation lured in my mind for several years; 

until 2006 when it was attempted. Located at the lowest level L8 

(Kronfol et al 2001) was a small opening at the extreme end of 

the diamond gallery. This might be the one that will finally get us 

to the underground river. The diamond gallery is named after its 

calcite spar crystals of various sizes that covers its walls (Figure 

6). 

The opening required a lateral traverse. In the first attempt 

we rigged the traverse and reached the opening after planting four 

bolts and assembling a natural rig (Fig. 7). Rena K. as usual was 

the first to go in the tight squeeze. After a few meters she reached 

a drop of 7 meters which led to another beautiful gallery decorated 

with the same but larger spar like calcite crystals. At the end 

of the small room another 12 meters climb was spotted with a 

potential continuation. 

JIHAD 

The new climb was attempted on a second trip. I started 

the climb using aid and traditional climbing techniques. Rena 

K. was my belay and Fadi T. was the support team. Climbing 

was tricky but not slippery. A lot of the crystal and small dark 

chert ledges were crumbling under my feet. Several bolts were 

planted and natural rigs were assembled and the climb ended 

after 10 m. 

Boom there it was… a big, big fault plane. Do not get me 

wrong! I love finding geological features inside caves but that 

time I hated it. The fault plane was flat, long and completely 

cutting off any passage that might possibly continue. 

The total development was approximately 40m with a 

7m drop and a 12m climb. The survey of this section of the 

discovery was published in the last issue of the magazine 

(Ouat Ouate, 14). 

Another black hole that led to a small discovery, 

however, it did not end up connecting the cave to the 

underground river of Al Kassarat Cave which is what we were 

hoping for. Well maybe next time! 

Fig. 7 

The large calcite crystals covering the walls. 


Fig. 8 

The opening is situated in the middle of the photograph. 


ADVENTURES IN CAVE CLIMBING 

Fig. 6 

The traverse-line being set up to the 

opening shown in the dotted red circle. 



SINKHOLE 

TAKE THIS…. A FAULT PLANE!

AIN EL KEDDAH (ALBERT SINKHOLE) 

SINKHOLE 

INTRODUCTION TO CAVE CLIMBING 

I have never been to Ain el Keddah Sinkhole before. In June 

2007, I decided, with a few SCL cavers, to rig this sinkhole and 

check it out. Who would have known that it was going to be a 

trap? No one had thought that we might be in for a new climbing 

adventure. 

‘Look up there at that dark spot in the ceiling. There must 

be something up there.’ I called upon Rena K. at the bottom of the 

sinkhole, a few meters of the terminal siphon. ‘We might be able to 

bypass the siphon from above.’ 

All that can be said is that Albert sinkhole has a lot of 

potential being in the Kersrouane Formation of Jurassic aged 

dolomitic limestone rocks. 

Here we go again. Another climb. 

It took us three outings to complete the climb and 

exploration, two outings in June and July of 2007 respectively 

and one in May 2008. A combination between aid climbing and 

traditional climbing techniques got us up the first 13m where a 

small ledge was present. The first few meters were the hardest 

and Rena’s face got a blow from my rubber boots after a 3m fall 

where I kicked her cheek in. We took turns climbing and Samer H. 

was available to assist and act as the belayer. 

The following is a section of the report written by Samer H. 

after his introduction to cave climbing in Albert Sinkhole. 

This is how I was introduced to cave climbing. 

I was ‘invited’ to climb up to the first level and check 

what’s going on. 

Innocently I clipped and climbed up. I was eager to 

reach the platform Issam was talking about, I mean I was 

hoping to reach an actual platform where one can rest 

and just sit and look around and enjoy the cave… well… 

not only have I reached an uncomfortable place where I 

had to stay standing attached with my short cowstail but 

also I had to find room for Rena who came up right after 

me to continue the climb! … 

As usual, getting trained to do something new 

doesn’t take away the rush of the actual experience… 

In other words, all the trainings that we got and 

being exposed to climbing techniques involving working 

at dizzying heights, didn’t prevent me from staring 

continuously at the anchor I’m attached to, as if making 

sure it won’t pop out!…naturally enough it was not easy 

to see no rope going up and no rope going down, but just 

a few anchors or two to trust… 

The position became natural afterwards and I had 

something else to worry about, for I had to secure 

Rena’s climb…she went up and placed three additional 

spits and replaced all the knots, a major feat as we 

wanted to remain secured properly, then it was time to 

leave…” 

It took us two outings to climb 28m (Fig. 9) and reach a safe 

ledge at the top few meters below the ceiling. The platform was 

actually blocks of fallen boulders that were detached from the 

roof along a big fault plane (Fig. 10). It was tricky to manoeuvre 

between and over those boulders. In May 2008, we completed a 

loop (Fig. 11) where the top ledges go backwards and actually 

bypass the siphon room and reached the main chamber at the 

bottom of the 50 meters pitch. 

At the end, the dirty siphon of this sinkhole was not 

bypassed. A rope was left dangling from the ceiling, as a witness 

to the climb and everything that had happened. 

Fig. 9 

The climb from the bottom of Albert Sinkhole. (Photo by Rena Karanouh) 

Fig. 10 

Elias L. on big blocks of rock forming a ledge at the top of the climb. (Photo by Issam Bou Jaoude) 

Fig. 11 

The Gallery at the top of the climb in Albert sinkhole. (Photo by Issam Bou Jaoude) 

This cave was lost for a couple of years but was rediscovered 

in 2007 when SCL cavers mapped and studied this cave and 

discovered new sections. The next issue of the magazine will hold a 

lot of information on this cave and the spring that issues from it. For 

the sake of this article I will only discuss information related to two 

cave climb attempts that tried to uncover what is behind those dark 

holes in the roof. 

Is there an upper gallery and can we bypass the terminal 

siphon? The first potential climb was located not far from the 

entrance, only 100m in a small room that has a chimney of around 

20m. Similar to most of our climbs, the aid and traditional climbing 

techniques were used to get to the first platform, 10 meters from 

the bottom. The first few moves and first two rigs were the worst. 

Rena K. belayed me and then followed me up to the first ledge. 

The ledge is only 1m in width and approximately 5m length. After 

checking the second pitch, it was clear that it was narrowing down. 

It narrowed down to 20 cm in width and 3 meters in length and 

finally the ceiling could be clearly seen (Fig 12). So we descended 

back to the ground and headed towards the second climb at the 

terminal siphon. 

In the hope of bypassing the terminal siphon of this cave, a 

small 12m chimney was the focus of our second attempt in that 

cave. The following is an excerpt from the report I had written after 

the climbing incident that had taken place on August 4, 2007. 

Fig. 12 

Map and cross section showing the location of the first climb in El Hadid Cave 

ADVENTURES IN CAVE CLIMBING 

EL HADID 

We got to the siphon and Rena K. managed well in 

planting the first bolt, and using aid climbing ladders to 

help her climb higher up into the chimney. The chimney is 

around 12m so she had to plant a second and the third bolt. 

The rock face was covered with a layer of slippery mud but 

she managed well after the third bolt to sit on the ledge 

at the top of the first pitch and tried to explore and look 

around for any continuation. 

Suddenly she shouted, ‘Oh my God, I cannot hold it for 

long!!!’ 

‘What?’ I shouted back … 

‘I cannot carry it for long….it is on my lap and it is 

heavy,’ she said 

‘What is that Ka Rena what are you talking about?’ I 

said, 

Rena then says ‘Issaaaaaam ….’ in the sharp Rena voice, 

‘I have a huge rock sitting in my lap and I cannot 

hold on to it and I need to throw it down…so you better 

take cover and move all the stuff from under me’. 

What had happened was as Rena was adjusting her 

position at the top a huge boulder that looked very stable 

dislodged from the mud. She managed to hold on to it 

directly on her lap so it would not fall down without 

warning.‘But what about the dynamic rope?’, I asked 

‘I have no choice’ Rena said ‘I will try to throw it 

away from the rope…’ 

I shoved everything under the ledge and took cover and 

called to Rena 

‘Throw it, but be careful throw it away form the 

dynamic rope you that you are tied to it.’ And so she did. 

The rock came tumbling and roaring down and dropped 

next to her carbide lamp which I had forgotten to move out 

of the way. 

Sorry Rena, I know you like your Hisbollah yellow carbide 

lamp but I forgot it. 

It did survive though as the rock missed it by 10cm. 

It was close ….‘Are you ok?’ …. ‘yes’… ‘are you’… ‘yes’, we 

exchanged concerns for it was a big big rock,....Then Rena 

calls down, ‘I am coming down, it is too unstable here...’ 

‘OK. ..come down. No worries. But check around if there is 

something worth the risk …’ 

Rena used her light to check her surrounding 

especially the section in the direction of the terminal 

siphon that we hoped to bypass. ‘No no’ says Rena ‘nothing 

worth it … nothing much is up here anyways…only mud’ 

‘Ok ok let us leave, there is nothing up here.’ 

No further discussions were made. Rena descended. 

Black holes are not only rewarding but also dangerous and 

adventuring into them is like venturing into treacherous unknown 

territories. Rena felt the real danger that day and so did I. 

Going up does not always get you closer to heaven. That dark spot 

in the ceiling most of the time leads nowhere. It is indeed the adventure 

in trying that makes climbing inside caves so unpredictable. Climbing 

upwards is a fine venture in itself for that is the undertaking which is 

always educational, satisfying and rewarding even if it does end with a 

kick in the face or having to throw a huge rock on your be-layer. 


CAVE 

A ROCK IN THE LAP 

REFERENCES 

-Folded map of Kassarat cave, 2005. Ouat Ouate, Issue 13. 

-Houet Jihad Extension, 2008. Ouat Ouate, Issue 14, Page 113. 

-Houet Albert Reports, 2007. SCL Archives, Onnabit Broummana, Lebanon. 

-Kronfol B., Bou Jawdeh I., Metni M., and Karanouh, R., 2001. An ongoing 

speleological exploration jihad Sinkhole : Nabay, Lebanon. The proceeding 

of the Middle-East Speleologiclal Symposium, edts., Bou Jawdeh, I, 

Hughes, B. and Karanouh, R. 

-Mgharet el Roueiss Reports, 2008. SCL Archives, Annabit Broummana, 

Lebanon

INTERNATIONAL CAVING 

Johnny W. Tawk | johnnytok@hotmail.com 

THE SPELEO CLUB 

DU LIBAN IN IRAN 

IntErnatIonal 

SpElEologIcal 

ExpEdItIon 

to Iran, ISEI-2008 

23 September – 6 october 2008 

Habib el Helou | helou_habib@hotmail.com 

Fadi Nader 

SCL went abroad again, this time to join the 

International Speleological Expedition to Iran (ISEI- 

2008). Organized between 23 September and 6 October 

2008 under the patronage of the UIS, three members 

from Lebanon, Fadi Nader (expedition leader), Habib el 

Helou and Johnny Tawk joined the twelve cavers from 

Switzerland, Croatia, & Belgium (Fig. 1). 

The objectives of the expedition were to train 

thirty-eight Iranian cavers on self cave-rescue, cave 

topography, cave photography, and cave exploration. To 

achieve those objectives the thirty-eight Iranian cavers 

were split into two groups. Each group focuses on two 

different caves. 

Although the expedition was set to train the 

Iranians, several new discoveries were recorded and 

proper documentations of new and old finds were 

collected from the four caves visited during training. 

The four caves that were visited are Bournic cave (near 

Harandeh village), Gholezard cave (near Polour village), 

Yakh Morad cave in Kohnedeh Village and Ghalekord 

cave in Qazvin area (Fig. 2). They will be presented 

below by order of visit during the expedition. 

,ردان يداف مه رواغملا يف بيقنتلل ينانبلا يدانلا نم ءاضعأ ثلاث كراش 

داحتلأا لبق نم ةمظنملا )ISEI 2008( يف قوط ينوجو ,ولحلا بيبح 

نيروغتسملا نم ددعل ثلاثلا ءاضعلأا مضنا. )UIS( راوغتسلأل يملاعلا 

ىلع مهتدعاسمو نييناريلأا نيروغتسملا ضعب نيرمتب اوماقو ابوروا نم 

ةراغم , دازيلوغ ةراغم ,كينروب ةراغم : يه رواغم عبرا قيثوتو فاشتكا 

.دروكيلاغ ةراغم ,دارومخي 

| fadi-henri.nader@ifp.fr 

Fig. 1 

All the cavers on the final day of the expedition in Tehran amphitheater. 

Fig. 2 

A cropped map for Iran showing the itinerary of the expedition near Tehran province. 

Le SCL est parti à l’étranger de nouveau, cette fois-ci pour participer à l’Expédition 

Internationale de Spéléologie en Iran 2008, organisée sous le patronage de l’UIS dont 

trois membres du Liban, Fadi Nader (chef de l’expédition), Habib el Helou et Johnny Tawk 

se sont joints aux douze spéléologues venant d’Europe. Même si l’expédition avait pour 

but de former les spéléologues iraniens, plusieurs nouvelles découvertes ont été notées et 

des documentations convenables de nouvelles et anciennes trouvailles ont été recueillies 

dans quatre grottes visitées: les grottes Bournic, Gholezard, Yakh Morad et Ghalekord. 

Fig. 3 

The entrance of Bournic Cave near Harandeh village. 


BOURNIC CAVE 

Bournic cave is in Harandeh village which is located 

about 125 km from Tehran city. This cave is a touristic 

cave which was previously partly mapped by two Austrians 

clubs, “Verein Fur Hohlerkunde in Obsersteier (VHO) 

and Bad Mitterndorf in 2007. The length of the surveyed 

passages was approximately 517.1m in horizontal 

development and 86.1m of vertical development. 

This cave is characterized by a big 14 meters wide 

entrance (Fig. 3). Close to the entrance a new 91.56m long 

gallery was discovered (Fig. 4 and 5) and surveyed by the 

Iranian trainee team under the supervision of Neven Bocic. 

It extends in the SE direction. 

Going right from the big entrance, a concrete stairway 

goes down towards a big hall, about 60m long and 24m 

wide. From that big Hall and to the left another concrete 

stairway goes down further 30m. At that depth SCL cavers 

mapped a 370m long section and explored a new gallery 

approximately 50 m long full of concretions (Fig. 5). 

Fig. 5 

Map of Bournic cave showing both the Austrians and the ISEI 2008 survey, (Digitized by Johnny Tawk) 

Fig. 4 

Exploration inside Bournic cave. 

(Photo by Johnny Tawk). 


GOLEZARD CAVE 

Located in Polur village, north East Tehran and nearby 

Damavand Mountain, Golezard cave was the second stop. 

It is a wonderful cave with plenty of speleothems, with an 

active river and lakes (Fig. 6). Habib H., Johnny T. and 

two Iranians entered the cave and equipped a traverse line 

beyond the second waterfall (Fig. 7). Unfortunately, no 

continuation was found. The cave is well surveyed and 

explored. The air temperature is approximately 13 o C and 

water temperature is 12 o C. The end terminates in a huge 

collapse. 

Fig. 6 

Traverse line inside Ghalekord cave. 


Fig. 7 

Inside Ghalekord cave. 


Fig. 9 

The cavers at the final day of the expedition. 

YAKHMORAD CAVE 

The Yakhmorad cave (healing ice) is located on the 

west side of Kohnedeh village at an altitude around 2350m 

above sea level (Fig. 10). It is a well known touristic 

cave. It was mapped earlier by Iranian cavers under the 

supervision of Simon Brooks. The cave temperature is 

0 o C. After the first pitch, you could find ice everywhere 

in the form of waterfalls and stalactites (Fig. 11). Being 

accessed by the locals and visitors in the area, the cave was 

full of unwanted material like paper, thin ropes, gas tanks, 

plastics, batteries, …. 

A lot of exploration was done inside the cave, 

especially at the end of a gallery were possible 

continuation were noted, only 28.43m of new development 

was found and surveyed. On the way back, it was decided 

to clean the cave from the waste left by local visitors. 

Fig. 10 

Kohnedeh Village. 


Fig. 11 

Ice waterfalls inside Yakhmorad cave. 


GHALEKORD CAVE 

The Ghalekord cave (Fig. 12) is located in Ghalekord 

village (known as the castle of the Kurds). This village is 

distinguished with its mud houses, water canals and tight 

roads. 

Joined by the Iranians, the surface exploration team 

found several small caves and two sinkholes that still need 

exploration. An important cave was found on the opposite 

side of the mountain on same altitude as Ghalekord 

cave named Ghalekord 2 and has a 55m of development 

(Fig. 13). The importance of it is that it has several 

archaeological remains. First, a man made wall is located 

at the entrance. It has three different burial chambers. In 

each chamber many rounded depressions were found with 

rocks and bones lying in the middle. Other rectangular 

cavities of around 1m depth were found to have a 30cm 

thick layer of ash. Many potteries were also identified. All 

this requires proper archeological excavation. 

On the other hand, Ghalekord cave was a cave that has 

not been mapped yet. Mapping was conducted under the 

supervision of Neven Bocic. A big entrance characterizes 

this cave that leads to a narrow gallery towards a 12m 

pitch. At the bottom of the pitch, a distinguished room 

appeared, with a lot of side galleries. At the end of the 

expedition, about 500m were mapped and much work is 

still needed (Fig. 14). Many speleothems were observed 

such as cave pearls and gypsums decorations. Two big 

colonies of bats with noticeable quantity of guano were 

also observed. 

Joining this expedition, SCL cavers (Fig. 9) with the 

Iranians and the other trainers from Europe, explored 

and mapped more than 1000m of cave passages in four 

different caves. Eleven training days for 38 Iranian cavers 

from 12 different clubs were enough to establish tight 

friendship bonds between the ISEI 2008 foreign members 

and the Iranian cavers. 

Fig. 12 

Entrance of Ghalekord cave. 


Fig. 13 

Survey of Ghalekord 2 cave, 

Fig. 14 

Survey of Ghalekord cave. (digitized by Neven Bocic) 


THE SCL IN IRAN

INTERNATIONAL 

CAVING 

Johnny W. Tawk | johnnytok@hotmail.com 

Fadi H. Nader | fadi-henri.nader@ifp.fr. 


A limited number of written documents and maps of 

Syrian volcanic caves are currently available. In January 

2008, an expedition was organized by Spéléo-Club du 

Liban to As-Suwayda Province in southern Syria to 

explore and document lava caves. Located in the centre 

of the Aariqa town, Aariqa cave was our main target. In 

December 2008, another expedition was set to finalize 

the survey of Aariqa cave, and explore and survey Umm 

ar Rumman cave. The Ariqa cave reached 562 m in 

cave development and Umm ar Rumman cave resulted 

in 1615m. Umm ar Rumman cave is now the longest 

development of lava tubes in Middle-East (after Umm 

Jirsan in Saudi Arabia with total development: 1481.2m). 

This paper discusses both Umm ar Rumman and Aariqa 

lava caves and provides speleological, brief geological and 

historical investigations. 

INtRODUCtION 

As-Suwayda, Daraa and Hawran (Golan) provinces 

form the southwestern portion of the Syrian Arab Republic, 

bordering Jordan (to the south) and Palestine/Israel (to the 

west; Fig. 1). In the centre of this area lies Jabal Ad-Drouz 

volcanic range, which trends NW-SE and has a maximum 

elevation of 1785m (asl). This range has numerous 

يناثلا نوناك يف .ةردان ايروس يف ةيناكربلا رواغملا نع ةقثوملا تامولعملا 

رواغملا يف بيقنتلل ينانبللا يدانلا ءاضعا نم ددع ماق لولأا نوناك يف و 

اهل اقيرع نأ احضتأ .نامرلا مأو اقيرع يتراغم حسمو قيثوتو فاشتكاب 

نأ نيبت كلذب .م 1615 لوطب تارمم اهل نامرلا مأو م 562 لوطب تارمم 

.طسولأا قرشلا يف ةيناكرب ةراغم لوطا يه نامرلا مأ ةراغم 

Waleed Jad 

Bashir Khoury 

dIScoVErIng 

ES-SUWAYDA 

LAVA CAVES 

In SoUtHErn SYrIa 

| walidjad@onpaper.com 

| www.bashirkhoury.com 

volcanic cones, often organized in ridges whose slopes are 

covered with many lava flows (DUBERTRET, 1933). This 

volcanic terrain (called Al-Harra) stretches southwardly 

crossing Jordan and part of northern Saudi Arabia. In Jabal 

Ad-Drouz, the annual precipitation range between 200 and 

350mm, while in the nearby Al-Harra plain it does not exceed 

100mm. The average annual temperature is between +15 and 

+19˚C (PONIKAROV, 1967). 

Although the geographical and geological aspects of this 

volcanic region were already studied during mapping surveys 

(DUBERTRET, 1933 & PONIKAROV, 1967), no significant 

exploration and surveying of the lava caves have been 

published to date. 

This contribution discusses two major caves in As- 

Suwayda province: Umm ar Rumman and Aariqa (Fig. 1). 

The first one (Aariqa cave) has a historical significance as 

it was used for housing in historical times. Whereas Umm 

ar Rumman cave is a fantastic lava cave with beautiful 

speleothems (volcanic and calcite) and features typical of lava 

tubes. Here, it must be mentioned that the whole area features 

historical Nabatean and Byzantine settlements before the 

Arabian period. A typical example of this rich historical area is 

the nearby Bosra town which hosts a huge amphitheatre madeup 

almost exclusively of carved basalt stones. 

Un nombre limité de documents écrits et de topographies des grottes volcaniques 

syriennes sont actuellement disponibles. En Janvier 2008, deux expéditions ont été 

organisées par le Spéléo Club du Liban dans la Province de As-Suwayda au Sud de la 

Syrie pour explorer et documenter deux grottes de lave: Aariqa et Umm ar Rumman. La 

grotte d’Ariqa atteint 562m de développement et Umm ar Rumman 1615m, faisant de 

cette dernière le plus long canal de coulée de lave du Moyen-Orient. 

Fig. 1 

Map of the Syrian Arab Republic, showing the approximate locations 

of Umm ar Rumman and Aariqa caves in As-Suwayda Province. 

Umm ar Rumman Cave 

Umm ar Rumman cave is located south of As- 

Suwayda near the border with Jordan, and about 20km 

south-east Bosra city. This lava tube is located within 

the earliest Quaternary sheets (1 million years in age, 

PONIKAROV, 1967), namely the Paehoehoe lavas, in a 

flat agricultural area. It is characterized by an entrance 

(14m deep and 20m wide) that may have been formed by 

roof-collapse. The entrance is cluttered with fallen rocks, a 

big opening leads through an inclined gallery 10m deep, to 

reach a linear gallery characterized by a well traced trail. 

The total development of Umm ar Rumman cave 

is 1615m (Fig. 2). As the longest reported lava tube in 

Arabia was the Umm Jirsan cave in Saudi Arabia with a 

development reaching 1481.2m (PINT, 2008; http://www. 

saudicaves.com/jirsan/index.htm), Umm ar Rumman 

becomes now the longest surveyed lava tube development 

in Middle East. 

Umm ar Rumman is a typical lava cave hosting almost 

all features (Fig. 3,4,5) found in volcanic caves: levees 

and gutters, flow ledges, splash stalactites, lava columns 

and drip stalagmites, as well as rafts. In addition, beautiful 

calcite speleothems decorate this cave. 

The average diameter of the tube is 7.5m with a height 

of 8m (Fig. 6). At 190m from the entrance, a huge collapse 

is located. A 1m splash stalagmite is found, near a molded 

tree. The collapse ended with braided maize. After a small 

crawl, a second part began with calcite gours covering the 

floor where many fragments of pottery were found. After 

examination, they appeared to belong to the Islamic period 

(Ayyoubide or Mamlouk, ref. Dr. Leila Badr, conservator 

of AUB Museum, American University of Beirut). In this 

part, many collapses change the homogeneity of the cave 

profile. At some places the roof could reach the height of 

14m. 

At 800m from the entrance, a braided maze was found, 

calcite speleothems such as popcorn, stalagmites, helectites 

are present in the right gallery. At the end of the right sided 

tunnel, the cave’s floor and walls became reddish with a lot 

of fallen rocks. Umm ar Rumman cave ends with a narrow 

10m long tunnel. 

Aariqa Cave 

The Aariqa cave is situated in the center of the Aariqa 

village. It was also called Ahiré cave and was used during 

different historical period in Syria. This cave is located 

northward of the Umm ar Rumman and within the relatively 

younger, recent Paehoehoe lavas which have been dated to 

about 4,000 years (PONIKAROV, 1966). At the end of the 

cave, the transition from paehoehoe basalt and the aa-lavas 

of the overlying (younger) sheet has been observed. The 

entrance is an impressive open collapse seen from the main 

road with average of 14m wide and 16.2m depth (Fig. 7). 

At -14 m from the road, and at the left side, a basaltic stair 

under two arches goes down 5m towards Aariqa spring used 

for domestic purpose in the city. The total development of 

the cave is 562m (Fig. 8). 

The entrance of the cave is protected by a carved monolithic 

basaltic door from Nabatean or Roman era (64 B.C to 391 

A.D) about 90cm wide and 110 cm high, no inscriptions 

are observed. After 3 steps, you could reach the first part 

of the cave which is an east-west 165m long tube (Fig. 8). 

This part is developed as a show cave, electrical cables and 

projectors are seen on both sides. It is 16m large and 9m 

high with a flat muddy clay floor caused by dripping water 

from lateral sides. Scarce calcite stalactites are apparent. At 

the end of the tube, a large chunk of wall is fallen creating 

lining (Fig. 9). Beyond this tube, the morphology of the 

cave takes different aspect followed with four smaller tubes 

linked by tight and low passages. 

The first tube (Fig. 10) is distinguish by an important 

rock collapse, on which we could map seven enclosures 

separated by non carved stone walls not exceeding than 

30cm. At the interior of these enclosures reveal a fireplace, 

animal bones and fragments of pottery (Arab period, after 

634 A.D, pres. Communication Dr. Leila Badr, conservator 

of AUB Museum, American University of Beirut). This 

reveal a past human occupation. Though some fragments 

are recent, a detailed study must be carried out in situ. The 

second tube is 72m long, 13m wide and 5m high. Here 

also, non carved stone structures are located on both sides 

of the floor, along with animal bones and pottery . This 

tube is at -12m from the touristic area. The third tube is 

40m long, 10m wide and 5m high. This part represents the 

continuation of the second tube (which is separated by a 

ceiling collapse (Fig. 8)). At the end of the third tube, a 

side passage 20m high, reaches a second entrance to the 

cave located in the garden of a private house. At the end of 

the cave, a rounded construction, bones and pottery were 

observed as well as dripping water. Two cupolas are seen in 

the ceiling. 

In general, the temperature of the cave is 18˚C (In 

December, 2008) and some volcanic formations were 

observed in this cave such as linings, splash stalactites, 

breakdown areas and contraction cracks. 


Fig. 2 

Survey of Umm ar Rumman Cave. 

(surveyed by members of the Spéléo-Club du Liban and drawn by Johnny Tawk) 

Fig. 3 

Photo inside Umm ar Romman Cave showing splash stalactite. 

(Johnny Tawk) 

Fig. 4 

Photo inside Umm ar Romman Cave 

showing drip stalagmite. 

(Johnny Tawk) 

Fig. 6 

Photo of a gallery inside Umm ar Romman Cave. 

(Johnny Tawk) 

Fig. 5 

Photo inside Umm ar Romman Cave 

showing a lava feature. 

(Johnny Tawk) 

Fig. 8 

Survey of Al Ariqa Cave. 

(surveyed by members of the Spéléo-Club du Liban and 

drawn by Johnny Tawk) 

Fig. 7 

Entrance of Aariqa Cave. 

(Johnny Tawk) 

Fig. 10 

The first tube inside Aariqa Cave. (Johnny Tawk) 

DISCOVERING ES-SUWAYDA 

LAVA CAVES 

Fig. 9 

Lining inside Ariqa Cave. 

(Johnny Tawk) 

CONCLUsION 

Two expeditions led to the exploration and surveying of two 

significant lava caves in southern Syria. The first, Umm ar Rumman Cave 

with its 1615m of underground development can be considered the longest 

of its kind in the Middle East. This cave probably older than a million 

year, is decorated with volcanic and calcite speleothems. The second 

which is Aariqa Cave has a development reaching 562m. It holds an 

important historical aspect as housing remains were found in its galleries. 

Most probably Aariqa Cave is younger than 4,000 years. 

REfERENCEs 

DUBERTRET, L. (1933) La Carte Géologique au millionième de la Syrie et du 

Liban. Revue de Géographie Physique et Géolologie Dynamique, 6 (4), 269-318. 

PINT, J. and S. PINT (2008) Umm Jirsan: Arabia’s longest lava cave. Article on a 

website: http://www.saudicaves.com/jirsan/index.htm 

PONIKAROV, V.P. (1967) The geology of Syria: Explanatory Notes on the 

Geological Map of Syria, scale 1:500 000. Part I: Stratigraphy, Igneous Rocks and 

Tectonics. Ministry of Industry, Syrian Arab Republic. 


INTERNATIONAL CAVING 

Emma Porter | 90emma@tiscali.co.uk 

BARLANGS 

In BUdapESt 

& UndEr 

AGGTELEK 

Fig. 1 

Szilvia Vaspori in Domica Cave, Slovakia. 

(Photo by Mike Clayton) 

ةقفار يتلا راوغتسلاا ثادحأ ضعب ةلاقملا هذه يورت 

ءاضعا ثلاثو نييناطيربلا نيروغتسملا نم رصانع 

ةقطنم يف رواغملا يف بيقنتلل ينانبللا يدانلا نم 

رشع يداحلا رمتؤملا يف اوكراشي نا لبق ايراغنه 

.رواغملا لخاد ذاقنلأل 

Fig. 2 

Beautiful concretions in Baradla Barlang, Hungary. 


tHE tEAM 

From Speleo Club du Liban 

Avo Avedis, firas fayad, Hadi Kaassamani 

From various UK caving clubs and cave rescue teams 

John Allonby, Jo Campbell, John Christie, Mike Clayton, Pete Gray, 

tony Harrison, Chris “Zot” Harvey, Neville Lucus, Mike Peters, 

Emma Porter, steve tomalin, Deanne Wilkins and Mike Wilson 

Egeszsegedre! The bottles clink and we pass around the 

local Bulls Blood and Unicum. It is great to be back again in 

Budapest, the “city of caves” with our Hungarian caving friends. 

There are eleven of us from different UK caving clubs and Firas 

and Hadi from SCL, here to enjoy a short city caving break before 

heading to the 11 th International Cave Rescue Conference to be 

hosted in Aggtelek, north-eastern Hungary. 

Hungary has a rich speleological history, and its scientists 

were the pioneers of speleotherapy, still practised in Hungary 

today. There are three main caving areas, in the north both the 

Bukk and Aggtelek are typical karst areas with stream caves 

and in the capital, the Buda Hills which make Budapest unique, 

by having the highest density of thermal caves anywhere in the 

world. 

Egeszsegedre! On trinque les bouteilles et on passe autour du local Bulls Blood and Unicum. C’est formidable 

de retourner à Budapest, la « ville des grottes », avec nos amis spéléos hongrois. Onze parmi nous viennent de 

différents clubs de spéléologie du Royaume-Uni, et Firas et Hadi du SCL, jouissent ici d’une courte sortie spéléo 

en ville avant de se diriger vers la 11ème Conférence Internationale de Spéléo-Secours tenue à Aggtelek, au 

Nord-Est de la Hongrie. 

Fig. 3 

Deanne Wilkins in Baradla Barlang, Hungary. 

(Photo by Emma Porter) 

After arriving into Budapest airport on the morning of 

Saturday 12 May 2007, we were greeted by our friend Marci and 

swiftly transported to our accommodation for the next three days, 

a small caving club hut in the “Beverley Hills” part of Budapest, 

nestling between foreign embassies and millionaires’ pads. It 

is a very precious piece of land as far as cavers in Hungary are 

concerned, the equivalent of an SSSI, hosting stunning views 

overlooking the Danube and the city. But what makes this land so 

special is that hidden beneath the surface lies a mini Lechuguilla, 

called Jozsef-Hegyi Barlang. 

Like many caves in Budapest, Jozsef-Hegyi was discovered 

by workers excavating the land to develop and build houses. The 

small cave entrance was found in 1984 and excavation work had 

to cease whilst the cavers were given a set time period upon which 

to dig, extend and explore the cave. The cavers were fortunate to 

soon break through into some large chambers full of gypsum and 

due to the importance of the find the builders were not permitted 

to continue with their works. Whilst this important and unique 

cave has in the short time been saved, due to the cave being 

positioned in such an exclusive part of Budapest, the cavers have 

at times had to fight to keep the land from being developed and 

hence access is very restricted, even to cavers. 


Fig. 4 

Formations in Ochtinsha Aragonite Cave, Slovakia. 


After a short rest in the sun from travelling, we were led 

into the 5.5km long and 103m deep cave by our good friend Csaba 

“Mr Dyson” Koblos, entering a 20ft shaft via a metal ladder, the 

alternative route via the cellar of the caving hut was unfortunately 

locked. We carefully descended the entrance series via rope climbs 

and boulder chokes until several large chambers were reached, 

the largest chamber being 70m long by 20m wide. Once through 

the entrance series, the cave is an abundance of gypsum crystals 

and flowers, aragonite needles reaching 510-cm in length and the 

amazing Christmas tree features, formed it is believed, by the result 

of calcite flakes precipitating on the former water surface and being 

deposited on top of each other. We had a steady paced trip in order 

to keep cool and had ample opportunity to admire the underground 

delights. It was a real privilege to be able to venture into the 

gypsum wonderland but almost a relief reach the surface away from 

the fragility and pristine nature of the beautiful cave. 

The following day, we ventured to the nearby show cave 

of Pal Volgyi discovered in 1904. Here, large quarrying activities 

in the Szep Valley revealed a number of underground labyrinths and 

now Pal Volgyi is part show cave after being opened to the public in 

1927. In 1994, the cave was already the second longest in Hungary 

and the longest in Budapest and by the end of 2001, a connection 

was created between the 13.3km long Pal Volgyi and the 5.4 km 

long Matyas-hegyi Barland that opens in the opposite quarry. 

Like the majority of the Budapest caves, access is 

restricted and we were fortunate to have a guide pre-arranged. 

After originally being split into two parties, we quickly merged into 

one large group, as the route finding on the round trip became more 

complicated and as one of the Mendip cavers discovered his chest 

girth was not quite conducive to some of the squeezes. The route 

gave us a good insight into the nature of the cave, with its mazelike 

routes and bizarre rock formations that resembled exploring 

the holes in a large piece of cheese. Further into the system, in the 

western part, it is said to be particularly pretty, although time and 

our group size prevented us from going this far. 

On our way back to the caving hut, as on previous trips, 

we climbed the steps above the show cave of Szemlohegyi Barlang 

to a small memorial garden to cavers who have died in the pursuit 

of exploration, to pay our respects. It is beautiful setting with a 

piece of limestone and plaque for each caver overlooking the city – 

a poignant reminder of the risks of our passion. 

The last day of our short city caving break was 

Fig. 5 

Having fun in Budapest, Hungary (left to right Mike Wilson, Firas Fayad, Joanna 

Campell, Hadi Kaassamani, Deanne Wilkins, Steve Tomalin, Emma Porter). 


spent exploring the “Pearl of the Danube” with all its interesting 

architecture, lively streets, sprawling over both sides of the river. 

Budapest is perhaps most well known for being a spa city with 

its alleged medicinal waters and so a drink of the sulphur water at 

Lukacs Medicinal Baths was in order (which cured Jo’s knee pain!) 

followed by a trip to enjoy the thermal pools in the architecturally 

elegant surroundings of the Gellert Spa with its Art Nouveau 

furnishings, artistic mosaics and stained glass windows. Our 

day in the centre of the city ended in an “eat and drink as much 

as you want” for £10, before heading back to the hut to grab our 

possessions to meet the coach at Szemlohegyi Barlang. Upon our 

arrival at the show cave, we were given a quick tour around the 

show cave before Mike Wilson, Zot and Firas headed back to the 

UK, and for the rest of us, we had a four hour journey to Aggtelek. 

The Aggtelek National Park is dominated by extensive 

karst plateaus with an average altitude of 600m, and together with 

the neighbouring Slovak Karst, the caves feature on the World 

Heritage list. The venue of the 11th International Cave Rescue 

Conference was in the heart of the National Park in north-eastern 

Hungary, between the two villages of Aggtelek and Josvafo and saw 

cavers converging from Mexico, Scandinavia, obviously Lebanon 

and across Europe with the largest group, apart from the hosts, being 

the Brits. 

During the journey, we met up with the other delegates of 

the Conference, including two more Lebanese, Avo Avedis and Badr 

Jabbour-Gedeon (ALES) and two more from the UK, Pete Allwright 

and Roy Holmes. It seemed a long journey to Aggtelek and we 

arrived in the early hours of the morning of Tuesday 15 May. We 

were soon guided to three cosy wooden cottages by our friend Moha 

and crashed out, making sure we were ready for some serious caving 

and socialising when the conference started. 

Registration at the conference commenced later 

that morning and we were shortly planning some underground 

excursions. With Pete Allwright, Roy Holmes and Tony Harrison 

providing the British representation at the conference lectures, our 

Hungarian caving friends had a whole schedule of trips planned 

for us during the week and we were soon heading to Rakoczi 

Barlang, to a cave that was discovered through mining. The cave 

was accessed via an abandoned tunnel which was constructed in the 

1920’s and the miners came across the cave whilst digging new side 

passages in their search for iron ore. Unfortunately, not realising 

the significance of their discovery, one of the lakes was filled with 

thousands of tonnes of spoil. Today, this cave is now protected and 

a series of fixed metal ladders leads visitors around some beautiful 

formations to a lake. With the cave only being 650m in length, we 

managed to put in an appearance at the opening ceremony of the 

conference before giving Hadi, who was heading home to Beirut 

that evening, a good send off and we joined the rest of the British 

contingent for the Gulyas Party, and enjoyed some goulash and 

local beverages. 

On Wednesday, we headed off to Slovakia, the border 

being all of 1 mile away, with Gustav from Meander caving shop 

to explore Buzgo Cave, following a series of wire traverses to the 

end. In the afternoon, we joined all the conference participants for 

the excursion to the cave baths of Miskolctapolca, a popular tourist 

attraction. The cave baths were formed by thermal waters and a 

building was constructed in the 1930s around the cave and made 

suitable for bathing in 1959. There are several artificial extensions 

to swim through interspersed with natural cave passage and small 

pools, jacuzzis and several large outdoor pools. 

The following day, we visited three show caves in 

Slovakia and saw the stunning aragonite formations in Ochtinsha 

Aragonite Cave. Whilst only 300 m long, this cave was protected 

in the World Heritage List in 1995 due to its unique aragonite 

needles and phenomenal helictites. We then visited the long straws 

of Gombasecka cave in Slovakia before returning to Hungary to 

then party in only a way the British can in the famous Baradala 

Barlang to the Miskolc Dixie Band. A superb feast was enjoyed by 

all, with plenty of singing and the Brits introducing the other cavers 

to the Hokey Cokey! 

Of course, we could not be in Aggtelek without 

completing a traverse of Baradla Barlang from Aggtelek to Josvafo. 

The total length of the system is 26km with a quarter lying in 

Slovakia, known as Domica Cave. The traverse is an underground 

hike through massive chambers, some extremely well-decorated. 

At the picnic tables, we shared some food and drinks before 

deviating down the Radish Branch to admire the Mother in Law’s 

Tongue. 

Whilst some of our group were flying back to the UK, 

the final day of the trip saw a smaller Anglo-Hungarian contingent 

entering Domica Cave by a lesser known entrance. The trip was 

perhaps the highlight of the week, as we followed the beautiful 

stream passages, skirted round gour pools and crossed the 

underground border post. Our Hungarian friends pointed out 

the remnants of the metal gates that had once divided the cave 

and the two countries, and advised us that this has been their 

“Berlin Wall”. 

A very big thanks must go to our Hungarian friends 

and hosts of the conference for looking after us so well as usual. 

Egeszsegedre!! 

BIBLIOGRAPHY 

-Craven Pothole Club The Record, No 52, July 1998, pp4044-, “Pestera 

in Padis, Barlangs in Budapest”, Porter, E 

-Craven Pothole Club The Record, No 42, April 1996, pp1921-, “A 

Winter Expedition to Hungary”, Thompson, T 

-Descent magazine, No 198, Oct/Nov 2007, pp3234- 

-Slovakia Show Caves 2003 Bella, P DTP studio GRAFON ISBN 80- 

7-09-89130 

-Ochtinska Aragonite Cave 2001 Pavel, P DTP studio GRAFON ISBN 

805-7-968414- 

A similar article appeared in Craven Pothole Club The Record, No 90, April 2008 and 

the Belfy Bulletin Summer 2008 No 530 Vol 56 No 4. 

Fig. 6 

John Christie admiring formations in Jozsef-Hegyi, Hungary. 


Fig. 7 

Chris «Zot» Harvey, Firas Fayad and Hadi Kassamani in Jozsef-Hegyi. 


BARLANGS IN BUDAPEST 

& UNDERAGGTELEK 


INTERNATIONAL CAVING Rena Karanouh | renakaranouh@hotmail.com 

ةراغم“ ملاعلا يف ةراغم لوطا ىلا فلؤملا ذخات ةقيش ةرماغم 

رفاست ادنك ىلا لوصولا دعب .ةيكرملأا ةدحتملا تايلاولا يف ”ثومام 

تايلاولا يلامش يف يكاتنك ةيلاو ىلا اهؤاقدصا ةقفرب ةفلؤملا 

.اهيفيشتكم ىلعو ةراغملا هذه ىلع فرعتلل ةيكرملأا ةدحتملا 

a rEndEZVoUS WItH 

MAMMOTH CAVE 

2007 THANKSGIVING ExPEDITION 

Inside Mammoth cave, Doyle entrance 

(Photo by Peter and Anne Bosted, www.cavepics.com) 

Encore une autre aventure extraordinaire qui ammène l’auteur à la plus longue grotte 

du monde, la grotte Mammouth cave aux Etats-Unis. Du voyage en avion, à l’arrivée au 

Canada, au voyage de route vers Kentucky, enfin à l’incroyable aventure en grotte dans la 

plus longue grotte au monde. Tout cela et plus dans cette merveilleuse aventure. 

The river inside a section of Mammoth cave 

(Photo by Peter and Anne Bosted, www.cavepics.com) 

I was on the plane sitting next to Issam )albeit high on gravol!( waiting for the time I will enter the longest cave in 

the world. We were flying to canada, meeting with Martin, and then driving down to Kentucky, USa. 

I didn’t know what to expect from a twelve hour drive. Martin and Issam were to do all the driving since I didn’t 

have a license that was valid in ‘first’ world countries. as I sat in the car watching the road pass by it was easy to let go and 

just allow the mind to wonder. this drives Issam mad as he thinks I get quiet in the car and always fall asleep. But it is much 

more than that. Just watching the landscape change…the type of houses…the trees…the colour of the sky…all these little 

things make me aware that seeing and taking part in something new is always worthwhile. 

Issam wanted to show me a very special billboard he had seen on a previous trip. ‘Used cows for rent’. It was so 

funny. I couldn’t believe it. What does it mean? It was true. He had spoken about this billboard in lebanon and I thought he 

was making it up. 

So after twelve hours of driving we arrived in Kentucky, Hamilton Valley. We were actually staying inside the 

national Mammoth State park. We drove through a wooded area seeing a sign that read “Mammoth State park’. Finally we 

had arrived. I was excited and apprehensive and my heart was beating fast….I was just excited about gaining as much info 

as I can about how they did things…how they thought…how they surveyed….how they caved. 

So after about half an hour the car finally stopped. We carried all our stuff to the cabin we chose. We had four 

bunk beds…two on top of each other. the bathroom was a few minutes walk away and the lounge area was in the same 

area. Issam and Martin were completely at ease having been there many times before. they knew who everyone was and 

where everything was and what to do. I just followed them like a lapdog. the best room was the work room where the 

survey maps were hung and there were a few computers and the library. 

We were some of the first people to arrive. So, we decided to leave for a few hours and go and have dinner 

in cave city. Yes it is true. this is the actual name of the city. We went to this place that Martin liked and that sold 

fried chicken. We sat down and the waitress approached us…’YalWanSUMIcEWItHat?’…we were like…sorry? 

’YalWanSUMIcEWItHat?’ was she actually speaking English? ’YalWanSUMIcEWItHat?’…we were very worried to have 

looked like people who spoke no English until she slowly and loudly repeated for the last time ‘Y’all want some ice with 

that?’…that being our iced teas…we laughed for hours. 

We returned to Mammoth park only to find that other people had arrived. they were all talking…. asking us 

where we wanted to go…what we wanted to do in the cave. I just listened. Martin and Issam seemed to have things under 

control. all that was going through my head was ‘I am in Mammoth…I am in Mammoth…’ over and over like a song. So 

as the evening progressed it seemed that finally they had decided to take us to doyle Entrance to photograph with the 

Bosteds. that is anne and peter Bosted. Well known caving photographers. It was going to be fun because I was to use the 

flashbulbs. I had seen these in our Scl museum from Sami but I did not know how they are used. now I was going to find 

out. the cave entrance is an artificially dug wellshaft. Mammoth is so long )over 500km( that some artificial entrances had 

to be dug in specific locations in order to complete exploration. 

the rope rig was a simple affair and we all descended the 20m quickly. there it was…my feet had just touched 

inside the longest cave in the world. It was kind of daunting. on the inside Mammoth looks like any other cave…looks the 

same…standard passages… but it feels strange. It is just all in the head; that there are 500km of passages; that every 

small crawl way has the potential to extend for 20km; that if you really get lost here you can die. 

anne and peter wanted to photograph us for their 3d pictures. after quickly showing me how the bulbs work 

we began. In 3d photography there has to be something in the foreground, middle and background so the 

effect works when the 3d glasses are put on. First Issam had to change his clothes )as they wanted to 

photograph cavers wearing very colourful clothes so they would be offset of the black dark walls(. Ha ha 

ha…seeing Issam wearing those bright pink and green sweatshirts )that anne had brought( was enough 

to make anyone laugh )since Issam’s clothes colour palette is limited to blue/grey/white/navy( it was the 

funniest thing in the world. He got some arabic ‘reflections’ on that front and luckily for us the Bosteds 

spoke no arabic and could not understand me taking the mickey out of Issam. after about 7 hours inside 

the cave, we ended my first trip into Mammoth. the sheer scale of this cave is overwhelming. the tunnel 

we were in actually goes on for 25km…yes that is km….it is not a typo…! 

our second trip was through roppel cave to an area 4 hours away from the entrance. It was 

peter, Issam, Martin and I. We were to survey a tunnel that peter knew from previous trips. all was going 

well. roppel’s entrance is a 30m descent on metal ladders. I found this strange until Issam pointed out why 

the route was not Srt rigged. He said most of the cavers in the crF do not really do much Srt so it is 

easier this way and they do not have to constantly change ropes. I thought it was strange for us not to use 

Srt yet if it worked for them…why not? after about an hour’s walk in the cave, we arrived at the infamous 

popcorn alley. now all lebanese cavers know of the diamond gallery in Houet Jihad. You know the 

annoying one where all the hanging equipment gets caught on the protruding rocks and it is really narrow 

and annoying. But it is only about 10m. So back to popcorn alley. What can I say? nearly 2km of a narrower 

diamond gallery passage with popcorn concretions pricking our whole bodies and after a while it got 

very frustrating but we kept slogging at it. then, finally we arrived at a 7m drop where I saw my very first 

crayfish. I was mesmerized…wondering if they can be eaten…they were a perfect cave fauna…all white 

and transparent in places…I could not take my eyes off it…the rest were all used to seeing them and were 

apathetic to my excitement but to me this lone miniature lobster was truly amazing... We changed our wet 

clothes to warm dry ones and proceeded to walk to the entrance of the cave passage we were to survey. 

So we began to map. Issam was on meter. Martin and I on compass and peter drawing. I never 

did see his drawing, by the way, for some reason. the passage got tighter and tighter….the water got 

deeper and deeper and the mud got thicker and thicker. We asked in arabic…come on Martin…when does 

it end?...Martin kept saying it continues. and we kept swearing at him )in arabic!(…it was getting uncomfortable now… 

but finally after 200m it closed up. We were finished. It was getting quite cold now.….then back through the passages… 

aaahhh…popcorn alley again…ouch…ouch….then finally the ladders….when I arrived at the top I could not close my 

fingers as the metal was so cold and my hands froze. anyway…that was the trip to roppel. nice, cold and entertaining the 

best part being my introduction to the crayfish I must say. By roppel standards, it was a short trip at 14 hour. 

our final trip was to the historic touristic mammoth. We took the 2 hour guided tour. It was nice to see people of 

all ages want to hike for two hours inside a strange environment. We learnt a lot. the guide was entertaining and good. She 

answered all the questions the people asked. Even strange questions from children. I could not help remembering that I had 

read in a book once a woman asking one of these guides ‘how much of the cave is underground’…ha ha ha….We walked 

in tight winding passages and large halls. I could not believe it. they made a big issue of a 20m chimney with stairs and a 

light show. I do not think I saw a single beautiful concretion during the whole tour. We have a beautiful cave called Jiita and 

we do not know how to make people get excited about going inside it and educate them on its history and science. the 

nice thing about the Mammoth tour was that it was filled with myths, history and discovery. a nice mix for non cavers. I 

imagined how this can be translated to Jiita and our touristic caves. So easy and simple and yet so educational. 

and so ended my Mammoth adventure. My first mammoth experience will always be treasured for its contrasts; 

on the drive down, the porno sale signs on the left and the religious billboards on the right; the warmth of the touristic 

section of Mammoth with the coldness of roppel cave; the massive tunnels with the tight crawls...I met a lot of great 

people…the most memorable being the US equivalent of ‘Sami Karkabi’, a very respected gentleman called roger Brucker. 

He told me about caving and what he had done and the books he had written and Mammoth history and general life 

experiences. like Sami and Jiita, I felt that stories through roger were like living the experience. this is the beauty of 

meeting other cavers. 

Martin and Issam, what can I say? Caving with you two was like being home. Thank you for being my partners. 


CAVE SuRVEy 

Hadi Kaassamani | hkaassamani@earthtimegroup.com 

Nabil Chehab | chaosn@hotmail.com 

Wassim Hamdan | whamdan@earthtimegroup.com 

a YEar In 

ROUEISS CAVE 

photo 1 

The ‘Galleries des Marmites’. 


WHY ROUEIss CAVE (or Mgharet Roueiss)? 

After successfully re-exploring and re-surveying 

some of the longest caves in Lebanon (2002: Shatawie 

cave, 2004: Qadisha cave, 2005: Afqa cave) the same 

group of SCL surveyors decided that it was time to resurvey 

Roueiss cave. 

Following the huge and tiring feat to re-survey 

Afqa cave (which resulted in Afqa cave becoming the 

second longest cave in Lebanon measuring 5260 m of 

development) we thought we should give Roueiss cave 

the chance of being re-surveyed to see if it could make it 

back to second longest after Jiita cave. It was believed that 

Roueiss cave would be an ‘easy’ survey since we had the 

experience of previous years behind us. We could not have 

been more wrong! 

tHE LOCAtION 

Roueiss Cave is located 2km south of Aqoura 

village, at the foot of Jabal El Mnaitra, Mount Lebanon. 

Its entrance lies at around 1500m above sea level. It can 

be reached from both the Faraya highway and from the 

Kartaba road. It is approximately 1.5 hours drive from 

Beirut. 

Roueiss Cave is a well known cave among Lebanese 

caving clubs. It is usually selected by clubs to carry out 

their ‘educational’ outings. To teach newcomers a little 

bit of speleology and what it entails to be a caver from the 

adventurous, the scientific, as well as protection aspects. 

Maybe Roueiss Cave is not as beautiful as Jiita Cave, 

but it has a unique feel to it with its varied assortment 

of cave features ranging from wide and tight passages, 

marvelous speleogens, underground rivers, mazes, 

balconies, upper passages, lower passages…etc (Photo 1). 

2005 ماع سيورلا ةراغمل حسملا ةداعا تايلمع ةلاقملا هذه يورت 

ةراغملا عقـت .رواغملا يف بيقنتلل ينانبللا يدانلا ءاضعا لبق نم 

ةراغملا لوط غلب .ةرطينملا لبج لفسأ يف ةروقاعلا ةقطنم يف 

نانبل رواغم لوطأ يناث حبصتل ارتم 5460m ديدجلا حسملا ةجيتن 

.اتيعج ةراغم دعب 

photo 2 

The gate entrance of Roueiss cave. 


HOW It CAME tO BE? 

The team that surveyed Afqa cave had thoughts 

(albeit deep down) about Roueiss cave and what it would 

take to survey it. “If Afqa cave was such an amazing 

cave (that never seemed to end and was full of places to 

discover), what would Roueiss cave be like?” 

But no-one said anything….until…“We’ll have to 

check Roueiss cave if this is what Afqa cave looks like.” 

No-one will forget when that statement by Rena K. was 

uttered, as we surveyed Afqa cave. It was there, finally 

said, finally out there. We can’t really remember what it 

was that day that made Rena K. say such a statement, but 

everyone had had it floating in the back of their minds, 

but had not dared to say anything, knowing that the survey 

of Roueiss cave would be even worse than Afqa cave in 

complexity. 

Actually, we did not know what we were really 

getting ourselves into, but we all knew that it would be 

worth a try! 

fLAsHBACK! 

Most of Roueiss cave was believed to have been 

surveyed by the older generations of SCL cavers. 

In November 1954, Sami Karkabi and Raymond 

Khawam made the first survey attempt for Roueiss Cave. 

During a three day expedition, they generated a sketch 

map. It was not until August 1974, when another SCL 

attempt was made to re-survey the cave and re-draw the 

map. The attempt at that time was led by Claude Chabert 

with Emile Saleh, Alain Maroun, Hani Abdel Nour, Nadim 

Bahou and Sami Karkabi. They succeeded in surveying 

the cave and the map generated was published in the 

Ouat’ Ouate 2 (new series) and is still used by Lebanese 

cavers today. The expedition was followed by an outing in 

January 1975 to verify the survey. In August 2001, a newly 

explored section of about 250m was surveyed by SCL 

members and added to the old 1974 map. The war began in 

1974 and nothing was done until 2006. 

Après avoir réexploré et refait la topographie avec succès certaines des plus longues 

grottes du Liban (2002: la grotte Chatawie, 2004 : la grotte de Qadicha, 2005 : la grotte de 

Afqa), le même groupe de topographes du SCL ont décidé de revoir la grotte de Roueiss. 

Un bref exposé de l’année investie dans la topographie de cette incroyable grotte au 

Liban. 

tHE CAVE AND tHE WORKING sCHEME 

Exactly a week after we finished the resurveying of 

Afqa cave, the work in Roueiss cave began. 

Roueiss Cave has two entrances, making it one of the 

few caves in Lebanon with the prospect of entering from 

one entrance and exiting from another. The main entrance 

(that is mainly used for the educational outings), has an 

iron cage (Photo 2) with a locked door and permission 

to enter from it is always needed from the landlord who 

keeps the keys. As for the second entrance, it is open and 

accessible to anyone; yet the access path to this entrance 

is a little bit more difficult when compared to the first 

entrance (Photo 3). 

The cave consists of three main levels with 

interconnected passages and rooms. Surveying them 

required a lot of effort and patience; however, these 

activities were blended with pleasant feelings and funny 

and memorable incidents that can never leave the minds 

and hearts of those who took part in this project. 

Rena K. took the lead in mapping and the following 

was written by Maia S. after an excursion that took place 

in Feb 19, 2006. 

“Topo wise, we all depend on Rena’s skills in 

drawing and noting practically everything she sees. We get 

her the info and get back to her with the attitude of: that’s 

the way it is, figure it out and draw it!! So let’s give her 

the credit she deserves… As for Hadi, he seems to have 

an amazingly good sense of orientation; he always knows 

where we are, where this passage could lead us and how 

it is connected to the previous one, unlike others… That 

must be part of his full loaded memory skills.” 

The work which maily consisted of mapping took 

place in three main phases. The first phase started with 

the surveying of the main entrance to the lower levels of 

the cave, reaching the second entrance, and mapping the 

outer area to connect the two entrances. The second phase 

started from the second entrance mapping all of what was 

left un-surveyed in the ground level. The last phase was to 

map the upper level. 

tHE 1st PHAsE 

From one entrance to another 

The aim during this phase was to finish surveying 

the main tunnels connecting the ground level to the lower 

passages before water floods some of the main channels as 

we were working in winter (Photos 4 and 5). 


A YEAR IN 

ROUEISS CAVE

photo 3 

The entrance to the lower labyrinth. 


During this period, many rooms and passages were 

surveyed, some already had names (check the survey at the 

back), while others were discovered and named during the 

mapping process. 

Here is a list of the main ones and some stories on how 

they were named: 

the Pyramid Room (salle des Paysans): 

Located in the ground level of the cave, this room 

got its name from small rounded rocks forming a large 

pyramid shape in its middle. 

the sarcophagus (Photo 6): 

Just east from the Pyramid room, there is a big 

rectangular rock that seems to have fallen from the passage 

ceiling. It was funny that no-one noticed this distinctive 

rock until Rena K. gave it its name “The Sarcophagus” and 

lay on top of it to hammer the message home. 

the ‘Laouze’ (almond tree in English) (Photo 7): 

Located between the Pyramid Room and Salle 

Dayaa’. It became so famous due to many reasons but most 

importantly it made everyone enthusiastic on how it could 

have grown without sunlight in the middle of the cave and 

not even close to the entrance. Even more, some of the 

cavers were connected to it and they would travel from 

the entrance just to check if the “Laouze” was still alive. 

Others even took it as a point of reference whenever they 

got lost with their sense of direction, no wonder! If Motel 

Al-Rabih is one! 

salle ‘Dayaa’: 

It got the name after Rena K once got lost when we 

saw that room from an upper level and couldn’t recognize 

where it is located though it is considered one of the main 

connecting points in the cave. Its location can hardly be 

mistaken with other passages. 

photo 4 

The passage leading from the Pyramid room when flooded. 

(Photo by Hadi Kaasamani) 

faux Plafond Passage: 

This large tunnel got its name from the older 

generation of cavers after ceiling collapses showing 

different rock layers. 

During snow melt, this passage becomes a gushing 

river making it inaccessible. One of the small side 

passages off Faux Plafond passage is rich with beautiful 

colourful speleothems and features such as the brown 

wavy cloud-like calcite inside small pools or the amazing 

brown and white stripped spherical stalactites and soda 

straws. 

salle sushi: 

Located at the end of the Faux Plafond Passage, it 

was named while the team on that day was having a break 

and spoke only about Sushi as it is obvious that all seemed 

to have been very hungry. 

Gallery Marmite (Photo 1): 

Located few meters from Salle Sushi. As named on 

the 1974 map. It is one of the most well known passages 

in Roueiss Cave and is so named after the many small 

rounded water potholes that dot its length. 

the Big Room: 

Located at the end of Gallery Marmite; it is simply 

named due to its huge size. It is a room that connects 

several different passages including the biggest tunnel 

in Roueiss cave. Through this big tunnel is the entrance 

to “Bokhsh Raja” which we were told was named after 

Raja fell couple of meters somewhere inside this passage 

(Urban legend?). 

One particular trip worth mentioning is titled Rami & 

The Darkness by Hadi K., February 5th, 2006: 

“And another sound of a hammer hitting 

the rock like as if there is a quarry 

working inside the cave, which was Rami 

trying to scare the bats from approaching 

his area if they decided to or if there is 

one anyways!” 

photo 5 

The same passage leading from the Pyramid room. 


photo 6 

The Sargophagos. 


photo 7 

The ‘Laouze’. 


They reached and Maia opened her tiny 

anti-water proof notebook which contains 

mainly all swears of the underground world. 

Then she showed Rena four pages of maps as 

if Rena will know where Maia is located and 

the direction. So Rena informed her that 

next time she needs to stay close and inform 

us with each move unless it is a big section 

that needs mapping.” 

Rami was asking if we will go up so that 

he won’t need to go down that s****y rock. 

So we told him to stay up for a while until 

we decided otherwise. At that time you can 

feel how much he was relaxed. He tried to 

enter a bit in the tunnel for like 3 minutes 

but then came out like in three seconds! As 

if he saw a rock looking at him!” 

At the end of this period, it was really 

a superb feeling to know how to enter from 

one gate and exit from the other without 

getting LOST! 

tHE 2nd PHAsE 

the annoying mazes 

The aim was to complete surveying all the side 

openings that were left from the first phase. Mainly all 

the work took place in the ground and lower levels of the 

cave (Photo 9-13). This period was the toughest among 

the three as it took the longest time to finish. It consisted, 

most of the time, of crawling in long tight interconnected 

labyrinths and passages. 

Quoting Maya in one of her reports: 

“Every time we get into a couloir we pray 

for it to be closed few meters ahead of us, 

but it often keeps going longer and gets 

increasingly tighter...” 

This time the work started from the second entrance. 

The plan was to finish the section area by area. The main 

rooms and passages that were surveyed during this phase 

are the following: 

salle tewzee or the Distribution Room 

A room located in the middle of some intersected and 

interconnected tunnels connecting the second entrance 

all the way to reach the Big Room. Salle Tawzee became 

one of the most important places during the second phase 

as many surveys were initiated from this room. From this 

room one can see most of the tunnels in this section. 

Maya’s tunnel: 

Named after Maya S. entered one of the low, tight 

tunnels and said it is too tight and nothing continues. Then 

Shadi C. entered to find that what had appeared to Maya 

as small and tight, was big… in fact... huge. This tunnel is 

one of the widest passages that exists in Roueiss cave and 

thus has been named Maya’s tunnel. Following this tunnel 

we arrive at the Big Room. 

Croatia Passage: 

This wet passage is named after its’ mapping was 

carried out with Croatian cavers that where visiting during 

the MESS2 Congress that the SCL had organized in 

2006. The aim of mapping together was to exchange our 

knowledge in surveying. It was achieved through mixing 

teams. It was exciting to see how they surveyed as an 

actual accurate map was drawn inside the cave. 

the Hamburger: 

Named by Nour F., this passage lies parallel to Salle 

Sushi where there is a three meter climb up and then head 

first down into a tunnel to reach a large area which is 

known as the Hamburger. One will feel like they are the 

‘meat’ in a hamburger, sandwiched by two rock beddings. 

The ceiling is so low that many a caver have been stuck in 

this area as their bellies had not allowed them to continue 

(no name mentioned but you know who you are!). 


A YEAR IN 

ROUEISS CAVE 

photo 8 

A passage in Faux Plafond. 

(Photo by Rena Karanouh)

tHE 3rd PHAsE 

the Upper level 

A couple of meters from the main entrance and going 

up north with an increasing slope is where we worked 

the last phase of the surveying of Roueiss Cave. This 

period was the fastest as it didn’t contain a lot of the tight 

passages or complexity. 

Some of the main galleries in this section: 

the Dream theater: 

Named by Samer H. and Loucy L., it is simply the 

largest room in Roueiss cave with a very high ceiling. The 

room just looks like a theater and thus it was named. In 

this room there is a 100m chimney that was climbed in 

2000 and 2001 by our club members. 

the Big Lake: 

Located to the left of the Dream Theater, it is a 

beautiful lake with crystal clear blue water. Many a caver 

had fallen in after attempting the wall-walk to bypass it. 

That is all that Roueiss had to unveil to us. Three 

levels of long complex passages and a year of surveying 

outings with a lot of stories, adventures, friendships and 

laughter. 

MEMORIES 

Before ending here are quotes from some outing 

reports written: 

photo 9 

A rockfall inside the ground level. 


MARcH 19, 2006 NABIL S. WROTE 

“Starting from a previously surveyed 

point to a journey that will blow the head 

off, yes its one of Roueiss’s labyrinth, its 

all right… left… parallel… none parallel… 

tight... muddy… and all other directions 

that you can think of.” 

The labyrinth seems to reach no end, the 

more we cover the more it grows, couple of 

hours of working we reached the centre of 

labyrinth where Rena started to ask about 

the link to (Bokhosh Raja) point, she wanted 

to see it in order to draw. So we had to 

link the centre to (B.R.) survey point. 

At the beginning it was confusing when 

each one of us start to give his analysis 

(NAZARIYAT) where no visual or physical 

proof exist, and Rena needed all that to 

understand how to draw, and she was hoping 

to draw the link on the same page of the 

drawing, so she started to shout ‘FIND ME 

BOKHOSH RAJA.’ Frustrating isn’t it Rena! 

3:30 pm – changing location of work 

At that point no break was taken, we were 

working fast, no time to waste we wanted to 

cover a large section, (plus “Wassim will 

sleep if he stops moving” you can ask him 

why later).” 

MAY 6, 2006 RENA K. WROTE 

“We continued surveying the cave where 

Neven and Igor stopped. It is getting worse! 

Nothing ever closes, why should it?”... 

photo 10 

A passage inside Faux Plafond passage. 


JuNE 25, 2006 MAIA S. WROTE 

“Joe Z. was the first to go out; he 

went outside while we were still bringing 

the bags we left aside. I was following and 

I saw that the main gate was closed, so I 

guessed we had to climb in the old monkey 

style to get out as we usually did when we 

had no key for the gate. And so I did… Then 

I see a huge laugh on everyone’s faces and 

then Nabil simply opens the gate beneath me 

and gets out!!! I didn’t have the reflex 

to check if it was open, I trusted Joe’s 

words, but now I can see from where the old 

sense of humor (manyakeh) comes from in the 

club!!!” 

In the end it was not an easy task but we did it and 

Roueiss cave is currently 5460 meters in development 

and the second longest in horizontal cave development in 

Lebanon. 

We would like to thank all the cavers (national and 

international) who helped in surveying Roueiss cave. 

They made working in such an environment fun. Special 

thanks goes to Rena K. for drawing nearly all of the cave 

and being patient, Maia S. for all the detailed reports she 

wrote, Chadi for being there most of the times even with 

his injured fingers, Loucy and Samer for forming the 

alternate team, Issam BJ for his overseas support, Emma 

and Mike for all the help and pictures, the Hungarian 

team, for their great spirit, and bandaging Shaggys’ fingers 

and the Croatian team for exchanging their knowledge in 

surveying with us. 

photo 12 

A passage near the ground level gate entrance. 


photo 11 

Surveying in the lower labyrinth. 


photo 13 

The water in the Lost lake. 



A YEAR IN 

ROUEISS CAVE

The Big Room in Roueiss cave. 

(Photo by Issam Bou Jouade) 

A Roueiss cave outing report written by first time caver Bassem Reslan from the Speleo Club du Liban archives. 

نلاسر مساب ملقب سيورلا ةراغلم ىلولاا ةرايزلا نع ريرقت 


SPELEOGENESIS 



ROUEISS CAVE: 

potEntIal 

SIMIlarItIES 

WItH aFQa caVE 

Two major springs which are 6 km apart (as the crow 

flies), Afqa and Roueiss, are the primary sources of Nahr 

Ibrahim River. These two springs issue from the same 

named caves respectively. Those caves have developed 

in the Upper Albian aged rocks (Hammana Formation), 

and both of their springs are fed primarily from the 

Cenomanian aquifer (Sannine Formation). In addition 

to that they both have similar cave passage shapes, they 

are of similar size, and they both have similar structural 

control on their cave development. However, Roueiss 

cave has developed on the northern block of a major fault 

while the Afqa is on the southern block of a similar fault. 

The similarities and differences between these two 

cave systems based on their geology, speleogenesis, 

geomorphology and hydrogeology is interesting as it 

gives insight on how those caves have developed and 

provides a possible explanation on how similar caves 

have developed in Lebanon. This paper will introduce the 

issues surrounding the development of Roueiss cave and 

try to compare those elements with its counter-part Afqa 

cave. 

Introduction 

Roueiss cave is the second longest horizontal cave 

in Lebanon, measuring 5460m in cave development. It is 

located in central Mount Lebanon between the villages 

of Kartaba and Aaqoura. The Lambert coordinates 

for the entrance of Roueiss cave are x=167,000m 

Fig. 1 

The entrance of Roueiss cave in April 2009. 

(photo by Issam Bou Jaoude) 

and y=240,940m, with an elevation of 1300m (asl). It 

lies approximately 6km (as the crow flies) from the third 

longest horizontal cave in Lebanon, Afqa cave which has a 

development of 5260m (Table 1). 

A perennial spring, Roueiss spring, issues from the cave 

but does not issue from the cave’s two entrances directly (Fig. 

1); it flows from the lower levels of the cave through collapse 

boulders. During winter, the water floods the cave and issues 

from a higher location close to the lower entrance of the cave. 

The average rate of the spring according to Edgell (1997) is 

0.5m 3 /s - 1m 3 /s. A spring with similar characteristics issues 

from Afqa cave, however, contrary to Roueiss spring it issues 

from the mouth of the cave and during flooding condition 

water emerges from the lower levels. The location of the 

springs during flooding and dry season and the difference in 

development of levels in the two caves might indicate that 

Rouiess cave could be more developed than the Afqa cave. 

Roueiss cave, similar to its counterpart, is made up of 

three separate levels. But in Roueiss cave the three levels 

are fully developed while in Afqa cave only one level is 

(Table 1). The Ground level, which is effectively rectangular 

in shape, consists of fissure passages, keyhole passages, 

mazes, and large rooms. The Lower level is a set of gridlike 

labyrinths set in a rough rectangular pattern. The Upper 

level is a long, large L-shaped tunnel which includes the 

Dream Theatre the largest chamber in the cave measuring 

approximately 50m by 50m. 

اقفأ رواغم مف نم ناقفدتيو ميهاربأ رهن نايزغي سيورلاو اقفأ عيباني نا 

يحاونلا نم نيتراغملا نيتاه نيوكت صئاصخ قراوفو هباشت نا .سيورلاو 

ةيسينيجوليبسلاو ةيجولوفرومويجلاو ةيجولويجوردهلاو ةيجولويجلا 

تاحاضيأ انيطعتو نيتراغملا نيتاه نيوكت ةيفيك نع تامولعمب انوديوزت 

.نانبل يف نيتراغملا نيتاهل ةهيبشلا رواغملا ضعب نيوكت ةيفيك نع 

table 1 

Similarities and differences between Afqa cave and Roueiss cave 

Hydro-stratigraphy 

The area around Roueiss cave contains rocks that span 

nearly the entire sequence of the Cretaceous period from 

the Chouf Sandstone formation until the Sannine Formation 

(Fig. 2). There are also some Quaternary deposits in the 

region as well as a large alluvial fan located approximately 

500m NW of the cave. 

Similar to Afqa cave, Roueiss cave lies in the upper 

Hammana Formation (Albian epoch) in a sequence of 

interbeds of limestone and marl beds of varied thicknesses. 

Overlying the Hammana Formation are rocks of the 

Sannine Formation. Nearly 400 vertical meters of Sannine 

formation limestone lie above the Roueiss cave. This can 

be considered the source rock of Roueiss spring while the 

Upper Hammana can be considered the discharge rocks 

whose lower volcanic beds act as a barrier to water flow. 

The percentage of infiltration of precipitation into 

the Sannine Formation is approximately 60%, average 

rainfall in the area is around 1200mm/year (Atlas 

Climatique, 1977) and an average discharge from the cave 

is 0.75m 3 /s (Edgell, 1997). Taking these measurements into 

consideration a rough estimate of the catchment area was 

calculated and found to be 33km 2 . Afqa cave’s catchment 

area is 66 km 2 based on a spring average discharge of 

1.5m 3 /s (Edgell, 1997). Considering this we can deduce that 

in the 1970’s the discharge out of Afqa cave is double that 

of Roueiss cave. 

La rivière du Nahr Ibrahim est principalement alimentée par les sources de Afqa et Roueiss, 

jaillissant des grottes portant le même nom. L’étude de la géologie, la spéléogenèse, la 

géomorphologie et l’hydrogéologie de ces réseaux souterrains révèle des similarités et 

différences intéressantes à noter pour la compréhension de leur développement et fournit 

des explications probables sur le développement de grottes similaires au Liban. 

)on the lowered block( )on the lowered block( 

structural Geology 

Much like Afqa cave the area around Mgharet Roueiss 

cave is highly faulted and has undergone a great deal of 

deformation. 

Faults 

The major fault in the Roueiss cave area is an E-W 

trending dextral strike-slip fault (with a normal dip-slip 

component), passing approximately 250m south of the 

cave. The orientation and inclination of this fault is 260/70º 

with a vertical displacement of about 70m and a horizontal 

displacement of nearly 330m. Lineations on this fault were 

measured and found to have a pitch of 12° E. The major fault 

in the Afqa cave area has a similar structural imprint but it 

passes north of the cave. Both caves have developed on the 

lowered faulted block. For Rouiess cave it is the northern 

block and for Afqa cave it is the southern block (Fig. 2). 

Secondary synthetic strike-slip faults trending NE-SW 

were identified. Also secondary normal faults trending NW- 

SE and NE-SW are present. The vertical displacement of 

these faults range from 2m to 20m. 

There are six major faults (Fig. 3) observed inside 

Roueiss cave. Three were located in the Upper Level passage 

with orientations trending NE (with slickenlines pitching 

15º East). One fault passes through the Big Room and has a 

trend of NW. Another lies in the Large Tunnel of the Lower 

level trending also NE. 


Fig. 2 

Geological map of the Afqa-Aaqoura area showing both Roueiss cave and Afqa cave. 

Bedding 

The area around Roueiss cave can be split into two 

regions. The first is the block south of the E-W fault with a 

general bedding inclination ranging from 15° to 20° NNE. 

The second region lies north of the NNE-WSW fault. The 

bedding in this area ranges from 15° to 35° NNW. 

Beds in the Afqa cave area are also different between 

the northern and southern blocks for the northern block 5° 

SE and in the southern block 10° to 20° NNW. 

Joints and Fractures 

Five locations were chosen for fracture analyses. A 

total of 63 discontinuities were measured inside and outside 

of the cave. Rose diagrams were constructed for each 

location (Fig. 3). The general orientations of these sets were 

found to be WNW-ESE and SW-NE. 

• In Salle Tawsee (in the Lower level), 8 discontinuities 

were measured. The dominant orientations were WNW-ESE 

and to a lesser degree NE-SW. 

• In the Faux Plafond Gallery, 9 discontinuities were 

measured. The dominant orientations were NW-SE and to a 

lesser degree WSW-ENE. 

Fig. 3 

Survey of Roueiss cave showing major and minor faults observed inside the 

cave with rose diagrams of fracture measurments. 

• In the Pyramid Room, 11 discontinuities were measured. 

The dominant orientations were NW-SE and WSW-ENE. 

• In the area near the Entrance One, 11 discontinuities were 

measured. The dominant orientations were NW-SE, and to a 

lesser degree E-W and NE-SW. 

• In the area outside, west of the cave (next to the bridge), 

24 discontinuities were measured. Three different directions 

for the discontinuities were measured, two for joints, ENE- 

WSW and NNW- SSE, and one for veins, NW-SE. 

These joints can be considered as secondary conjugate 

sets for the major strike-slip fault. 

It is clear from the rose diagrams that the fracturing 

correlates well with the directions of the faults observed inside 

the cave as well as the general orientation of the tunnels. 

Similarly the major passages in Afqa cave are developed along 

the major fracture directions which are NNW-SSE. 

Passage Morphology 

Fissure, tubular, keyhole passages, lenticular tubes, shafts 

and large collapse rooms were identified inside Roueiss cave 


Fig. 4 

Roueiss cave passage morphology with comparison to the Afqa cave counter parts. 

(Fig. 4). In high water flow during winter the lower levels 

become inaccessible due to flooding. This all supports 

the notion that the cave is still very active in its lower 

passages, and the upper level has become a fossil gallery. 

Ten different passage shapes were observed inside 

Roueiss cave. Although the sizes of each passage differed, 

the actual shapes of the openings were similar (and were 

consequently placed into one category). The different 

sizes of the passages have a direct relationship with the 

level they are located on. The Upper level contains some 

of the largest passages while the Lower level contains 

some of the tightest. The Ground level has varied sized 

passages. This might be due to the lithological nature in 

which each passage has developed. The larger upper rooms 

are developed in thick massive limestone of the Sannine 

Formation. While the smaller tighter formation of lower 

level passages are developed in the upper Hammana thin 

limestone beds. Afqa cave has nine different shapes of 

cave passages which are similarly controlled by lithology 

and structural geology. 

Large rooms in Roueiss cave appear to be formed 

at the intersections of faults with collapse being the main 

process enlarging the volume along with solution action. 

For these rooms to have become as big as they are means 

that a substantial stream used to run through these rooms 

to remove debris and to enlarge them. This appears to 

ascertain that water level has dropped over time, from 

water eroding and forming the Upper level, to the current 

water flow at the Lower level since the big tunnels are 

located in the Upper levels and hence the oldest and 

largest. 

Small scale speleogens solution features were found 

in most passages. Scallops, flutes, rills, spongework, 

solution pockets and potholes were seen in various sizes 

throughout most of the Roueiss cave. 

The cave is not overtly well endowed with 

speleothems. It has its fair share of the traditional 

concretions including stalagmites, columns, stalactites, 

flowstone, rimstone dams and there is nothing 

extraordinary about these calcification features. This might 

be due to the large volume of fast moving water that has 

flowed through this cave. Afqa cave also has a lack of 

Fig.5 

A schematic cross-section showing the geology in Roueiss cave and Afqa cave area. 

speleothems inside it. Much like Roueiss cave it has the 

standard common speleothems of stalactites, stalagmites 

and flowstone with no large-scale special deposits. 

Discussion 

The second and third longest caves in Lebanon are 

6km apart. Both feed the waters of Nahr Ibrahim and 

both have imprints of the local tectonic activities on their 

formation and development. 

Similar to Afqa cave, Roueiss cave is a structurally 

controlled cave. They were developed on the lowered 

blocks (Fig. 5) of an EW strike-slip fault with normal dipslip 

componant. The caves follow two general fracture 

sets in the area which in turn follow the orientations of 

secondary faults in the region. Essentially Roueiss cave 

is a fissure network cave with the underlying layer of 

impermeable rock (Hammana Volcanics Formation) acting 

as the lower boundary of the cave much like Afqa cave. 

Both caves are also formed on the structurally lowered 

block as a result of water damming (Karanouh & Bou 

Jaoude, 2007). There is also a clear alignment of cave 

passages with local discontinuities in both caves and this 

can be observed in the cave, on the rose diagrams and on 

the geological map. There is also an alignment between the 

faults in the cave and the secondary ones observed outside. 

Considering Afqa cave and Roueiss cave as having 

been formed essentially by the same processes (water 

banking on faults with water flow along bedding planes) 

we can also suppose, with the three levels in Roueiss cave 

being well developed while only one well developed level 

in Afqa cave, that Roueiss cave has been developing longer 

than Afqa cave. The systematic regional lowering of the 

ROUEISS CAVE: POTENTIAL 

SIMILARITIES WITH AFQA CAVE 

water-table over time has formed the different levels, with 

the passage sizes affected by the different flow rates of the 

underground water as well as lithology it passes through. 

An interesting observation is that in Afqa cave the 

perennial spring flows above the flooding springs and in 

Roueiss cave the perennial spring flows below the flooding 

springs. This indicates that Roueiss cave is possibly more 

developed than Afqa cave. 

The Upper passages in Roueiss cave are now fossil 

galleries. The Ground level is effectively a potential fossil 

gallery although during flooding water still does pass 

through it and the range of small and large passages is a 

testimony to this interplay of water flow, lithology and 

structure. The Lower level is the youngest level and it is 

still enlarging its current small passages, but the extent of 

enlargement is restricted by the bedding thickness. 

The comparison made, showing a noticeable 

correlation between these two caves, allows further 

understanding of the development of the Lebanese caves. 

Although the Afqa and Roueiss caves are in different 

stages of development they draw a picture, albeit a vague 

one, on the events that led to their development. 

References 

-Atlas Climatique du Liban, 1977. ministere des travaux 

publics et des transports, République Lebanaise. 

-Edgell, H.S. 1997, Karst and Hydrology of Lebanon. 

carbonates and evaporates, 12, 2, 220-235. 

- Karanouh R., Bou Jaoude, I., 2008. Geological Imprints 

on the Speleogenesis of Mgharet Afqa, ِal-ouat’oaute, 14, 

42-47. 


tHE LONGEst CAVEs Of LEBANON 

(as of 2008, Speleo Club du Liban archives) 

1 Jiîta cave 10050 m 

2 Roueiss cave 5460 m 

3 Afqa cave 5260 m 

4 Al-Kassarat cave 4648 m 

5 Ain al-Libné cave 4560 m 

6 Nabaa al-shatawie 4130 m 

7 faouar Dara sinkhole 3500 m 

8 Qattîne Azar sinkhole 3100 m 

9 Dahr al-Ain cave 1500 m 

10 Nabaa al-Moutrane cave 1200 m 

tHE DEEPEst CAVEs Of LEBANON 

(as of 2008, Speleo Club du Liban archives) 

1 faouar Dara sinkhole 

2 Qattîne Azar sinkhole 

3 Ballouh Baatara sinkhole 

4 Jouret al-Abed sinkhole 

5 Al-Badaouiyé sinkhole 

6 Ain al-Libné sinkhole 

- 622 m 

- 515 m 

- 255 m 

- 225 m 

- 205 m 

- 195 m 

7 Othman Remaïhy sinkhole - 163 m 

8 Aaqroub sinkhole - 155 m 

9 Ballouh Balaa sinkhole - 152 m 

10 tarchich sinkhole - 147 m 

The river passage in Jiita Cave (Photo by Johnny Tawk) 

A passage in Fouar Dara sinkhole at -620m (Photo by Johnny Tawk) 

new DISCOVERIES 

Mtal al Azrak 

Mgharet el Sowan 

Houet Mrah El Hbas 

Houet Tawko 

Houet Ras el Astar 

Houet El Doueik 

Mgharet el Nissian 

Houet el Dakhneh 

Antelias cave 

Jouret el Ballout sinkhole 

located on the outskirts of tripoli this cave was discovered in 2003 

by a group of Scl cavers lead by Issam B. It proved to be an interesting 

cave for it is developed in the Miocene conglomerates and it had a large 

bat community. It was then mapped later that year by a group of Scl 

cavers lead by Joanna d. 

the bat roosts which are mainly fruit bats are being monitored 

on yearly bases. this might provide clue on how to protect this fragile 

environment. 

this cave is under threat from a sewage line that is passing over 

it and leaking into the cave and contaminating it and destroying it 

habitats. 

The fruit bat colony inside Mtal al Azrak cave. 



LOCATION 

DISCOVERED IN 

DEVELOPMENT 

GEOLOGY 

SURVEYED BY 

DRAWN BY 

DIGITIZED BY 

x = 159,816m y=274,582m z=20 m asl 

2003 

150m, horizontal 

Miocene 

Joanna Doummar 

Georgina Catacroa 

Elias Kasouf 

Joanna Doummar 

Johnny Tawk and Bashir Khoury 

Location of Mgharet Mtal Al Azrak 

MGHARET MTAL AL AzRAK

MGHARET EL SOwAN HOUET MRAH EL HBAS 

First discovered in 2007 this cave was finally 

completed in 2008 with the arrival at the end of the cave 

after two short rope drops. the cave’s development is 

now 370m. 

(CHECK OUAT’OUATE 14 FOR THE REST OF THE SURvEY) 

An article from An Nahar newspaper on the cave, February 2004 

LOCATION 

DISCOVERED IN 

DEVELOPMENT 

GEOLOGY 

SURVEYED BY 

DRAWN BY 

DIGITIZED BY 

x= 124,833m y=179,387m z=395m asl 

2004 

13.6m, vertical 

Keserouane Formation 

Fadi Nader 

Hiba Aboul Hosn 

Fadi Nader, Hiba Aboul Hosn 

Johnny Tawk 


Location of Houet Mrah El Hbas 

An article from Al Balad newspaper on the cave, February 2004 

Mr. Habib H. a member of 

the Scl informed the club that a 

new sinkhole is present in Mrah 

el Hbas village south lebanon. In 

February 2003 it was explored 

and mapped. to the surprise of 

the group it contained human 

bones )precisely 7 human skulls(. 

the appropriate authorities were 

called on to identify the human 

remains end excavate them. 

HOUET TAwKO 

during the geological investigation of the Bchare 

area in 2005, a local shepard informed Scl members of a 

sinkhole close to his farm. 

this sinkhole was found to have an extremely tight 

entrance with an initial drop of 7m. larger cavers could not 

enter so it remained to the thin ones to survey the cave. It 

proved to be an interesting cave because it developed in 

Quaternary deposits like Qadisha cave. 

the cave consists of two levels. the first is a small 

room with a muddy floor leading to a 14m drop which leads 

onto a ledge that drops another 4m into a large room filled 

with concretions and boulders. 

The very tight entrance of Houet Tawko. 


Wassim H. getting ready to descent into Houet Tawko. 


LOCATION 

DISCOVERED IN 

DEVELOPMENT 

GEOLOGY 

SURVEYED BY 

DRAWN BY 

DIGITIZED BY 

x=179,761m y=256,802m z=1955m asl 

2004 

25m, vertical 

Quaternary deposits 

Wassim Hamdan 

Bashir Khoury 

Wassim Hamdan 

Wassim Hamdan 

The location of Houet Tawko.

HOUET RAS EL ASTAR 

this pothole was spotted by a member of the 

club while driving along the daraya road. a team then 

undertook the exploration after removing a large rock 

that was blocking the entrance and slightly widening 

the opening to allow cavers inside. 

It is located on the road leading to daraya from 

Ballouneh about 200m South of a well known farm in a 

relatively newly cut road. 

the entrance is on the side of a road cut just below 

a small four meter cliff. after descending about 12m, 

you will reach a platform of about 6 m long and 3m 

wide. after the deviation the sinkhole is tight. 

the bottom is 4m long and 2.5 m large, a tight 

passage is seen that leads to a blocked tight room at 

about -1m from bottom. the pothole is rich in fragile 

concretions. one must pay attention from fallen rocks. 

The entrance to Houet Ras el Astar 


LOCATION 

DISCOVERED IN 

DEVELOPMENT 

GEOLOGY 

SURVEYED BY 

DRAWN BY 

DIGITIZED BY 

x: 146,024m y: 224,000m z: 648m asl 

August 2006 

25m, vertical 

Keserouane Formation, J4 

Johnny Tawk 

Shadi Chaker 

Johnny Tawk 

Johnny Tawk 

Location of Houet Ras el Astar 


HOUET EL DOuEIK 

this pothole has been explored by Scl in 

the past and was not revisited for a very long time. 

While searching for this pothole based on the known 

coordinates, it was discovered that those are wrong 

and about 100 m away from the true location which 

was pinpointed by a local shepherd. this pothole was 

recently used as a sink by workers who were involved 

in construction. 

the pothole is located along side the road leading 

down to the Jeita terminal siphon tunnel from Ballouneh 

just below an artificial rock-wall. 

the relatively narrow entrance leads to a fracture 

oriented )310°-130°( pothole that is elongate in shape 

with a wider side towards the 130° direction. down to 

7m below the entrance, the pothole is still small and 

narrow until it dramatically expands to more than 8m in 

length and 4m in width. the bottom is filled with rubble 

and garbage including nylon and tires. the walls are 

either exposed or covered with calcite. 

The entrance to Houet El Doueik 


Location of Houet El Doueik 

LOCATION 

DISCOVERED IN 

DEVELOPMENT 

GEOLOGY 

SURVEYED BY 

DRAWN BY 

DIGITIZED BY 

x: 145,597m y: 223,536m z: 632m asl 

March, 2008 

38m, vertical 


Marc Metni Waleed Jad 

Phillipe Saade 

Habib Helou 

Johnny Tawk 

Johnny Tawk

MGHARET EL NISSIAN 

The entrance of Mgharet el Nissian 


A tunnel inside Mgharet el Nissian 


this cave was discovered in 1999 by mistake 

when a group of cavers were looking for achou cave 

and stumbled upon it thinking it was achou cave. 

When they realized it was a completely new cave they 

decided to return and draw a full survey. 

this cave lies about 15m below the entrance of 

achou cave. Its name is derived from the fact that 

one of the members who first discovered the cave had 

forgotten his boots, wallet and caving clothes that day. 

nissain means forgetfulness in arabic. 

the cave consists of a series of passages all 

extending treelike from the one branch. Some bats 

were located at the end of one of the passages and a 

four meter climb was made to explore a passage but 

it was found to be very tight after about six meters to 

continue. 

Some archeological remains can also be found 

inside the cave. part of a human skull was found as well 

as pottery and bones. 

Location of Mgharet el Nissian 

The 4m climb up to a small gallery 


A small bat found inside one of the cave passages 



LOCATION 

DISCOVERED IN 

DEVELOPMENT 

GEOLOGY 

SURVEYED BY 

DRAWN BY 

DIGITIZED BY 

x=177,805m y=272,938m z=650m asl 

Summer, 1999 



Rena Karanouh 



Issam Bou Jaoude

HOUET EL DAKHNEH 

In March 2008, Hisham Bou Jaoude, 

the brother of one of the members of SCL, 

discovered, in Beit Merry, a sinkhole, while 

digging the foundations of a house. 

The sinkhole was located below one of 

the potential footing of the building. That is 

why it was important to define the dimensions 

of the sinkhole. 

First Issam Bou Jawdeh went to check it 

to see if it was worth an outing. To his surprise 

it was filled with smoke. Apparently workers 

had burnt cement bags (TRABET EL SABEE) 

and threw them into the sinkhole to check its 

depth. They said the light faded slowly and it 

was deep, more than 50m! This is how Houet 

el Dakhneh got its name. 

The RISE clan, from the Spéléo Club du 

Liban, went to explore it the next day after 

the smoke had dissipated. The clan rigged on 

four pieces of wood (Mourina, Photo 2 - long 

pieces of wood used in building) and Issam 

B. J. descended into the smoke to find a 21m 

pit. 

After this first shaft there was another 

drop of 40m. At the bottom this shaft it 

bifurcated into two directions, one to the left, 

leading to a 5m drop that ends up in a choke. 

There is an opening below the rubble and the 

choke as verified by the tumbling of a small 

stone. 

LOCATION 

DISCOVERED IN 

DEVELOPMENT 

GEOLOGY 

SURVEYED BY 

DRAWN BY 

DIGITIZED BY 

x=177,805m y=272,938m z= 650m asl 

Spring, 2008 

90m, vertical 

Location of Houet el Dakhneh 


Rena Karanouh Elias Labaky 


Samer Harb 

Issam Bou Jaoude, Rena Karanouh 


The second opening to the right led 

to a 10 meter climb. Issam B spotted Elias 

L. The climb led to another two drops. Rena 

K. followed Elias L. and they rigged the two 

sinkholes. One was 10 meters and the other 

was approximately 21 m and both end in 

chokes that have no potential according to 

Elias the only one to check them. 

On the 22nd of March, British cavers 

joined in the dig. Mike C. rigged with the help 

of Emma. Issam B. and Rena K. blasted some 

large rocks. The ‘caterpillar’ Dave (now known 

as ‘the Old Cat’) did a great job in enlarging the 

entrance with his special technique, having a 

lot of digging experience, obviously! We were 

awe struck when he began digging. If he had 

taken over from the beginning the dig would 

have been one hour long instead of the five it 

took. 

The ‘dug’ entrance, finally, after all the 

hard work, was large and safe enough (a lot 

of rubble had to be cleaned before anyone 

attempted to descend) for passing. Another 

two shafts one 10 meters and another 

approximately 30 meters were observed. 

Both had lots of potential. 

The following is an extract from the 

report written by Issam B. J. in 2008: 

We decided to not continue as we 

were all tired from the hours of digging 

so we decided to come back early the next 

day. We knew we had a hard climb back up 

to the surface because, in this cave, the 

ropes get covered with so much mud that 

the ascending devices do not immediately 

grip the rope and they tended to slip a 

lot. So for every movement up with the 

hand ascenders we had to repeat it about 

a couple of times until the device’s 

teeth gripped. It was very annoying and 

dangerous. 

We came back the next day, eager 

to explore the two remaining shafts, 

dreaming about them the night before 

and what treasures we would find, only 

to discover, to our horror, that the 

entrance of the cave had been closed with 

a huge cement slab. 

No words can ever describe how we 

felt when we saw this. 

The first level of the sinkhole 


The entrance to the sinkhole 


Descending into the sinkhole 



ANTELIAS CAVE 

Location of Mgharet Anterlias 

Surveying Antelias cave 


discovered in 2008, this cave is located 

approximately 300m from the water works entrance of 

Mgharet el Kassarat. 

It consists of a long nearly straight tight 

passage measuring 40m. It is adorned with flowstone, 

speleothems of all kinds and some dry water pools. 

Mouse nests were seen inside and the first time the 

cave was explored a snake was found inside. 

LOCATION 

DISCOVERED IN 

DEVELOPMENT 

GEOLOGY 

SURVEYED BY 

DRAWN BY 

DIGITIZED BY 

x=139,400m y=219,220m z=140m asl 

Fall, 2008 


Keseroune Formation, J4 

Rena Karanouh Marc Metni 

Issam Bou Jouade Georges Hadad 

Rena Karanouh 

Rena Karanouh 


JOuRET EL BALLOuT SINKHOLE 

this sinkhole is located in the middle of the road 

on the new Metn highway in Jouret el Ballout village. 

Knowing that this sinkhole will be forever lost once the 

highway is finished the sinkhole was explored as soon 

as it was brought to Scl’s attention. 

LOCATION 

DISCOVERED IN 

DEVELOPMENT 

GEOLOGY 

SURVEYED BY 

DRAWN BY 

DIGITIZED BY 

x=140,590m y=217,247m z=540m asl 

Spring, 2004 

31.5m, vertical 

Bikfaya Formation, J6 

Rena Karanouh Hadi Kaasamani 

Naoum Bashir Wael Sabra 

Naoum Bashir 


Location of Jouret el Ballout sinkhole 

The entrace of Jouret el Ballout sinkhole 

Tight 

Tight 

1.5 m 

1.5 m 

Flow stone 

Flow stone 

Mud 

Mud 

19 m 

19 m 

31.5 m 

31.5 m

Al - Spéléo Club du Liban

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