JEITA grotto Grotto, or the JEITA Grotto - a complex of two separate, but related karst limestone caves with a total length of nearly 9 kilometers. The caves are located in the valley of Nahr-al-Kalb in the settlement of the JEITA grotto, 18 kilometers North of the Lebanese capital Beirut
Lower cave was inhabited in prehistoric times, was only discovered in 1836, the Reverend William Thompson. It can be reached only by boat, as the cave fills underground river, which provides drinking water to more than one million people in Lebanon. Of course, the JEITA grotto, Polonia our rating of the most incredible underground rivers and lakes due to its duration and importance
In 1958 the Lebanese spelunkers have found the top of the gallery at the height of 60 meters above the bottom of the cave. They were connected by a tunnel and a series of passes, to provide tourists a safe passage without violating natural landscapes. In the upper caves of the JEITA grotto is one of the largest in the world of stalactites height of 8.2 meters. Gallery consist of a series of separate chambers, the largest of which reaches a height of 120 meters
The JEITA grotto was also one of the 28 finalists in the contest"7 New wonders of nature"





In one of the caves near the river Nahr al'ba were found the remains of ancient foundry shop, where, presumably, was made swords
Modern discovery of the underground river of Heita in 1836 was done by Reverend William Thompson, an American missionary who went down to a depth of 50 meters and reaching the river made the shot their weapons. Encountered this has convinced him that he found very important cave
In 1958 the bottom of the cave was open to the public, while the investigations are ongoing and still. In 1978, the caves were closed again for tourists and the public because of the Lebanese civil war, at this time there was arranged storage of ammunition and other military purposes
The caves were re-opened in 1995 and since then is one of the key and most visited sites in Lebanon
JEITA grotto - the longest cave system in the middle East. Situated at an altitude of 300 meters above sea level, it has a height difference of 305 meters. After many years of research cavers moved only at 6200 m in the lower cavern to the far end of the underground river, and approximately 2100 metres in the upper galleries. Studies are still ongoing and are quite active stage