Jeita Grotto
A Lebanese cave system with the world's largest stalactite.
The Jeita Grotto is a system of two separate, but interconnected, karstic limestone caves in Lebanon, spanning an overall length of nearly 9 kilometers. Located in the Nahr al-Kalb river valley within the locality of Jeita, 18 kilometers north of Beirut, the caves are notable for containing the world's largest known stalactite and for channeling an underground river that provides fresh drinking water to more than a million Lebanese.
- location
- Nahr al-Kalb river valley, Jeita, 18 km north of Beirut, Lebanon
- type
- Karstic limestone cave system
- total_length
- Nearly 9 kilometers (5.6 miles)
- notable_feature
- World's largest known stalactite
- water_source
- Provides fresh drinking water to more than a million Lebanese
Lore & Background
Maxwell and H.G. These galleries house the world's largest known stalactite and were later equipped with an access tunnel and walkways for tourists.
Reader's Guide
The Jeita Grotto is significant as one of Lebanon's key natural attractions and a major source of fresh drinking water for over a million people. Its discovery history spans from prehistoric habitation to modern exploration by Lebanese speleologists, who revealed the upper galleries and the world's largest stalactite. The caves' closure during the Lebanese civil war and subsequent reopening underscore their resilience as a national treasure.
Did You Know?
- Engineers W.J. Maxwell and H.G. Huxley, along with Reverend Daniel Bliss, explored the caverns in 1873 and 1874, penetrating 1,060 meters before being blocked by an underground waterfall called 'Hell's Rapids.'
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