Caves, natural hollows in the depths of the earth,
may be anything from a few feet deep to a mile or
more and anything between a few feet long to a number
of miles. They are often millions of years old,
going back to ancient geological epochs. Any stalactite
may be the work of millions of years.
Lebanon has a great number of caves already discovered
and there are certainly many more that remain to
be discovered in the future. The wonderful grotto
of Jeita has won world-wide fame, but there are
plenty of others, such as the more modest grotto
of Qadisha.
The grotto of Mab’aj was discovered in 1938. It
is situated in the middle of the Jbeil region south-west
of Annaya, near the monastery of Saint Theresa of
Tourzaya, occupied by a community of friars. On
leaving the coastal high road, one passes through
majestic scenery overlooking the Adonis River, crowning
a precipice which drops vertically from the mountain
summit to the bottom of the valley and enriched
with woodland, hamlets,, cultivated terraces and
an abundances of gushing springs.
One may reach the grotto by following the main road
going up from the Adonis, known also as Nahr Ibrahim,
to Qartaba or by the route Byblos (Jbeil)-Saint
Sharbel-Tourzaya. Speleologists have followed the
interior of the cave for some thousands of yards
and have reported the presence of water basins and
stretches of water which can be followed up only
by canoe. Geological studies have put the age of
the rocks at over 190 million years. The total length
of the cave is thought to be a little under three
miles, but only the first 250 yards are open to
sightseers.
Like all other caverns, this one fascinates us and
we lose ourselves in our “unconscious”. In the depths
of the earth, in this subterranean world, we give
free rein to our imagination, comparing the world
that we know and see every day on the one hand and
on the other these extraordinary shapes lit up and
revealed in all their mystery thanks to the play
of light and shade.
Here we see the Sphinx, in Arabic Abu el-Houl, Father
of Fright, and elsewhere the Singed Victory of Samothrace,
the Door of Paradise, columns and capitals, temples,
emblems of royalty, eagles, lions, candelabras,
bells, a mother, draped saints both men and women,
and much else.
The splendor and majesty of the place enthralls
us and leaves us spellbound, while the colors of
the rocks enriched by the luster of time takes our
breath away. I myself imagine myself inside a human
body enlarged a hundred thousand times so that spectators
can travel through miles of blood vessels and the
heart, lungs and organs in some fantastic adventure.
In order to cope with all the visitors, the Warden
has made provision for various activities outside
the grotto. There are camping sites, a zip-line
for adults, games for children, domestic animals,
birds, waterfalls, and every attraction to enchant.
The cave received its first visitors in the year
2007. As has been said, members of the public can
progress 250 yards inside, over wet sand that has
been piling up over millions of years. Most visitors
are profoundly impressed, having made a discovery
that they will never forget for all their lives.
Concealed lighting reveals a world of fantasy all
the way. The temperature is a steady 52 degrees
Celsius, 54 Fahrenheit.
The site does not yet enjoy the same reputation
as Jeita, but that will come; for the moment access
is not sufficiently direct. When certain improvements
have been made and the roads are better able to
receive tourist traffic, popularity will go up by
leaps and bounds. Completion of all the facilities
will mean a flow of sightseers full of unbounded
enthusiasm.
Joseph Matar - Translation from the French: Kenneth
Mortimer
- Grotto Mabaaj 1: >> View
Movie << (2014-07-01)
- Grotto Mabaaj 2: >> View
Movie << (2014-07-01)
- Grotto Mabaaj 3: >> View
Movie << (2014-07-01)
- Grotto Mabaaj 4: >> View
Movie << (2014-07-01)
