The Omani Caves Exploration Team (OCET) is the first documented team to explore the 367-foot-deep sinkhole.Courtesy Mohammed Al-Kindi
Posted on 12/22/2024 9:21:24 AM PST by SunkenCiv
On the far eastern edge of Yemen, far from any cities or well-traveled roads, there's a black mark in the desert, like a giant eye peering up from the earth. Regardless of how uncanny it looks from above, it is a natural phenomenon, a perfectly round and profoundly deep sinkhole called the Well of Barhout, or the "Well of Hell." It's easy to see why. Without the help of wings or long ropes, anything that disappears into this 367-foot-deep hole is not going to come out.
For centuries, sinister legends have swirled around the Well of Barhout. It's said that visiting or even talking about it can bring bad luck. It's also said to be a prison for uncontrollable jinn, a range of spirits that haunt Islamic mythology. The jinn, according to legend, will claim the head of anyone brave (or foolish) enough to descend to the bottom. "Yes, [locals] always told us about that," says geologist and caver Mohammad Al-Kindi... But despite all those warnings, Al-Kindi says he didn't feel any trace of fear before he recently became the first person to descend to the bottom (and come back up). His head remains attached to his body...
In total, the team spent around four to five hours exploring the bottom of the sinkhole. There are "loads of beautiful cave deposits," says Al-Kindi, including stalagmites, stalactites, and even cave pearls (formed the same way stalagmites do, except in the presence of flowing water) gleaming beneath underground waterfalls. "It also has its own kind of ecosystem," says Al-Kindi, with toads, snakes, beetles, birds, and lizards. For Al-Kindi, the whole experience was "quite spectacular."
(Excerpt) Read more at atlasobscura.com ...
The Omani Caves Exploration Team (OCET) is the first documented team to explore the 367-foot-deep sinkhole.Courtesy Mohammed Al-Kindi
I heard about this from the POV drone guy on YouTube, he listed his top world sites he'd like to visit. A couple looked pretty interesting, this is one of them. Here are related selections from the sinkhole/s keywords:
The poor Jinn was hanging out in his cave when this Allah Ackbar dude runs in and stabs him. Typical.
And here in the northern hemisphere we've rounded the bend (no jokes please ;^) and starting today our daylight hours are increasing.
Thanks poconopundit for the tip about how to do the letters up there. You're right, trying to bold or change the size does not work. Neither does blockquote. Neither does trying it in the tagline. That's odd.
The other GGG topics added since the previous digest ping, alpha:
A couple of djinn were playing pull my finger after a rousing few hours of djinn rummy.
I think I read that somewhere in Central or the Far East of Russia there are a number of these big sinkholes
Soon the hordes will be looking to murder him for “blaspheming” the prophet.
“Even the prophet Muhammad knew better than to mess with it. In a hadith, a saying attributed to him, the prophet warns, “the worst water on the face of the earth is the water at Wadi Barhut in Hadramawt, which is like locusts in comparison with other pests. It gushes in the morning and is dry by the evening.”
When asked if the water is poisonous, Al-Kindi laughs. “Well, apparently not,” he says. “I’m still alive!” He drank at least a bottle of it while he was down there. “I also took samples and analyzed it with some colleagues in one of the local universities here in Oman,” he adds. “It’s very fresh, very normal water.”
I posted a handful of the sinkhole/sinkholes topics list, I think one of them is for a Chinese example.
Looks like our government. Similarly, in the end, the truth is, it’s NUTHIN’
That is very cool.
(and beautiful photography.)
Great stuff.
“The Road to Allah”…
” Al-Kindi answered their questions, showed them photos and even gave them samples of water and cave deposits. As news of the expedition has spread, Al-Kindi says, the findings have reassured people. “What we did here I think is essential, because we changed people’s minds at least about one of these places.””
It’s surprising they would be reassured. What the spelunkers did was directly challenge their sacred bbok. “Actually it’s very beautiful down there and the water is just fine.” (”Your holy book is demonstrably factually wrong; what else might it be wrong about?”)
Thanks!
That is just what the jinn that replaced him wants you to think.... :)
** Groan **
🤦🤦♀️🤦♂️
lol!😆
Some jinn are pretty cute, like the one in I dream of Jinnie
Bet they had some Jinn and tonics down there.
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