Jeita Grotto

The Jeita Grotto is a compound of interconnected karstic limestone caves in Lebanon located 20 kilometres (12 mi) north of Beirut in the Valley of Nahr al-Kalb (Dog River). This grotto complex is made up of two caves, upper galleries and a lower cave through which an underground river runs. The lower cave was rediscovered in 1836 by Reverend William Thomson, the upper gallery was discovered in 1958 by Lebanese speleologists.

The upper gallery has been designed to include a series of walkways without disturbing the natural landscape. The Jeita Grotto which is run by the German, Beirut based private firm MAPAS is a candidate in the New 7 Wonders of Nature competition, and has been chosen by popular vote as the national candidate that will represent Lebanon in the next stages of the competition. (en.wikipedia.org)