The gunshot fired by an American missionary marked the discovery of a national treasure deep underground.
In 1836, while exploring the Nahr El-Kalb River valley about 11 miles north of Beirut, Lebanon, the missionary William Thompson saw a trickle of water flowing from a fissure in the rocks and he set about investigating.
Entering a dark cavity, it was unclear to him how voluminous the space really was. So, in stereotypical American fashion, he let a shot ring out from his pistol, revealing it to be nothing short of a monumental find. Mr. Thompson had uncovered what was later determined to be a vast cave system with a subterranean river penetrating deep into the valley side. It came to be known as Jeita Grotto.
Later, in the 1870s, explorations resumed and would probe nearly 3,500 feet within the rock to reveal an underground waterfall and a giant limestone pillar. Wonders inside the cave continued to emerge over the next several decades. Spectacular geologic formations were located while it was determined just how extensive the system really was.
Since the 1940s, the task of surveying Jeita Grotto was mainly undertaken by spelunkers of the Speleo Club, who measured it to be 5.6 miles long, securing its title as the largest cave complex in the Middle East. Another record-setting reveal came in 1958 with the unveiling of the hitherto-unknown upper galleries, which house the world’s largest stalactite—a stupendous 390-foot-long mineral appendage hanging from the ceiling.
That same year, the caves were first opened to the public. Access tunnels were excavated and walkways were installed, permitting tourists safe passage. They would be able to ride electric boats along the meandering river and explore the “Dark Lake” of the lower passage—as well as the massive hall Mr. Thompson found and what came to be called “The Pantheon.” A music concert inside the cave in 1969 kicked off the grand opening of the upper galleries to visitors.
Alas, the Lebanese Civil War in 1978 saw the closure of the grotto when it became a store for munitions and was used for military purposes, yet it was reopened in 1995 and, appropriately, elevated to the status of national treasure.
One of Lebanon’s hidden gems was found by a gun-toting American missionary underground to become one of the country’s key attractions. It is also a freshwater source for millions of Lebanese. The geologic wonders it holds—those spectacular mineral columns, mushrooms, curtains, and draperies—are now national symbols, featured on stamps and Lebanese one-lira notes.
