Grotto Jeita : A symbol of life

If only the words of a mundane can express the beauty of the caves time has created on Jeita , then I would be satisfied and I would remain silent for ever till death do us part. Yet, through out the world, there are few caverns, none that can beat Jeit’s extreme beauty and astonishing beauty.

And I remember I stood there staring at the amazing colors reflecting through the caves  and into my eyes as well as my heart and core. Almost drowning in the beauty that shown to my gazing eyes. I entered with my head bowed to the master of Art. And I swear I almost forgot to breathe for a second for I was in a trance as I stared at the caves that resembled.

I remember I stood there gazing at the exquisiteness that time and water have created from nothing. Silent for the first time in my life, I bowed to the master of time almost crying due to what my eyes have been seeing beauty and tranquility created NOt my man but by the wisdom of the Elders. The colors so lively appealed to me. And as the cold wind played with my hair, I stood there regarding the colorful cathedral-like vaults near Mount Lebanon. And I smiled as a striking sensation filled by lungs that of tranquility and amazement due to the clean fresh air.

Jeita Grotto, a wonderful sight to view incase you are stopping by Lebanon. And trust me the people are very welcoming so don’t just pass by Lebanon without pit-stopping at Jeita.

As the national symbol of Lebanon, the Grotto stands gracefully only 18 kilometers north to Beirut the Lebanese capital in the great astonishing valley of THE DOG RIVER [Nahr al Kalb]. It stands there plain to all human eyes as one of the most visited touristic spots in Lebanon. There lays one of the greatest Seven Wonders of the World which astonished the tourists who drop by. A place to be remembered but more importantly a place like home

As stated by many tourists and visitors since the  history of Lebanon, an amazing sculpture of beauty mingling with color, life, as well as pride and honor , thus representing the Lebanese nation. Also known as the jewel of tourism in my beloved country, Jeita opens its arms wide to all visitors from around the world offering them various forms of accommodations and promises a fascinating and magical trip filled with adventure .

I remember being taking on this magical trip through the caves just to get out of my Bad Mood or in other words to take a break from the world and its unending demands. And there for the first time in my life I felt free, and felt the immense power that filled the caves drag me into an unexplainable sensation of madness and love.

Gazing at the wild colors of green mixed with gold and yellow like ash I sank into this amazing mesmerizing feeling of tranquility something I had missed. I shoved away all the trouble of the world for once and let myself get carried away by the scenery. Colors I have never seen in any portrait have been created by nature’s hands. It was mysterious to me how nature has been able to create this beautiful scene just by using Lebanon’s silky pure water and time when artists needed there paintbrushes, to draw and colors to give life to their paintings

Jeita had both color and life, yet it was a sculpture of natural beauty that stood there proud with no Painter or master to claim her his. It was free of the world’s trouble and was a living sign of beauty and Goodness found in the world. It was my symbol of Devine Beauty. And at that point, I realized that if nature was able to create beauty out of rocks and water, then there is hope for the human race to find the beauty within them.

While discovering the mysterious world in the earth I have felt tranquility that I have never felt before resonating into my soul. That place simply spoke to me and soon I found myself dancing under the lively colors to music only I and my fellow tourist friends could hear. Just like how the guitarist plays the cords of his instrument and people can relate I was there dancing to the incredible music resonating from this amazing work of Nature.

And to the plain eye you see that this touristic site combines various elements of nature such as lively colors that jump to you once you enter from the entrance mixed with stone which dance under the lights. You can’t help but see the water nourishing the flowers as well as the stone. Bit by bit you see the full picture: It was a tango unlike any other, a tango of magical and mystical elements. It was the symphony of nature, that of creation. It was the symphony that resembled Goodness, hope, love, devotion. But most importantly Balance.

As a matter of fact, I have seen lots of paintings with lots of colors, sometimes the painter overdoes it by using lots of colors and sometimes the painting is lacking life, but Jeita has just the perfect painting for me. It was a reflection of my eclectic soul. It was me.

General Information:

Location:  Jeita, Lebanon

Length :9 kilometres (6 mi)

Discovery :1836

Geology Karstic

Number of entrances 2

Difficulty : none

Access: Jeita Grotto official website   ** wikipedia

translation of name : roar or noise (water)

MOre to KNOW

- Situated under Mount Lebanon in the Nahr el Kalb (Dog River

- ,its natural entrance is about 100 metres above sea level.

- visitors can explore the 6200-metre deep (20,341ft) lower gallery by boat

- In summer you can visit both the upper and lower galleries while enjoying the refreshingly cool temperature inside the caves

- The Lower Galleries takes you to a beautiful underworld millions of years in the making.

- It hosts approximately 280,000 visitors per year

- The cave emits a spring with  providing freshwater for one-and-a-half million inhabitants of the capital

Awards and certificates include:

§ 2000 Certificate of Recognition from "Sukleen"-Lebanon for its sorting and recycling campaign.

§ 2000 Appreciation from the Arab Musical Association".

§ 1998 "Best Tourism Project" from the Lebanese Ministry of Tourism.

§ 1997 International Environmental Award from the German Travel Association (DRV).^[26]

§ In December 2003, Jeita received a prestigious award from the fifth Tourism Summits in Chamonix, France