A group of researchers from Oman managed to reach the bottom of a mysterious cave in Yemen. They uncover the things they found in the cave that is believed to be the place of this genie's prison.
Barhout Cave, as the name suggests, is located in the middle of the desert near Al Mahra Province, eastern Yemen. The mouth of the cave which is also dubbed the Well of Hell is 30 meters wide and has a depth of about 112 meters.
Explorer Mohammad Al Kindi and the Omani Caves Explorations Team (OCET) descend to the bottom of the cave, trying to unravel a mystery that has long been the subject of much local mythology and folklore.
"Some people say the cave is where apostates are tortured after death. Others believe their heads will be chopped off once they are down there," said Kindi, a geologist and owner of the Earth Sciences Consultancy Centre, quoted from The National. News, Sunday (26/9/2021).
The sight they found at the bottom of the cave was probably mesmerizing. But what is clear, based on the OCET team's search, they did not find anything strange and there was no curse effect or other terrible things as the locals said.
"The people call the bottom of this cave the opposite of the Zamzam water well in Mecca which is the holiest and purest on Earth. The water from this hell well is the most evil source of water. But what we found down there was pure fresh water. We even drank one bottles were full and nothing happened to us," Kindi recounted her experience.
Kindi said he always wanted to find out about natural formations and cave exploration. "I live in a mountainous area. I have been visiting caves since I was a child," he said.
But his search into the underbelly of this mythical cave, he said, was really different from his other adventures. "I was the last to get on and the last to leave. I spent about six hours there," Kindi said.
Using survey equipment and gas detectors, Kindi and team found that the sinkhole was filled with normal levels of oxygen and toxin-free air. The OCET team found that there were a lot of snakes there.
"They breed when there are no predators to eat them. That's normal," he explained.
The most magical element he saw was the cave pearl shining through the underground waterfall.
"Cave pearls are concentric deposits of calcium carbonate that form around a core under falling water. These rings are smoothed by the motion of falling water over thousands of years to form a beautiful pearl shape," said Kindi.
He hopes his visit to the bottom of the Well of Hell and various explanations of his findings will dispel some of the myths surrounding the cave and other similar sites.
"I believe that the Well of Hell, known as Barhout, is a legendary cave that exists in many caves in Yemen. Now that we have visited it, the cave should not be called by any other name than the area it is in," he hoped.
To ensure that there are no mystical phenomena at other similar sites, Kindi plans to visit the Hadramaut region of Yemen to investigate whether similar holes could hold secrets from the underworld.
"I have no doubt that the cave located in Hadramaut will also be normal. When the time is right, we will go and find out," he concluded.