Well of Barhout, Sinkhole in Al Mahrah Governorate, Yemen
The Well of Barhout is a cave in the Al Mahrah Governorate in eastern Yemen. Its circular entrance spans roughly 30 meters across and drops more than 100 meters straight down, where the underground chamber widens to nearly 120 meters.
Cave explorers from Oman reached the bottom in September 2021 as the first team to document the structure completely. They collected rock and water samples from different depths across the two geological layers.
Local tradition calls the sinkhole the Well of Hell, said to be a prison for jinn; some residents consider it bad luck even to speak of it. Nomads avoid the spot, believing objects nearby are sucked toward the hole. A tomb linked to the prophet Hud lies downstream on the Wadi Barhout, and legends set the two in opposition.
Climbing gear and trained guides are necessary for descending into this cave, as the walls drop almost vertically. Because of the depth and continuous darkness, expect extended time underground.
Inside the cave, four waterfalls drop roughly 46 meters each and form an underground filtration system. At several spots, colored cave pearls and formations have grown from water seeping continuously through the rock layers.
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