The Lebanese Association for Speleology Launches a New Publication
It Declares Qattine Azar as the Largest Cave in Lebanon and the Eastern countries
MECC Participates in the Celebration
You can find some photos at the end of the text.
The Lebanese Association for Speleology (ALES) held a celebratory gathering to launch its new publication, SpéléOrient Hors-Série, and to announce the Qattine Azar cave in Aintoura El Matn, the largest cave in Lebanon and the Eastern countries. It was held on Friday 7 June 2024, at Salle Montaigne in the French Cultural Center - Beirut.
The celebration was attended by members of the Association, political, social, and cultural figures, as well as university Professors and students, caving enthusiasts, and representatives of many associations and organizations, including the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC), on behalf of which the media and communication officer Elia Nasrallah participated. Noting that MECC seeks, through its various programs, to follow up on the environmental issue at various levels in order to work towards preserving and protecting God’s creation.
Following the Lebanese national anthem, the mistress of the celebration, Mrs. Helene Rechmani Maasry, delivered a speech in which she welcomed the audience, stressing the importance of the occasion as well as the importance of the cave in terms of depth, size, length and breadth.
The president of the Association, and founding member, Mr. Fadi Mhanna, also delivered a welcoming speech to the officials and attendees, in which he pointed out the importance of this cave on the scientific and geological levels, especially since it is considered the largest cave in Lebanon and the Eastern countries. He mentioned that this importance also comes in terms of the cave’s rock and geological composition.
Afterwards, a video was shown highlighting the discovery’ story of the Qattine Azar Cave in Aintoura Al Matn, and all the phases that the Association went through since the discovery 27 years ago.
In her turn, the founding member and member of the Association’s Council, Mrs. Badr Jabbour Gedeon, gave a talk in which she spoke about the importance of the cave, the history of the discovery, as well as the goals of printing the SpéléOrient issue, which was entirely devoted to the Qattine Azar Cave, the scientific and topographical explorations and studies, and how water was extracted from the cave and benefitted 27 towns in the Matn District in Lebanon.
For their part, Mazen Arzouni, Samer Amhaz, and Abdo Hanna Al Faghaly, members of the Association and cavers, spoke respectively, and presented an overview about the challenges of caving, and how they were able to develop their capabilities to follow up the underground discoveries through scientific studies. They also talked about the importance of special training to be able to enter the caves, as well as protecting the environment inside caves and above ground, especially since they constitute a groundwater reservoir.
In addition, and during the celebration, some members of The Lebanese Association for Speleology (ALES) and parties who contributed to the development of this Association were honored.
