Into the belly of Tahiri

About two hours from Muscat towards the Sur territory, hidden somewhere in the plateau of Salmah in Quriyat is Oman’s biggest cave system that is yet to be fully discovered. Stories about this cave system abound and it has lured some of the most adventurous spirits all over the country. While arranging for a tour through established agencies to venture in the heart of this cave system cost a lot of money, some locals who have years of experience in exploration, adventure organisation and abseiling, organised fun trips to give others an opportunity to see very hard to access sites that usually are keeping the most awe-inspiring of views. [gallery link='file' ids='493468,493467,493466,493464,493460,493458'] Alhassan al Suti is one of the young Omanis who has made a name for himself as the go-to for abseiling, caving and mountain climbing adventures. Running an interest group called Oman Adventure, his not-for-profit team has brought many visitors and residents of the country to hard to access area. More than a week ago, Alhassan’s team comprised of 14 participants ventured into the 7th hole of the Al Tahiri Cave. Said to be one of the largest entry holes from among the seven access points, the opening measures about 74 metres with a drop of about seven metres. Young photography enthusiast Abutalib Guraiffi was one of them who joined the trip. “As Oman’s largest surveyed cave system, we come to understand that there are literally miles of passageways and chambers carved through soft limestone hidden below the surface,” he shared. “The trip from Muscat to Qurriyat took around two hours but from the Sur-Muscat highway, you have to travel 18 kms inward,” he said. Armed with ropes, safety helmets, headlights, and caving gears, Abutalib shared that having seen what he saw, anyone planning to venture into the cave must have a trusted guide as going down can really get difficult. “There was no easier way to access the 7th hole except by abseiling. You need to climb down using special gears and you should have an adventurous spirit to even try it. The knowledge of the guide will guarantee that you will be able to explore the place in relative safety,” he said. With the 14 participants, the abseiling was a slow descent into the darkness of the cave. Abutalib said that the temperature also drastically drop even when you’re just hanging on the rope trying to get to the bottom. With some light entering through the opening, he shared that the caverns and chambers were a true sight to behold. “There were a lot of things inside that were awe-inspiring. There were a number of paths inside the cave and they created this feeling that it was like a big maze,” he shared. “You will definitely find stalactites and stalagmites and there was a part of the cave that looked like a big crystal room. All you can do was stare in disbelief,” he shared. Because it was cold inside the cave, Abutalib shared that they have to ask Alhassan to find a different route so that they won’t have to swim on the lake inside the cave. Some published reports have said that the source of the water on the said lake came from the Majlis Al Jinn Cave. “My advice to anyone who wants to try this adventure is to go with a knowledgeable guide because it’s really dangerous. For me, I consider it to be one of the most dangerous adventures here in Oman that some companies actually charge OMR 250 which demonstrates the difficulty level,” he warned. For Abutalib though, it was a once in a lifetime experience with the chambers, caves and underground views truly make it worth it. BY YERU EBUEN & TITASH CHAKRABORTY