Majlis al Jinn, the Meeting Place of the Jinn
On a remote plateau in Oman, three holes in the ground lead down into one of the largest cave chambers in the world. Local people call it the meeting place of the jinn.
What was reported
Majlis al Jinn is an enormous cave chamber beneath the Selma Plateau in eastern Oman. It's entered through three holes in the ceiling, the deepest a sheer drop of more than 150 metres to the floor. The chamber itself is about 300 metres long, big enough to hold several cathedrals.
Its name means 'the meeting place of the jinn', the spirits of Islamic and Arabian tradition. Local people knew of it long before it was explored by outsiders in the 1980s.
Explanations offered
The cave was formed by water dissolving the limestone over millions of years. Access has been restricted to protect it. Its size, darkness and echoing silence give it a powerful atmosphere.
- When
- Explored in the 1980s
- Where
- Selma Plateau, Ash Sharqiyah, Oman
- Witnesses
- Cavers and local people
- Status
- A real place
Famous cases are real, widely reported events. Each file sets out what witnesses said and the explanations that have been offered, without taking a side.
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