Sof Omar Caves
Sof Omar Cave- “unique harmony between nature and culture”
The Sof Omar Cave System, a spectacular and extensive cave system in southeastern Ethiopia represents a maze of dry cave passages, which subsequently were crossed by a subterranean watercourse formed by the Weib River, forming combined underground passages of a total length of 15.1 km, the longest and most extensive in Ethiopia. The Sof Omar cave and subterranean river system developed on Jurassic limestone beds particularly on the Gebredarie Series (massive, crystalline limestone beds intercalated with thin marl and mudstone beds). The cave system and the subterannean River developed along a generally horizontal outline within a 20m thick layer.
Apart from these naturally outstanding values, what makes the Sof Omar Cave System unique and unsurpassed in the world is its cultural significance. The caves form part of the cultural and religious life of the local population leading to the unique harmony between nature and culture. The cave system and its adjoining forested gorge is a natural-cultural heritage site that requires an active geo conservation.
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