Washington: Archaeologists have discovered a 50,000-year-old volcanic cave in Syria, which is the largest of its kind in the country.
According to a report by the Global Arab Network, the volcanic cave was found in Sweida city, Southern Syria, by the Syrian Society for Exploration and Documentation, who named it Soua’ada Cave.
Secretary of the Society Khaled Nuwailati said that the exploration and documentation committees organized a walk in December 18, 2009, after receiving information on undiscovered caves in that area.
Soua’ada cave was found after removing a large boulder blocking its entrance, revealing volcanic geological formations that are over 50,000 years old.
There are numerous spaces that become larger deeper into the cave, with air currents showing that the cave has another opening.
It is estimated that the cave is over 3 kilometers deep, which makes it the largest cave in Syria.
According to Wasim al-Shaarani, head of Sweida Department of Archeology, the cave was formed by the flow of volcanic lava that cooled down and formed a long rectangular hollow area that expands the further one goes into the depths of the cave, which isn’t fully explored yet.
The volcanic caves of Sweida date back to the Paleolithic age which began around 40,000 BC and ended around the end of the third millennium BC.
Some of the oldest volcanic rocks found in the governorate date back to the Miocene and Pliocene ages.
ANI
First Published: Saturday, January 09, 2010, 10:15