Exploring the Mysteries of Sof Omar Cave in Ethiopia
Sof Omar Cave is a natural wonder located in the Bale Mountains of Ethiopia. It is one of the longest cave systems in Ethiopia, at approximately 15.1 kilometres (9.4 mi) long, and is believed to be one of the largest underground cave systems in Africa. The cave system is named after Sheikh Sof Omar Ahmed, a Muslim holy man who lived in the area and Ayiew, his daughter. The caves are sacred both to Islam and the local Oromo traditional religion and are known for their many pillars, particularly in the “Chamber of Columns.”
The Sof Omar Cave, located in Ethiopia, was first discovered and explored in 1967 by a team consisting of Eric Robson, Chris Clapham, and Kabir Ahmed. At that time, they recorded a total of 8 kilometers of passages. However, in 1972, a British Expedition to Ethiopia conducted a systematic exploration and discovered an additional 6.1 kilometers of new passages, bringing the total length of surveyed passages to 15.1 kilometers. Due to its unique features, the Sof Omar Cave was added to UNESCO’s tentative list for possible inscription as a World Heritage Site in 2011.
Approaching from Goro, the scrubby bush steeply drops 90 m into a canyon where the Weib river makes its way from the Bale Mountains through a 150 kilometres (93 mi) wide outcrop of Anatole limestone to the cave. The cave is formed along a network of joints: one set runs approximately north to south and the other east to west. The zig-zag of passages runs in an approximately southeasterly direction. Sof Omar has 42 entrances, but generally only four are useful for gaining entrance: two upstream Village Entrances (one to the east and one to the west of the village), the Tourist Entrance downstream from Holuca Resurgence at a point where the abandoned meander forming the dry valley rejoins the Web river, and a right bank entrance downstream of Holuca accessing the Deep South part of Clapham’s Climb Series.
The passage at the pebble beach is about 40 m wide—the widest passage in the cave—and leads to Ford 1 and follows a figure-eight passage until Ford 2 where visitors can cross back over to continue exploring various parts of this extensive cave system. The Chamber of Columns is a unique feature with thick columns densely packed in its centre surrounded by passages like Railway Tunnel and Molossadie Passage that offer alternative routes into this magnificent natural wonderland.