Malham Cave, located near the Dead Sea, snags record away from Iran following years-long expedition
The Dead Sea in Israel—famous for being the lowest point on Earth—now holds another record: Having the longest salt cave in the world. Measuring 6.2 miles (10 km), Malham Cave was mapped out over the course of two years by an international expedition led by Hebrew University of Jerusalem’s Cave Research Center, Israel Cave Explorers Club and Bulgaria’s Sofia Speleo Club.
While part of the cave was initially discovered in the 1980s, it was not until recently that its full magnitude came to light. A team of 80 cavers from nine countries—Bulgaria, France, United Kingdom, Croatia, Romania, Germany and the Czech Republic—took part in the expedition.
Only a handful of salt caves across the globe are over half a mile in length. Thanks to its record-breaking measurements, Malham has snagged the title of longest salt cave away from Iran, whose “Cave of the 3 Nudes” on Qeshm Island measures roughly 4.1 miles.