Sinour Valley Cave Reserve

The Sinour Valley Cave is a limestone cave covered with marble, formed by thermal springs. It is located 10 km southeast of Beni Suef city in Egypt.

The Sinour Cave was discovered in the 1980s after an excavation blast created an entrance. The cave is situated 10 km southeast of Beni Suef city.

It is located about 40 kilometers east of Beni Suef and approximately 200 kilometers from Cairo. The cave extends about 700 meters underground, with a depth of 15 meters, and its width reaches approximately 15 meters.

The cave is divided into two parts: one contains complete formations (stalactites and stalagmites), and the other contains calcium deposits in various shapes.

It is believed that there may be another cave beneath this one.

The Sinour Valley Cave was accidentally discovered during the 1990s when quarry workers were extracting alabaster ore. They uncovered a gap leading to a subterranean cave containing geological formations known as stalactites and stalagmites made of alabaster, which take beautiful shapes. These geological formations date back to the Middle Eocene Epoch, about 40 million years ago.

These formations resulted from water-soluble solutions saturated with calcium carbonate seeping through the roof of the cave, then evaporating and leaving behind mineral deposits that accumulated as stalactites and stalagmites.

The significance of this cave lies in the rarity of such natural formations worldwide. It is regarded as a unique global cultural site for researchers and geologists. Moreover, studies conducted in this site and the surrounding areas can help in discovering future mineral resources.