A well in Yemen, which has been a source of fantastical lore, has been explored by members of the Omani Caves Exploration Team for the first time in history.
The legendary sinkhole, known as the 'Well of Hell', formed in the middle of the desert in al-Mahra millions of years ago and measuring 30m wide.
The Well of Barhout has remained undisturbed by travellers and locals alike for fear of what lived down within its depths.
Many believed the well to be a secret prison for wish-granting genies, and after one curious Yemeni smelt a distinct odour emanating from the deep, the tales transformed from a jail for disgruntled genies to a gateway to the underworld.
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A somewhat more believable theories pegs the 'well of hell' as being a dormant volcano, albeit one that is ready to destroy the planet at a moment's notice.
But last year a team of explorers took it upon themselves to investigate the 367-foot-deep sinkhole and find out what lay down below, making them the first group of people to have successfully made it to the bottom
The crew descended the eerily symmetrical circle entrance using a cleverly constructed pulley system. Eight of the ten team members were lowered 112m to the well floor.
Luckily for them, they were greeted by firm ground at the bottom of the sinkhole. But with nary a genie in sight, the team were indeed faced with an overwhelming stench.
Alas, it wasn't the ferryman waiting to take them to the underworld, but an array of dead animals who had strayed too close to the edge way up above.
The devil's hole had never been explored by man before, so naturally there were still some curious finds, including rare cave pearls that were growing between the stalagmites.
Waterfalls were also flowing in from the holes around the expanse of wall.
Mohammed al Kindi, a member of the OCET team and geology professor at Oman’s German University of Technology, described the expedition as a sort of passion project, saying, “We felt that this is something that will reveal a new wonder and part of Yemeni history.”
