MUSCAT, Aug 9: Shrouded in mist high in the emerald-green mountains of southern Oman lies a natural wonder as breathtaking as it is mysterious — a vast, gaping chasm plunging deep into the earth, its echoing depths fuelling centuries of myths among local tribes.

This dramatic sinkhole is one of four scattered across the Dhofar governorate, a region home to some of the most spectacular geological formations in the Middle East — including the mighty Kahf Teiq, one of the world’s largest, measuring a staggering 211 metres (692ft) deep and 150 metres wide.

At the more accessible Tawi Atair sinkhole, visitors wander along concrete paths and staircases, gazing into the abyss. Yet not all of Dhofar’s pits are so forgiving. The Sheeheet sinkhole, a 40-minute drive away along twisting mountain roads, is surrounded by slick mud, prompting authorities to install fences and stern warning signs. Even so, danger is never far away — during a recent visit by the Associated Press, one tourist lost their footing, sliding alarmingly close to the edge.

Marwan bin Turki A Said, Dhofar’s governor, has insisted safety at these natural sites is a top priority, speaking at a briefing attended by AFP. Tawi Atair — its name meaning “Well of Birds” in the region’s local tongue — earned the moniker from the chorus of birdsong that, distorted by the cavern’s acoustics, resonates hauntingly through the rock.

Unknown to the outside world until 1997, it was brought to international attention when Slovenian researchers, working with Oman’s Sultan Qaboos University, documented its remarkable scale. Today, it is firmly on the tourist trail, luring visitors from across the Gulf eager to escape the punishing summer heat for Dhofar’s cooler, mist-draped climate.

Local folklore claims these colossal craters were formed by meteorite strikes — cosmic cannonballs from the heavens slamming into the earth. But science tells another story. Ali Faraj Al-Kathiri, a Dhofar-based geologist, explains they are the result of water slowly seeping into the porous limestone, creating a weak acid that dissolves the rock over thousands of years, eventually collapsing into the caverns we see today.

And lest they be confused with another infamous hole in the Arabian Peninsula, these Omani sinkholes bear no relation to the notorious “Well of Hell” just across the Yemeni border — a foul-smelling, pitch-black pit long whispered about as a prison for demons.