'Well Of Hell': Mystery Abounds Giant Hole In Yemen, Experts Baffle What Lies Beneath 'Prison For Demons'

The Well of Barhout (also nicknamed Well of Hell) is a cave in Hadhramaut, Yemen.

Closer to the border with Oman than to the capital Sanaa 1,300 kilometres (800 miles) away, the giant hole in the desert of Al-Mahra province is 30 metres wide and thought to be anywhere between 100 and 250 metres deep.

Local folklore says it was created as a prison for the demons, a reputation bolstered by the foul odours rising from its depths.

Yemeni officials say they don't know what lies below.

According to Salah Babhair, the director-general of Mahra's geological survey and mineral resources authority, the cave has little oxygen and no ventilation and remains unexplored.

"We have gone to visit the area and entered the well, reaching more than 50-60 metres down into it. We noticed strange things inside. We also smelled something strange... It's a mysterious situation."

Over the centuries, stories have circulated of malign, supernatural figures known as jinns or genies living in the well.

Many local residents remain uneasy about visiting the vast hole, or even talking about it, for fear of ill fortune from a chasm which, legend has it, threatens life on Earth itself.

Salah Babhair said that the well was "millions and millions" of years old and "These places require more study, research and investigation."