23°02′10″N 59°04′19″E / 23.03611°N 59.07194°E / 23.03611; 59.07194

Hawiyyat Najm (Arabic: هوية نجم), known as Bimmah Sinkhole in English, is a water-filled depression, structurally a sinkhole, in the limestone of eastern Muscat Governorate in the Sultanate of Oman, very close to the Al Sharqiyah region just off the highway to Sur, few kilometers before Tiwi.

Location

To preserve the sinkhole, the local municipality developed a fenced and toilet-equipped park, Hawiyat Najm Park, around it, along with a stairway leading down to the hole.[1]

Geology

A lake of turquoise waters, it is 50 m by 70 m wide and approximately 20 m deep. It is only about 600 m away from the sea, between the coastal towns of Ḑibāb and Bamah (Bimmah). The sinkhole was formed by a collapse of the surface layer due to dissolution of the underlying limestone.[2] However, locals used to believe this sinkhole in the shape of a water well was created by a meteorite,[3][4] hence the Arabic name Hawiyyat Najm which means "the deep well of the (falling) star".

Bimmah Sinkhole ranges in depth from only a few feet to over 300+ feet in the deepest part.[5]

Notes and references

  1. ↑ "You are being redirected..." www.omantripper.com. Retrieved 2019-12-01.
  2. ↑ Rajendran, Sankaran; Nasir, Sobhi (2014). "ASTER mapping of limestone formations and study of caves, springs and depressions in parts of Sultanate of Oman". Environmental Earth Sciences. 71 (1): 133–146, figure 9d (page 142), page 144. doi:10.1007/s12665-013-2419-7. S2CID 128443371.
  3. ↑ "Travel to Oman, Visit Muscat through Oman Travel Guide for Sultanate of Oman Adventure - Ministry of Tourism, Sultanate of Oman". www.omantourism.gov.om.
  4. ↑ "منتزه "هوية نجم" مزار سياحي". جريدة وجهات (in Arabic). 2016-10-15. Archived from the original on 2019-12-09. Retrieved 2019-12-09.
  5. ↑ "Everything You Need To Know Before Visiting Bimmah Sinkhole". Follow Me Away. 2019-04-04. Retrieved 2019-12-01.
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