You can enter but you never know where it ends.  It is not a shelter for thieves such as Ali Baba's cave or an archeological site such as Jeita.   It is not a hunters tunnel or even a monastery …

A story of courage, revolt and tragedy.   More than a popular legend, it is an extremely important event in the history of Douma and the region. In the 17th century, the Ottomans burnt down Douma for the 7th time …

Legend says ... that a great golden treasure lies under the Mar Nohra rock and that the signs and inscriptions carved on the rock are a true map to the treasure and the means by which to uncover it .…

You can enter but you never know where it ends.

It is not a shelter for thieves such as Ali Baba's cave or an archeological site such as Jeita. It is not a hunters tunnel or even a monastery. It is an ancient tunnel dug by a prominent King for trade purposes in peace times and espionage and defense purposes in war times.

Douma's Cave of Boxes is located in "Haret Al Tahta". It links the fortress of "Al Hossen" (the ruins of which still exist on the mountain overlooking west Douma) to the other neighboring villages in which the King's daughters were married. It is said that one of his daughters had hidden her valuable treasures in boxes and placed them in this cave. One reason for the name - Cave of Boxes.

It is also said that Douma's people took refuge in it to protect themselves from the barbarian army invasion. They survived along with their treasure boxes. Another reason for the name - Cave of Boxes.

Although people might disagree on where the true origin of the name is from, they all tend to agree that its tunnels are full of boxes that are full of gold and safeguarded by magic. So come for a visit, see it for yourself and challenge the magic of the boxes in a legendary visit to Douma.

A story of courage, revolt and tragedy.

More than a popular legend, it is an extremely important event in the history of Douma and the region.

In the 17th century, the Ottomans burnt down Douma for the 7th time in its history because of the trap prepared by the inhabitants for the "Ottoman Ali Baba" namely Al Kashlak and his forty soldiers. They buried the soldiers and their horses in a hole in Feghri high up in the mountains overlooking Douma. To this day the area in Feghri is still know as "Jwar Al Khail" (In Vicinity of the Horses).

During the despotic Ottoman era, the inhabitants were in a declining state of hunger and poverty. The people were forced to pay taxes to the Ottoman governor (Al Waly). The Turkish Kashlak was a tax collector, sent by the way of Tripoli to collect taxes, repress revolts and guarantee the continuity of Ottoman rule. Once in Douma the Kashlak fell in love with Hawla, a beautiful woman from Douma. Hawla, however, was already engaged to a Doumanian man by the name of Abdullah. So when the Kashlak asked for Hawla to marry him the village could not stand still. Abdullah and other men in the village were furious and called upon the inhabitants to hold an urgent meeting. They decided on a strategy to destroy the Ottomans.

During the wedding of the Kashlak and Hawla, the villagers would get the Kashlak's men drunk and attack all of them at once with the Kashlak being the first target. A local village man stood behind each Turkish soldier as they ate and drank throughout the night. As local custom went, during the wedding the bride is to choose a person who can do whatever he wants to do to the groom. Little did the Kashlak know that what the man was to do to him would be fatal. Once the Kashlak was killed they finished all the men off. In order to hide the evidence, they buried the bodies of the Kashlak and his men as well as their horses high up in the mountains of Fighri overlooking Douma.

When the Ottoman Governor (Al Waly) learned of this bloodshed he ordering the burning of Douma causing the displacement of its inhabitants.

Jwar Al Khail, where the horses where buried reminds us to this day of this courageous yet tragic event in Douma's history.

Legend says that a great golden treasure lies under the Mar Nohra rock and that the signs and inscriptions carved on the rock are a true map to the treasure and the means by which to uncover it.

Mar Nohra was a holly man bothered by a mysterious legend at his own home in an archeological church safeguarding the western entrance to Douma under the shadow of a one-thousand year old oak tree.

Lots of legends and stories circulate about Mar Norhra, its old church, tunnels and its buried treasure. The old church was originally a pagan temple. The tunnel was found starting from its wall and god only knows where it ends. Indeed nobody knows why this tunnel was dug or by whom. The important part of these stories talks about how the rock is somehow haunted by a kind of local magic called (Rasad). When the "Rasad" punishes the outsiders or what the inhabitants of the village called the "gold searchers", it could curse their business, properties and family. It goes without saying that we advise you not to go in search of Mar Nohra's hidden treasure but come and appreciate the beauty and magnificent humility of this holy site.