Ninu's Cave is a

cave A cave or cavern is a natural void in the ground, specifically a space large enough for a human to enter. Caves often form by the weathering of rock and often extend deep underground. The word ''cave'' can refer to smaller openings such as sea ...

Xagħra Xagħra ( mt, Ix-Xagħra) is an administrative unit of Malta, on the island of Gozo. It is one of the earliest inhabited parts of Gozo, being home to the Ġgantija megalithic temples which date back to the year 3600BC and the Xagħra Stone Circl ...

Gozo Gozo (, ), Maltese: ''Għawdex'' () and in antiquity known as Gaulos ( xpu, 𐤂𐤅𐤋, ; grc, Γαῦλος, Gaúlos), is an island in the Maltese archipelago in the Mediterranean Sea. The island is part of the Republic of Malta. After t ...

Malta Malta ( , , ), officially the Republic of Malta ( mt, Repubblika ta' Malta ), is an island country in the Mediterranean Sea. It consists of an archipelago, between Italy and Libya, and is often considered a part of Southern Europe. It lies ...

. Ninu's Cave was discovered by local resident Joseph Rapa in 1888 while digging a well under a private house. Ninu's Cave is not far from another underground feature,

Xerri's Grotto Xerri's Grotto is a cave in Xagħra, Gozo, Malta. It was discovered by local resident Anthony Xerri in 1923 or 1924 while digging a well under a private house. Xerri's Grotto is not far from another underground feature, Ninu's Cave. The grotto i ...

. The cave is formed in upper coralline limestone. It has many natural

stalactite A stalactite (, ; from the Greek 'stalaktos' ('dripping') via ''stalassein'' ('to drip') is a mineral formation that hangs from the ceiling of caves, hot springs, or man-made structures such as bridges and mines. Any material that is soluble an ...

s and

stalagmite A stalagmite (, ; from the Greek , from , "dropping, trickling") is a type of rock formation that rises from the floor of a cave due to the accumulation of material deposited on the floor from ceiling drippings. Stalagmites are typically ...

s, and also a few

helictite A helictite is a speleothem (cave-formed mineral) found in a limestone cave that changes its axis from the vertical at one or more stages during its growth. Helictites have a curving or angular form that looks as if they were grown in zero grav ...

s. Many of these formations are dry, with the same colour as the surrounding rock, but a few are semi-transparent. It also had

soda straw A soda straw (or simply straw) is a speleothem in the form of a hollow mineral cylindrical tube. They are also known as tubular stalactites. Soda straws grow in places where water leaches slowly through cracks in rock, such as on the roofs of ...

s, but these have been broken off. The cave is entered by a 4m descent down a spiral staircase, which ends in a large chamber of approximately 20m by 8m. Ninu's Cave is illuminated by electric lights, and is open to the public all year round.

References

Caves of Malta Limestone caves Xagħra {{Malta-geo-stub