According to legend, Beit al-Kreitlia is home to Sultan al-Watawit (Watawit means bat) – King of the Djins and his seven daughters who sleep peacefully in golden beds at the bottom of a magic well in the corner of the courtyard of Beit Al-Kreitlia. The well also contains the Sultan’s treasure which he closely guards.
The story goes that the Sultan told the Master of the Family to build his house around this specific well, which was his home. In return for doing this the Djin showered the family with gold down through the years. It is said that to this very day – in the dead of night he changes himself into a bat and can be seen leaving and entering the well……
This 40 ft deep well was cut through solid rock in Pharaonic times, Many have entered it in search of the golden treasure and never returned. When this happens Sultan al-Watawit periodically puts gold into the water bucked in recompense to the widows and families of the disappeared.
If you want to recover the treasure all you have to do is arrive armed with a rope, food, lighting and the magic words to keep you safe in your venture. At water level the well opens out into a big chamber – this chamber has two hidden shafts leading from it – one leads to palace of Sultan al-Watawit, his treasure and seven sleeping daughters, the other leads to the bottomless pit of destruction. The entrance to these passages is guarded by a ghost who also has the task of bucketing water into the two passages.
Should you want to attempt this – you should also know that you need the magic words that open the door to the Sultan’s Palace. This door is locked and sealed with the fabled ‘Seal of Solomon’.
Mara’s Mythical Tour to Beit Al-Kreitlia (Gayer Anderson House) & Ibn Tulun Mosque