Our travels in Israel were not limited to visiting religious or sacred sites in the Holy Land. We also visited some really interesting natural sites.
Beit Guvrin-Maresha National Park
Located about 1 hour south of Jerusalem, this large National Park was really interesting to see. The first area we visited was an area called the “Bell Caves”.
I’ve never seen anything like it at all! These were huge caves which had been hewn out of the chalk from the inside, starting by digging into the hillside from the top…imagine standing inside a huge bell and that’s what we saw. It was amazing to imagine people living in these caves thousands of years ago.
You can see the chisel marks in the walls, as well as words carved into the stone.
The next area of the park we visited had some underground tombs that had been dug underground. When we first arrived at the entrance to the tombs I expected them to be simple caves that were used to bury the dead, but I was wrong! They were again carved out of the rock and had a number of “wings” to the tombs with niches for the bodies along each of the corridors. There were carvings and paintings throughout, and this was quite interesting to see.
The final area of the park we visited contained some different ruins. There was small Roman amphitheatre which is still used today for different performances. We also visited the remains of a Crusader church, complete with columns carved with crosses.
Behind the church were a set of underground baths. The interesting thing about these baths were that the person who was bathing was underground while someone above would pour water into channels which would send the water down to shower the bather. The bather and the person pouring the water never saw one another, so the bather would have privacy while bathing.
Avshalom Cave
The next day we visited the Avshalom Cave with Eitana and family, who we were Couchsurfing with. This cave was discovered quite by accident when the area was being quarried for building materials. A dynamite blast revealed the entrance to the cave, and all work was stopped as archeologists investigated. What they found was a unique cave filled with stalactites and stalagmites; preservation work was completed and raised walkways added so that visitors could visit the site while minimizing the environmental impact.
What was interesting to hear on the tour was the length of time it took for each of the stalagmites/stalactites to grow. Each centimeter of growth takes between 50-70 years, and when I saw some of the different formations, it was clear that they had been here for thousands of years.
After our visit to the cave we went for a hike along some local trails with our Couchsurfing hosts and their friends. As we were hiking we saw some unexpected and beautiful vegetation:
And then we took some time out for a picnic lunch!
We had a great time checking out a nice combination of nature and ancient ruins, and really enjoyed experiencing a different side of Israel while making some new friends in the process. Highly recommended!
Comments
8 responses to “A different view of Israel”
Hi Oliver
First of all I had to look up the word HEWN – never heard of it before – I learn something new every day!!!! Enjoyed the contrast of the caves and of course, the vegetation. Looks like everyone had fun and that you had the first caves to yourselves. Best wishes to all, Doreen
Hi Doreen,
I’m glad that I was able to scrabble-challenge you! I had to “dig deep” for that word. We had fun there, and we pretty much had both the Bell caves and the tombs to ourselves (there was dead silence…) Even when we went to the Avshalom Cave, there weren’t more than maybe 20-25 people when we went through the guided tour….off season rocks!
Both types of caves are awesome and as always , your photos lovely. Your daughters will be expert at being able to converse with ‘strangers ‘ after this trip, what with all the people that you are meeting and visiting .
A very valuable skill!
Hi Herta,
I’m glad that you enjoyed the post. We’ve noticed a definite change in the girls’, and they have really come out of their shells…not that they were particularly shy before, but the changes we’re seeing are amazing. Katina and I were just talking today actually about the importance of social skills, and that you could have an amazing brain but without the ability to communicate and interact with others, you may end up (with your big brain) just sitting in the corner!
Wow, some amazing and beautiful pictures! I particularly like the bell caves! There was something very majestic about them that came across even in the photos!
Hi Ginny, I’d agree with you on the Bell caves, they were really neat and nothing like we’ve ever seen before. The stone was so smooth that it looked like it was made out of play-doh or perhaps water had been running through them for a long time, like when you find pieces of glass on a beach that have been worn smooth by the ocean.
Great photos, Oliver! Those caves look very majestic! Loved the almond tree and the caves! Mpm/baba
HI Baba,
The caves really were amazing…never seen anything like it. I’m glad that the photos were able to convey some of the beauty we experienced!