The Caves of Nahal Me’arot / Wadi el-Mughara ("Caves Creek"), named here by the
Hebrew
Hebrew (; ; ) is a Northwest Semitic language of the Afroasiatic language family. Historically, it is one of the spoken languages of the Israelites and their longest-surviving descendants, the Jews and Samaritans. It was largely preserved ...
and
Arabic
Arabic (, ' ; , ' or ) is a Semitic language spoken primarily across the Arab world.Semitic languages: an international handbook / edited by Stefan Weninger; in collaboration with Geoffrey Khan, Michael P. Streck, Janet C. E.Watson; Walter ...
name of the valley where they are located, are a
UNESCO
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture. It ...
Site of Human Evolution in the
Carmel mountain range near
Haifa
Haifa ( he, חֵיפָה ' ; ar, حَيْفَا ') is the third-largest city in Israel—after Jerusalem and Tel Aviv—with a population of in . The city of Haifa forms part of the Haifa metropolitan area, the third-most populous metropol ...
in northern
Israel
Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...
.
UNESCO website
The four UNESCO-listed caves are:
*
Tabun cave, Tabun or Tanur cave (lit.: "Oven")
* Gamal or el-Jamal cave ("Camel")
*
El Wad or Nahal cave ("Stream")
*
Skhul or Gedi cave ("Kid")
The four caves were proclaimed a site of "outstanding universal value" by UNESCO
in 2012. They are protected within a
nature reserve
A nature reserve (also known as a wildlife refuge, wildlife sanctuary, biosphere reserve or bioreserve, natural or nature preserve, or nature conservation area) is a protected area of importance for flora, fauna, or features of geological or ...
.
The caves were used for habitation by
hominin
The Hominini form a taxonomic tribe of the subfamily Homininae ("hominines"). Hominini includes the extant genera ''Homo'' (humans) and '' Pan'' (chimpanzees and bonobos) and in standard usage excludes the genus ''Gorilla'' (gorillas).
The ...
s and prehistoric humans and contain unique evidence of very early burials, at the archaeological site of el-Wad cave in the Nahal Me'arot Nature Reserve.
Gallery
File:Nahal-mearot-jamal-cave.JPG, A Paleolithic reconstitution in Jamal Cave
File:Nahal-Mearot-2-58.jpg, Paleolithic tools in Jamal Cave (replica)
File:El-Wad cave & terrace.JPG, Entrance to elWad Cave
File:El-Wad Cave (2).jpg, Inside elWad Cave
File:Excavating Natufian strucutre at el-Wad Terrace.JPG, Excavation work in elWad Cave's terrace
Image:El-Wad point.png, ElWad point microlith
A microlith is a small stone tool usually made of flint or chert and typically a centimetre or so in length and half a centimetre wide. They were made by humans from around 35,000 to 3,000 years ago, across Europe, Africa, Asia and Australia. Th ...
File:Flint Stone Points, Late Stone Age, Boqer Tahtit and el-Wad Cave, 50000-28000 BP.jpg, Flint stone points, Boqer Tahtit Cave (Ein Avdat
Ein Avdat ( he, עין עבדת) or Ein Ovdat is a canyon in the Negev Desert of Israel, south of Kibbutz Sde Boker. Archaeological evidence shows that Ein Avdat was inhabited by Nabateans and Catholic monks. Numerous springs at the southern o ...
) and elWad Cave, – ( Israel Museum)
Homo Neanderthalensis Tabun 1 Mount Carmel Israel About 1200,000-50,000 BP.jpg, Homo neanderthalensis
Neanderthals (, also ''Homo neanderthalensis'' and erroneously ''Homo sapiens neanderthalensis''), also written as Neandertals, are an extinct species or subspecies of archaic humans who lived in Eurasia until about 40,000 years ago. While the ...
fossil from Tabun C1 (replica). – ( Israel Museum)
See also
*
List of World Heritage Sites in Israel and Jerusalem
*
National parks and nature reserves of Israel
*
Skhul and Qafzeh hominins
The Skhul/Qafzeh hominins or Qafzeh–Skhul early modern humans are hominin fossils discovered in Es-Skhul and Qafzeh caves in Israel. They are today classified as ''Homo sapiens'', among the earliest of their species in Eurasia. Skhul Cave ...
References
External links
Official pageat Israel Nature and Parks Authority website
UNESCO: Sites of Human Evolution at Mount Carmel: The Nahal Me’arot / Wadi el-Mughara Caves
{{Authority control
Nature reserves in Israel
Prehistoric sites in Israel
Protected areas of Haifa District
World Heritage Sites in Israel
Caves of Israel
Mount Carmel