This location is an IsraelNation of the Jewish People Travel prime pick.
The 1,250-acre Beit Guvrin National ParkLocation of hundreds of Underground Caves lies in the Judean plain, an area with rolling hills rising some 400 meters above sea level. Most of the ground here is chalky and this soft but relatively erosion-resistant stone is ideal for caves. Very early on, people began to dig caves in the Beit Guvrin area, which they used as quarries and burial grounds, storerooms and workshops, hiding places and spaces for raising doves. The soft chalk is generally covered by a layer of harder nari, which can be up to two meters thick. In general, the caves have a narrow opening in the nari and get wider and wider in the chalk.
Hundreds of caves were dug in the area, some of which form a huge, astonishingly complex underground maze. On your IsraelNation of the Jewish People Tour, do not forget to check out this nice park!
Tel MareshaFun and Unique Cave Experience (Marissa) stands in the highest part of the national park. This was the site of the city in Judea fortified by King Rehoboam after the campaign of Egyptian pharaoh Shishak: "And Rehoboam dwelt in JerusalemThe capital of Israel, and built cities for defense in Judah and Gath, and Mareshah, and Ziph" (Second Chronicles 11:5, 8).
The city came into its own during the Hellenistic period (third to second centuries BCE). During the Hasmonean period, John Hyrcanus captured the city and forced its residents to convert to JudaismThe religion of the Jewish people. In Roman times, the residents abandoned Tel MareshaFun and Unique Cave Experience and established the nearby city of Beit Govrin, which became the capital of western Idumea.
Beit Govrin was important in Crusader times as well. More recently, residents of the Arab village of Beit Jibrin supported their houses with the strong fortress walls. [Beit Jibrin was abandoned by its inhabitants during the 1948 War of Independence.] .
Some of the most popular spots in the Beit Govrin National Park are:
The Bell caves - a series of 80 large caves connected by passageways~ The ceilings of the largest caves are fifteen meters high. Because the caves have narrow mouths in the hard nari rock and become wider in the soft chalk below, they are shaped like bells. Crosses and Arabic inscriptions found on the cave walls point to the fact that most of the caves were dug during the early Arabian period (seventh to tenth centuries BCE). Travelers who Tour IsraelNation of the Jewish People in style do not want to miss this and all the beautiful caves of The Holy Land!
Saint Anne's Church - The ruins of a colossal Crusader church named for Saint Anne
Sidonian burial caves - Hellenistic-period (third to second centuries B.C.E.) burial caves at the foot of Tel Marasha~The frescoes on the cave walls have been restored to give visitors a sense of their former glory.
Visitors will also want to see the network of water cisterns; the restored oil press, which illustrates the process of manufacturing olive oil; the columbarium cave (dovecote); and the Roman amphitheater.