This page was translated from Hebrew and has not been reviewed yet. The Hebrew page is the reference. עברית

Nahal Daroch Cave, Nahal Daroch, Negev

Grid ref.: 136563/030158
Location: Hatira Ridge

Description of the cave:

Nahal Daroch Cave is a small cave that developed in limestone of the Shivta Formation. The cave entrance opens on the northern bank of Nahal Daroch about 10 m above the streambed and measures 8X2.5 m.

Information about the cave was brought to the Israel Cave Research Center (ICRC) by Boaz Langford, after a tour of the site in April 2008, and it was documented about a year later by Elhanan Kleinberg and Amir Piriya.

The cave is built of a wide entrance space from which a narrow passage extends (about 20 m long and about 1 m wide), which becomes narrower at its end. The cave floor is horizontal and covered with loose soil and goat/ibex droppings. The cave ceiling is rounded and several dissolution domes open in it. On the ceiling and walls there are soot marks, apparently evidence of the cave being burned by Bedouin. It is possible that the burning of the cave prevented the presence of the cave tick in the entrance area. However, in the space of the inner passage there is a high concentration of the tick.

Access :

The cave can be reached on foot via the trail marked in black (Nahal Daroch trail no. 15270).

Written by: Boaz Langford

Name: Nahal Daroch Cave