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

El Qal'at Cave, Wadi Shiban

Grid ref.: 174057/143447
Elevation: +657 m

General:

El Qal'at Cave is a small cave consisting of a single space that developed in chalk and marl rock of Cenomanian age (Kefar Shaul Formation). The cave was surveyed and mapped by the ICRC team (Boaz Langford, Vladimir Boslov, and Efraim Cohen), which visited the place in June 2014. The cave appears on the topographic maps, from which its name is also taken.

Description of the cave:

The opening of El Qal'at Cave gapes at the top of the northern bank of Wadi Shiban, above and west of its junction with Wadi Burqa. The opening measures 10X2.5 m, has a vaulted profile, and is visible from afar. At the bottom of the opening many stones are scattered, which apparently originate from a wall built in the area of the opening. Part of the wall survived, so that it now blocks the eastern part of the opening. In front of the opening there is a small terrace mostly covered by soil and a few stones. In the rock surface east of the opening a pear-shaped water cistern was cut and beside it a shallow cupmark. The walls of the cistern are partly covered by a single layer of gray plaster on which maidenhair ferns grow. The floor of the cistern is covered by rocks and animal carcasses (goat, rock hyrax).

The cave space consists of a single chamber measuring 18X13 m, with a height equal to that of the opening. The entire area of the chamber is well lit by light penetrating through the large opening of the cave. The floor of the chamber is horizontal and mostly covered with brown sediment and many stones. A number of large collapse rocks are scattered in the cave space, mainly next to the walls. The cave ceiling is worn and sooty.

Notes:

The cave can be reached on foot through the channel of Wadi Shiban.
No bats were observed in the cave and no guano was found.

Written by: Boaz Langford

Region: Binyamin