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

Caves of the Carmel and the Menashe Hills

Ezov 1 Cave, Carmel

Grid ref.: 147570/244462
Location: Nahal Ezov - Mount Carmel
Elevation: 80 m above sea level

Description of the Cave:

Ezov Cave is a small cave consisting mainly of a chamber cut into Cenomanian chalk (Judea Group, Shamir Formation). The cave was cut into the slope of the northern bank of the lower Nahal Ezov. In the area of the cave many additional caves were cut, smaller than Ezov 1 Cave. The cluster of caves is marked on the regional map as "Ezov Caves" and also appears in surveys carried out in the area (for example: Ze'ev Vilnay - Archaeological Encyclopedia).

The cave has a pair of openings cut one east of the other. Opening I measures 1.1X2.2 m and is rectangular in shape. From the opening to the surface extends a rock-cut corridor without a ceiling. Opening II measures 5.3X1.5 m and has the shape of a vault that widens from its top toward its base. An iron fence and a large carob tree block the passage through this opening.

The cave space consists of a chamber measuring 18X9 m with a height of up to 2 m. The chamber floor is covered with loose soil and a few lumps of crumbling chalk that detached from the cave ceiling. Over most of the area of the chamber its floor slopes down from north to south at a typical gradient of 15 degrees. The chamber ceiling consists of weathered chalk and is mostly covered with soot. During the visit to the cave (winter 2012) water drips were observed flowing from the cave ceiling. It seems that there is a good connection between the cave space and the moisture outside it (it drips only during rain).

On the eastern side of the chamber, close to opening II, there is a low space separated from the other parts of the cave by a step in the ceiling. The space measures 6.5X9.5 and its height ranges from 0.3 to 0.9 m. The floor of the space slopes steeply from its inner part toward the center of the cave chamber.

In various parts of the cave, fox burrows, a wild boar resting spot, and a single bat identified as one of the small horseshoe bat species (possibly also Parsafon) were observed.

Access:

The cave opening can be reached on foot from the direction of the psychiatric institution at the mouth of Nahal Ezov.

Written by Boaz Langford