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 Cave 2, Carmel

Grid ref.: 147533/244494
Location: Nahal Ezov - Mount Carmel
Elevation: 85 m above sea level

Description of the cave:

Ezov Cave is a small cave consisting mainly of a chamber quarried in chalk of Cenomanian age (Judea Group, Shamir Formation). The cave was quarried in the slope of the northern bank of the lower Nahal Ezov. In the cave area many other caves were quarried, smaller than Ezov Cave 2 (except Ezov Cave 1). The cluster of caves is marked on the regional map under the name 'Ezov Caves' and also appears in surveys conducted in the area (for example: Ze'ev Vilnay - Archaeological Encyclopedia).

The cave has a pair of openings quarried one south of the other. Dimensions of opening I: 1.7X1.2 m, rectangular in shape and blocked by an old iron gate. Dimensions of opening II: 3.2X1.7 m, shaped like a vault that widens from its top toward its base; a poor stone wall and a large terebinth tree block the passage through this opening.

The cave space consists of a chamber divided into two areas - northern and southern. The northern area extends from the northern opening. The dimensions of this area are 16X10 m and its height reaches 1.8 m. The floor of the area is horizontal and covered with loose soil. In the northeastern part of the northern area there is a wide niche whose floor is steeply inclined toward the opening. On the eastern side of the area there is a wide corridor descending steeply south to the southern area. The dimensions of this area are 8.5X6 m and its height is 1.2 m. The floor of this area is horizontal and covered with loose soil and a few stones. On the northwestern side of the area there is a narrow corridor continuing north, which after about 3 m is blocked by a natural fill of stones. During the visit to the cave (winter 2012) water drips were observed in this area, trickling from the cave ceiling. It appears that there is a good connection between the cave space and the moisture outside it (it drips only during rain).

In the various parts of the cave, wild boar droppings, a common fan-footed gecko, large bones (perhaps a cow), and a single bat identified as one of the small horseshoe bat species (perhaps a lesser horseshoe bat) were observed.

Access:

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

Written by: Boaz Langford