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

Freud Cave, Carmel

Grid ref.: 148591/242452
Location: Nahal Amiram – Mount Carmel
Elevation: 173 m above sea level

Description of the cave:

Freud Cave is a small cave (total length 26 m) that was exposed in the northern bank of Nahal Amiram, about 80 m above the flow channel. The cave was formed in limestone of Cenomanian age, by phreatic dissolution processes that acted along a fault line running south-east – north-west.

The cave has a vertical, concealed opening (measuring 2X0.7 m), gaping beneath a small rock surface, in the middle of a steep slope that forms the northern bank of Nahal Amiram. The cave opening leads to a wide, semi-lit space, its floor covered with red terra rossa soil that is steeply inclined from the eastern side to the western side of the space. In the middle of the floor of the space, next to its northern wall, 2 coarse potsherds were seen. The walls of the space slope steeply toward the cave opening and many flint nodules can be seen in them. It is possible that some of the many flint fragments scattered in the cave are man-made flint flakes.

On the eastern side of the entrance space, at the top of the floor slope, there is a low passage leading to a small room with stable temperature and high humidity. Throughout the room there are many speleothems, including a few pool deposits. In the western part of the room, near the opening connecting it with the entrance space, there are tree roots penetrating the cave space from its ceiling. The floor of the room slopes west, toward the entrance space, and north, toward the depth of the fault line along which the cave developed, where, at the bottom of the slope, there are rounded dissolution depressions. The ceiling of the room is made up of a horizontal rock layer that represents the dip of the layers in which the cave developed (dip +10° toward azimuth 100).

On the western side of the entrance space there is a low opening leading to a wide, low space formed between horizontal rock layers. At the end of the space there is a narrow, impassable gap through which one can peek into a very low space that forms the end of this part of the cave. At the time of the visit to the cave (10.3.12) a pair of ya'aronim was seen in this low space.

Access:

The cave opening can be reached on foot from the Derech Freud road or alternatively through the channel of Nahal Amiram. The cave opening can be seen only from a short distance.
The descent into the cave requires the use of a rope, without the need for rappelling gear. The rope can be anchored on a rock bridge located about half a meter below the cave opening.

* No bats were observed in the cave and no guano was seen.

Equipment:

A 10 m rope for descending into the cave; it can be anchored with the rappel rope.

Written by: Boaz Langford