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Caves of the Jerusalem Mountains (Prozdor)

Begin Chimney, Jerusalem Mountains

Location: Begin Park
Elevation: 815 m above sea level

Description of the cave:

Begin Chimney is a karst pit consisting of two chimneys, which developed in limestone of Cenomanian age (Amminadav Formation), along a fracture running on a northwest - southeast axis.

The cave has a vertical entrance opening at the top of chimney I, measuring 1.5X1.5 m and rounded in shape. The external surroundings of the entrance are characterized by horizontal or gently sloping surfaces, made of exposed, rocky limestone, between which there are areas covered with dark soil.

The cave entrance leads to a deep karst chimney. The width of the chimney on the northwest axis (along the fracture) remains almost constant at 3 m, whereas on the northeast axis the width of the chimney varies from 0.7 m in the entrance area, to 4 m at its center, and 2 m at its base. The depth of the chimney from its top to its base is 30 m. The base of the chimney looks like a rounded room, its floor is covered with fine stone sediment, a few collapse rocks and fragments of speleothems that underwent secondary dissolution. The floor of the chimney slopes south, where there is a narrow passage through which water passes to chimney II, whose floor is slightly lower than the entrance chimney.

At the bottom of chimney I a single snake of the species spotted-headed dwarf snake was found. Also observed at this point: a brown millipede, moths, mosquitoes and a single bat. On the northern wall, about 1.3 m from the floor of the chimney, a glowworm that had woven webs was observed.

3 m above the base of chimney I there is a narrow, high "window" leading to chimney II. This chimney is wider than the entrance chimney and 2 m lower than it, so that the water descending through the entrance chimney passes to chimney II as far as its center, where it descends westward and sinks into a narrow fracture.

The length of chimney II, from its base to its top, is 23 m. The base of the chimney looks like an elongated room extending 4 m on a southeast axis, at the end of which it turns and continues another 3 m to the southwest. At the turning point there is a low step and above it, at the end of the chimney, there is a yaron nest.

The floor of the chimney is covered with mud, fine stone sediment and flowstone. In the walls and floor of the chimney there are speleothems, some of which underwent secondary dissolution (stalagmites, elephant ears, stalactites, flowstone and cave pearls).

A video of the glowworm (photo: Israel Naaman): https://youtu.be/Wjq4hbw0v1c

Access:

One can reach as far as 80 m from the cave entrance by 4X4 vehicle.
The descent into the cave requires the help of a rope. The rappel rope can be anchored around a cypress tree growing about 1. m from the cave entrance.

* A single bat and also a bat skeleton were observed in the cave - species not identified.

Equipment:

A 35 m rope for the descent into the cave - it can be anchored with the rappel rope.

Written by: Boaz Langford