Steps Cave, Wadi Makukh
- Grid ref.
- 18085/14426
- Location
- Wadi Makukh – South Daga
- Elevation
- 410 m above sea level
Cave mapView the map (PDF)Cave description:
Steps Cave is a site consisting of a complex of small caves that developed and were hewn in limestone of Turonian age (Shivta Formation). The cave entrances open in the cliff forming the southern bank of upper Wadi Makukh.
The site was discovered in March 1982, as part of a cave survey conducted by the Center for Cave Research (ICRC). During the survey, 9 separate spaces forming the Steps Cave complex were documented. The spaces consist of single rooms of simple structure. The spaces of the complex open across the width and height of the cliff, one above and beside another. Some of the spaces are connected to one another by rough steps hewn in the cliff face and by vertical shafts passing inside the cliff.
It can be seen that the Steps Cave complex is fundamentally different from the monastic cave complexes found in abundance in the vicinity. The most prominent complex is the laura of Khallat a-Danabiya, located in a nearby cliff, about 150 m from Steps Cave. The laura complex and its immediate surroundings abound in many rock-cut features, including various elements, mainly steps and channels, hewn with great care and excellent finish quality. In contrast to these, the elements hewn in Steps Cave were made with rough outlines and of poor quality, exposed to significant weathering. The structure of the spaces is simple, usually a single or double space containing various elements such as niches, a shaped threshold, steps, shafts, and the like.
In contrast to this simple type, the Steps Cave complex contains a hanging cave (cave no. 91) built of a carefully hewn cell. It is reasonable to assume that the extensive monastic activity that took place in Wadi Makukh did not bypass this attractive site. Nevertheless, in light of the great similarity between the Steps Cave complex and the cliff refuges discovered in the Galilee and even in Judea and Binyamin, it should be assumed that the site also served as a cliff refuge for the Jews of the region.
Access:
- The cave entrance can be reached on foot from the Derech Alon road.
- The descent to caves 90 and 91 requires the use of a rope and rappelling equipment.
Equipment:
- A 20 m rope for the descent to caves 90 and 91.
Further reading:
- 'Nikrot Tzurim' no. 14, 'Survey of the Caves of Upper Nahal Makukh', Amos Frumkin, 1988.
- ICRC archive, aerial photograph no. 28A. The cave numbers are: 83,84,85,86,87,88,89,90,91.
- 'Teva VaAretz' 29 (2), 'Another Monastery in the Chain', Haim Goldfus, 1987.
Written by: Boaz Langford
