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

Tel Perur Cave

Grid ref.: 160244/225993
Elevation: 128 m above sea level

General:

Tel Perur Cave is a small cave consisting mainly of a single space cut in chalk of Eocene age (Adulam Formation). The cave was surveyed by Vladimir Bosolov, who visited the site in October 2013. A few weeks after the visit the cave was mapped by Boaz Langford and Daniel Ben-Tov.

Description of the Cave:

The opening of Tel Perur Cave is cut in the slope of the southern bank of Nahal HaShofet, about 150 m east of its junction with Nahal HaShanayim and a similar distance southeast of Ein Perur and Tel Perur. The opening is cut about 25 m above the base of the slope, its dimensions are 8.5X3.5 m and its general shape is vaulted.

The cave space consists of an elongated chamber that developed on a northeast-southwest axis. Its dimensions are 24X6 m and its height is equal to the height of the opening. All parts of the chamber are well lit by sunlight penetrating through its large opening. The light penetrating from the opening, combined with slight moisture condensing on the chamber walls, allows the development of green moss, which covers large parts of the cave walls. Along the walls there are elongated step lines indicating that the cave was formed by quarrying. Narrow passages with an elliptical cross-section and smoothed walls perhaps indicate that the quarried space was preceded by a natural space that was widened and shaped by quarrying. The passages are cut

at the bottom of the eastern wall of the cave, mainly near the opening.

The cave floor slopes gently down from the opening toward the inner part. The ground is covered with loose gray soil and a few small stones. Nine meters south of the opening the floor drops in a shallow step formed by large fieldstones. Another outline of stones exists at the inner end of the cave, where there is a semicircle closing off the corner of the chamber.

Notes:

The cave can be reached on foot from Ein Perur. Any vehicle can reach the spring.
During the mapping of the cave, medium-sized barn owl pellets were found on a rock shelf at the height of the eastern wall of the cave. The pellets were collected and sent to Dr. Or Komai of Tel Aviv University.

Written by: Boaz Langford

Region: HaShofet Forest