Wadi el-Ein Cave

Grid ref.

1747/1474

Location

Wadi el-Ein, south side

Elevation

668 m above sea level

Cave mapView the map (PDF)

Cave description:

Cave 28 was found as part of a cave survey in Wadi el-Ein. The cave is one of the largest found in the survey and one of the most beautiful in the area. The cave entrance is on the southern bank of the wadi at a height of about 15 m from the wadi bed. In front of the cave entrance there is a terrace on which 3 fig trees grow.

The entrance dimensions are about 2X2.5 m and it is slightly hidden by the branches of a fig tree. The cave entrance leads to a large hall, measuring about 15X10 m and about 2 m high. The hall ceiling is covered with short stalactites that were apparently damaged by a fire that occurred in the cave and are covered with soot. On the hall walls there are many flowstone sheets and on its southern side there are also several wide columns. Beyond these columns there is a passage that developed from the hall floor, southward, and leads to another hall divided in two by a low step. The western side of this hall is flooded, so that a water pool was formed there reaching a depth of about half a meter. In the middle of the pool there are several large stalagmites and a column. Throughout the pool area there are many cave deposits that were damaged by engravings, inscriptions and breakage.

On the western side of the hall a wide, low passage developed, whose total length is about 10 m. At the time of the visit to the cave (2009) the floor of this passage was completely covered with a white fungus that grew on fox droppings.

Access and hiking:

Access to the cave entrance is not problematic technically but is problematic security-wise.

The visit to the cave is on foot upright (in the halls) and crawling (in the passages).

* Bats that were not identified were observed in the cave.

Equipment:

• The visit to the cave does not require special equipment.

Written by: Boaz Langford

To Ofra, east of Route 60