Beit Guvrin National Park

The Bet - Guvrin - Marissa National Park (Hebrew: גן לאומי בית גוברין ) is an Israeli national park in the Southern District of Israel. It covers an area of ​​approximately five square kilometers. Within this area are the remains of two ancient cities Eleutheropolis and Marissa. Known is the National Park because of its numerous caves, which can be entered by visitors.

Geography

The National Park is located about 30 kilometers east of the city of Ashkelon in the lowlands of Judea near the border with the West Bank. The terrain of the national park is nestled in a gently rolling landscape of limestone that reaches heights up to 400 meters above sea level. At the northern end of the park, the route 35 runs

Archaeological exploration of the area

In 1900 began on behalf of the Palestine Exploration Fund, the two archaeologists Frederick J. Bliss and RAS Macalister with extensive excavations at Marissa. From 1902 then was the investigation of two grave Sidonian caves by archaeologists Hermann Thiersch and John Punnett Peters in the southeast of Tell Marissa. In the 1960s and 70s, further investigations detected carried out by the Israeli geographers Yehoshua Ben Arieh. Under Amos Kloner began in 1989 more wide-ranging excavations on behalf of the Israel Antiquities Authority, which will continue in 2013.

Attractions in the National Park

  • At the foot of the Tell Marissa is called the Columbarium, a putative grave cave from pre-Christian times, in which, similar to the Roman necropolis, many ( alleged ) grave niches are recessed. Due to the rather high total number of more than 2,000 such niches, the interior of the cave resembles a dovecote, which is why the cave under the name Columbarium (Latin dovecote ) is known. Whether the niches were really used for burials, but is so far controversial.
  • In addition, located on the site of the so-called bath den with rock-hewn tubs.
  • Popular because of its magnificent grave paintings, among other things, involve numerous depictions of animals and mythological representations, the Sidonian grave caves. They originate from the 3rd and 2nd centuries BC, when the inhabitants of Marissa's usually buried their dead in grave niches. The paintings were restored in 1993.
  • In close proximity to National Highway 35, there are some remains of the ancient Eleuteropolis, including a Roman amphitheater that was used in the Byzantine period as a market place, the remains of a Crusader fortress and parts of a Roman bath house.
  • On the territory of the former city Eleuteropolis also to visit for visitors are the bells caves that owe their name to their bell-like shape. They are from the Byzantine and early Muslim period and served as an underground quarries. The Glöckenhöhlen have numerous openings at the ceiling, penetrating through the natural light in the cave system.

One of the bell caves

Amphitheater in Eleutheropolis

Settlement remains in Eleutheropolis

Typical vegetation and limestone rocks in the National Park

Columbarium

National parks and nature reserves of Israel Shfela R. A. Stewart Macalister Ein Avdat Yarkon Park Makhtesh Ramon Tzippori
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