Bet Guvrin-Maresha National Park–
Bet Guvrin Bell Caves ring in the past
Overwhelmed Underground
Text & photos: Lydia Aisenberg
A visit to the Bet Guvrin-Maresha National Park, located in the heart of the Judean lowlands, can best be described as an overwhelming experience – both under and above ground, and most definitely far from an ordinary walk in the park, national or otherwise.
Situated some 250 to 350 meters above sea level, Bet Guvrin-Maresha is spread over 1,250 acres of hills, boasting extensive areas of woodlands, plentiful flora and fauna and views over the surrounding region, with impressive, sprawling and enticing natural and manmade jewels of archaeological discovery above and below its somewhat chalky ground.
One needs a good 3 - 4 hours to explore and appreciate the wonders of the past at Bet Guvrin-Maresha. It was recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2014, when it joined over a thousand other wondrous, highly prestigious sites around the globe, including the Egyptian Pyramids, the Acropolis of Athens, and the Taj Mahal in India.
In the early 1900s, British archaeologists working for the Palestine Exploration Fund led an expedition to Bet Guvrin. A short time thereafter two burial caves were excavated, but it was only in the 1960s and 70s that the site was surveyed by Israeli archaeologists, and a decade later large scale excavations were made by teams working under the Israel Antiquities Authority.
Excavation and renovation work continues in present times and this fascinating, extensive site still holds much to be revealed and recorded for posterity.
The park's extensive area includes more than a dozen natural and man-made sites, developed over a 2,000-year period. The map and explanatory pamphlet handed to visitors at the entrance explains how to get where and also provides important information about the incredible system of ancient caves, hewn out cisterns, store rooms, dovecotes, olive presses, inscribed tombs and far more.
Fascinating excavated underground olive presses
The ancient cities of Maresha and Beit Guvrin sat close to the crossroads of a major trade route connecting Mesopotamia and Egypt. Since archaeological operations in the region began, discoveries have attested to the region's continuous development over thousands of years, giving insights as to how and where ancient folks led their lives, and further proving the importance of this particular region in ancient times.
Most of the decorative artwork and inscriptions on the walls of the caves, rooms and tombs have been renovated in a highly professional way, including replacing sections of disintegrated walls and ceilings. The figures and items depicted on the walls convey the awe and honor felt by those who meticulously carried out the impressive renovation work.
Massive caves, known as 'The Bell Caves,' were hewn during the Byzantine and early Muslim periods, and were used as quarries. The excavated raw material was then used to continue building locally and also for other sites being developed along the coastal plain.
The Bet Guvrin caves are huge, awesome and mesmerizing, in the main really bell-shaped – with round openings up on high where one sees, at the time of this writer's visit, a deep blue sky in sharp contrast to the bright whiteness of the chalk walls.
Sparkling rays of sunshine penetrating these openings made the experience that more magical as the light danced and pranced around one on the cave floor.
A cistern hewn in the Hellenistic period sports the intriguing moniker of "The Polish Cave". During World War II, Polish soldiers from General Anders' army and loyal to the Polish government in exile in London, visited this cave and carved "1943, Warsaw, Poland" and an eagle, the symbol of that army, into one of the pillars of the cave.
Apart from the caves, tunnels and tombs, the remains of a high ceilinged domed church, built during the Byzantine period, sits perched on a small hill, the ruin visible for a distance. There is also an excavated Crusader fortress, a Roman era bathhouse and a reconstructed and incredibly imposing Roman amphitheater, and so much more.
Sitting high up in the spectators' gallery above the floor of the amphitheater, one can almost feel fear the hungry beasts about to come charging out of the tunnels in search of their next meal, or of an even bloodier battle inflicted by man upon man as gladiators fought to the death, with thousands cheering them on their bloody mission.
Indeed, this writer's visit to the Bet Guvrin-Maresha National Park definitely lived up to the promise on their website of the site being "the ultimate hangout for those who like their history with a side of adrenaline".
Meticulously renovated colourful wall illustrations and scripts
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