Spelunking

This weekend, I last minute decided to join a group that was going on a "cave hike." I didn't really know what to expect, but I was aware of a giant cave near Beit Shemesh (where we were heading), do I thought we'd just walk through the cave. Well, we didn't go to that cave. Instead, we went to an area that used to be a Jewish village in the days when the Jews were forced out of Jerusalem (and a lot of times into hiding) in order to avoid being persecuted by the Romans.

Let me start by saying we had AMAZING weather. Israel in the summer is not known for being fun. It tends to be hot, and humid, but we had a great day. It was warm, but we had a nice breeze. We arrive at the place, and Itzik informs us that we will be going to three cave.

The first, was used as a storage area (hence all the holes).

The second one was where people would bury their dead. The room that I'm standing in front of is where they used to take the bones of their loved ones to be stored a few years after their death. This was done because of the limited space to bury everyone in your family in the same place. Luckily, the bones are no longer present here.

Actually, this cave was carved out quite nicely. By far, the most decorative cave of the three. More than that, they had created a gate to try to keep grave robbers out. A giant wheel is positioned between the stones and rolled closed. These caves are also made up of the Jerusalem stone that is seen in buildings all over Jerusalem.


The third cave was a bit different. We started by lying on our stomach and commando crawling through a tiny little space, just to reach a space big enough for 3 (in which we had at least 10 before Itzik agreed to move forward). This pattern continued until we got to the "giant room in the cave where we were able to all sit somewhat comfortably for a little. This cave is referred to as the "refugee cave." It was here that the public of the village could go to hide from the Romans. Because of this, the entrances are so hard (to make it that much more difficult for the Romans to get through with all of their gear). There are dead ends, the tunnels move up and down in unexpected ways. All in an attempt to make things more difficult for the Romans. Not to mention the absolute darkness. It's one thing to be in a little cave with a flashlight on, but in darkness...

All in all, it was quite a pleasant and unexpected way to spend the day. Yet another reminder of how much history there actually is in Israel.