Back مغارة سوريك Arabic مغارة بيت سوريك ARZ Sorek mağarası Azerbaijani Me‘arat HaNetifim CEB Avšalomova jeskyně Czech Cueva de Absalom Spanish Grotte de Soreq French מערת הנטיפים (שורק) HE Սորեկ (արգելոց) Armenian Avshalomgrotta NN
| Avshalom Nature Reserve | |
|---|---|
| Soreq/Sorek Cave, Avshalom Cave, Stalactites Cave | |
 | |
| Location | On the western slopes of the Judean Hills, south of Nahal Soreq and approximately 2 kilometers east of Bet Shemesh. |
| Nearest city | Bet Shemesh |
| Governing body | Israel Nature and Parks Authority |
Avshalom Cave (Hebrew: מערת אבשלום, romanized: Me'arat Avshalom), known in academic literature as Soreq Cave (Hebrew: מערת שׂורק, romanized: Me'arat Soreq; Arabic: مغارة سوريك, romanized: Mghar Suriq) and popularly as Stalactites Cave (Hebrew: מערת הנטיפים, romanized: Me'arat HaNetifim), is a 5,000 m2 cave on the western side of Mt. Ye'ela, in the Judean hills in Israel, unique for its dense concentration of stalactites and other cave formations. It is a popular show cave.
The cave has been the focus of paleoclimate research, which allowed reconstruction of the region's semi-arid climate for the past 185,000 years.[1] According to the American geologist James Aronson, the Soreq Cave Nature Reserve is the Rosetta Stone of climate history in the Eastern Mediterranean.[2]
- ^ Speleothem Science: From Process to Past Environments. By Ian J. Fairchild, Andy Baker. Section 12.1.2
- ^ Eminent Jewish Geologist Voyages to Tiberias to Connect With His Roots, Haaretz