Nahal Me'arot Nature Reserve
UNESCO World Heritage Site | |
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Official name | Sites of Human Evolution at Mount Carmel: The Nahal Me’arot / Wadi el‑Mughara Caves |
Location | Mount Carmel, Israel |
Criteria | Cultural: (iii), (v) |
Reference | 1393 |
Inscription | 2012 (36th Session) |
Area | 54 ha (130 acres) |
Buffer zone | 370 ha (910 acres) |
Coordinates | 32°40′12″N 34°57′55″E / 32.67000°N 34.96528°E |
The Caves of Nahal Me’arot / Wadi el-Mughara ("Caves Creek"), named here by the Hebrew and Arabic name of the valley where they are located, are a UNESCO Site of Human Evolution in the Carmel mountain range near Haifa in northern Israel.[1][2]
The four UNESCO-listed caves are:
- Tabun or Tanur cave (lit.: "Oven")
- Gamal or el-Jamal cave ("Camel")
- El Wad or Nahal cave ("Stream")
- Skhul or Gedi cave ("Kid")
The four caves were proclaimed a site of "outstanding universal value" by UNESCO[1] in 2012. They are protected within a nature reserve.[2]
The caves were used for habitation by hominins and prehistoric humans and contain unique evidence of very early burials, at the archaeological site of el-Wad cave in the Nahal Me'arot Nature Reserve.
Gallery
[edit]- A Paleolithic reconstitution in Jamal Cave
- Paleolithic tools in Jamal Cave (replica)
- Entrance to el‑Wad Cave
- Inside el‑Wad Cave
- Excavation work in el‑Wad Cave's terrace
- El‑Wad point microlith
See also
[edit]- List of World Heritage Sites in Israel and Jerusalem
- National parks and nature reserves of Israel
- Skhul and Qafzeh hominins
References
[edit]External links
[edit]![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/4/4a/Commons-logo.svg/30px-Commons-logo.svg.png)
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Nahal Mearot.
- Official page at Israel Nature and Parks Authority website
- UNESCO: Sites of Human Evolution at Mount Carmel: The Nahal Me’arot / Wadi el-Mughara Caves
- Nahal Me'arot recognized as World Heritage Site