The 1,250-acre Beit Govrin National Park lies in the Judean plain, an area with rolling hills rising some 400 meters above sea level. Most of the ground here is chalky and this soft but relatively erosion-resistant stone is ideal for caves. Very early, people began to dig caves in the Beit Govrin area, which they used as quarries and burial grounds, storerooms and workshops, hiding places and spaces for raising doves.

The soft chalk is generally covered by a layer of harder nari, which can be up to two meters thick. In general, the caves have a narrow opening in the nari and get wider and wider in the chalk. Hundreds of caves were dug in the area, some of which form a huge, astonishingly complex underground maze.

Tel Maresha (Marissa) stands in the highest part of the national park. This was the site of the city in Judea fortified by King Rehoboam after the campaign of Egyptian pharaoh Shishak: "And Rehoboam dwelt in Jerusalem, and built cities for defense in Judah and Gath, and Mareshah, and Ziph" (Second Chronicles 11:5, 8).

The city came into its own during the Hellenistic period (third to second centuries B.C.E.). During the Hasmonean period, John Hyrcanus captured the city and forced its residents to convert to Judaism. In Roman times, the residents abandoned Tel Maresha and established the nearby city of Beit Govrin, which became the capital of western Idumea.

Beit Govrin was important in Crusader times as well. More recently, residents of the Arab village of Beit Jibrin supported their houses with the strong fortress walls. [Beit Jibrin was abandoned by its inhabitants during the 1948 War of Independence.].

Some of the most popular spots in the Beit Govrin National Park are:

Bell caves - A series of 80 large caves connected by passageways. The ceilings of the largest caves are fifteen meters high. Because the caves have narrow mouths in the hard nari rock and become wider in the soft chalk below, they are shaped like bells. Crosses and Arabic inscriptions found on the cave walls point to the fact that most of the caves were dug during the early Arabian period (seventh to tenth centuries B.C.E.).

Saint Anne's Church - The ruins of a colossal Crusader church named for Saint Anne.

Sidonian burial caves - Hellenistic-period (third to second centuries B.C.E.) burial caves at the foot of Tel Marasha. The frescoes on the cave walls have been restored to give visitors a sense of their former glory.

Visitors will also want to see the network of water cisterns; the restored oil press, which illustrates the process of manufacturing olive oil; the columbarium cave (dovecote); and the Roman amphitheater.

Directions:

Hula Valley Nature Reserve is on Route 90 (Rosh Pina-Kiryat Shemona). Three kilometers after Yesod Hama'ale junction, turn east into the reserve.

	Average length of visit:		1-3 hours
	Best season to visit:		Winter, spring, fall
	Make sure not to miss:		Exhibit, gift shop/book store, snack bar, picnic area. The reserve is wheelchair accessible
	Also available:		View from the observation tower
	Telephone:		(06) 693-7069
	Hours:		April-September: 8:00-17:00 October-March: 8:00-16:00
	Admission fees:		Individual: adults NIS 23, children NIS 12 Groups: adults NIS 19, children NIS 11

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Our previous tour was a walk on top of the Old City wall, from the Tower of David to the Zion Gate. We now return to the Tower of David from the Zion Gate, walking along the base of the wall.