| Avshalom Nature Reserve | |
| Alt Name: | 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|Me'arat Avshalom), known in academic literature as Soreq Cave (Hebrew: מערת שׂורק|Me'arat Soreq; Arabic: مغارة سوريك|Mghar Suriq) and popularly as Stalactites Cave (Hebrew: מערת הנטיפים|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]
The cave is named after the Soreq/Sorek Valley (Nahal Sorek) and after Avshalom Shoham, an Israeli soldier killed in the War of Attrition.
Avshalom Cave is situated near Hartuv, 3 km east of Bet Shemesh, Israel.
The cave was discovered accidentally in May 1968, while quarrying with explosives.
After its discovery, the location of the cave was kept a secret for several years for fear of damage to its natural treasures.
The cave is 83 m long, 60 m wide, and 15 m high.
The temperature and the humidity in the cave are constant year round.
Some of the stalactites found in the cave are four meters long, and some have been dated as 300,000 years old. Some meet stalagmites to form stone pillars.[3]
The cave is now open to visitors, in the heart of the 67-dunam Avshalom Nature Reserve, declared in 1975.[4] In 2012, a new lighting system was installed to prevent the formation and growth of algae.[5]