| Image Upright: | 1.2 |
| Official Name: | Sites of Human Evolution at Mount Carmel: The Nahal Me’arot / Wadi elMughara Caves |
| Location: | Mount Carmel, Israel |
| Criteria: | (iii), (v) |
| Id: | 1393 |
| Coordinates: | 32.67°N 34.9653°W |
| Year: | 2012 |
| Area: | 54ha |
| Buffer Zone: | 370ha |
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:
The four caves were proclaimed a site of "outstanding universal value" by UNESCO[1] in 2012. They are protected within a nature reserve.
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.