| Beit Guvrin-Maresha National Park | |
|---|---|
 "Bell cave" quarry at Beit Guvrin National Park | |
 | |
| Location | Southern District, Israel |
| Nearest city | Kiryat Gat |
| Coordinates | 31°35′49.06″N 34°54′2.33″E / 31.5969611°N 34.9006472°E |
| Official name | Caves of Maresha and Bet-Guvrin in the Judean Lowlands as a Microcosm of the Land of the Caves |
| Type | Cultural |
| Criteria | v |
| Designated | 2014 (38th session) |
| Reference no. | 1370 |
| Region | Europe and North America |
Beit Guvrin-Maresha National Park is a national park in central Israel, containing a large network of caves recognized by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site.[1] The national park includes the remains of the historical towns of Maresha, one of the important towns of Judah during the First Temple Period,[2] and Bayt Jibrin, a depopulated Palestinian town known as Eleutheropolis in the Roman era.[3] However, Maresha and Bayt Jibrin are not part of the UNESCO site, which covers only the cave network.[4]
Archaeological artifacts unearthed at the site include a large Jewish cemetery, a Roman-Byzantine amphitheater, a Byzantine church, public baths, mosaics and burial caves.[5]
It is located 13 kilometers from Kiryat Gat.
- ^ "Caves of Maresha and Bet-Guvrin in the Judean Lowlands as a Microcosm of the Land of the Caves".
- ^ The Guide to Israel, Zev Vilnay, Tel Aviv, 1972, p.281
- ^ The Guide to Israel, Zev Vilnay, Tel Aviv, 1972, p.275
- ^ The Caves of Maresha and Bet Guvrin, In the Judean Lowlands, As a Microcosm of the Land of the Caves, Submitted to the World Heritage Center - UNESCO By the State of Israel - January 2013, p.14: "Note: The relationship between the caves and the settlement network above them – wherever it is referred to all through this dossier – is given in order to let the reader understand the context of these caves; however, the mentioned archaeological surface remains are not a part of the proposed nomination!"
- ^ Bell Cave at Beit Guvrin Archived January 29, 2009, at the Wayback Machine