Feature: Ancient cave becomes tourist attraction in Palestine's Hebron

0 Comment(s)Print E-mail Xinhua, January 26, 2021
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by Sanaa Kamal

RAMALLAH, Jan. 26 (Xinhua) -- Astonishment appeared on the face of 40-year-old Palestinian Salah Tmaizi as soon as he stepped into the centuries-old "Tor Beiddou" cave in the West Bank city of Hebron.

"This cave witnessed ancient civilizations and a historical and archaeological legacy spanning more than 2,000 years," Tmaizi told Xinhua.

The 300-square-meter cave, located in Hebron's Idhna village, includes deep basements and pigeon holes carved into the rocky walls of the cave, while rays of sunlight fall from a circular hole in the cave ceiling.

The cave, located 1 km away from the Israeli separation wall, witnessed the Byzantine, Roman, Greek and Islamic civilizations, according to Palestinian archaeologists.

"The Tor Beiddou cave is a breathtaking archaeological landmark dating back thousands of years. It is a witness to many civilizations that lived on this land," said Tmaizi as he took selfies at the ancient cave.

He noted that the cave is a very important heritage and archaeological site, adding that he will bring his family to see the cave in order to let them get some knowledge about Palestinian civilizations and history.

Tmaizi called on the Palestinian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities and concerned Palestinian institutions to pay attention to the archaeological landmark and restore it to make it a world-class tourist attraction.

The cave is located in a piece of land owned by the Abu Jehaishah family, which started three weeks ago to revive the cave, which suffered for years from negligence and misuse.

"We have formed a committee to follow the rehabilitation of the site. People used to throw their garbage into this 2,500-year-old landmark," Younis Abu Jehaishah, one of the landowners, told Xinhua.

He said that the family members cleaned the site, adding that hundreds of visitors have visited the cave over the past few days after it was partially rehabilitated.

The cave is located in the middle of the land owned by the family, he said, adding that the infrastructure of the site is extremely poor due to the lack of resources.

"The cave is also located in area C, which is under Israeli security and administrative control," Abu Jehaishah revealed.

He called on official and non-governmental Palestinian institutions to revive the area and restore the archaeological monument.

Jaber Rajoub, head of the Guidance Department at the Directorate of Tourism and Antiquities in Hebron, said the cave is a rare model in Palestine as it tells a history of more than 2,500 years.

"The ministry is working to restore the infrastructure surrounding the cave in order to facilitate the arrival of tourists," Rajoub told Xinhua.

He added that Tor Beiddou cave is also one of the matchless heritage sites in Palestine, pointing out that the ministry has placed it on the list of Palestinian tourist attractions. Enditem

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