The Cave of Candles is a cave located on the western slopes of the Jerusalem Mountains. It is a natural masterpiece located near Wadi al-Sarar. This cave is full of secrets and nature’s creations, where the rock deposits create beautiful crystal paintings that dazzle the eyes of onlookers.
the site
The Cave of Candles – also called the Karst Cave and the Upper Halimat Cave – is located on the westernmost slopes of the Jerusalem Mountains, and is embraced by the foothills that overlook the coastal area, starting from the Lod and Ramla area to the Mediterranean Sea.
The cave is located on the land of the displaced Palestinian village of Deir al-Hawa, located west of the Jerusalem mountains, and to the east of the lands of the displaced village of Deir Aban.
History of the Cave of Candles
This cave was discovered in 1968 by a Palestinian shepherd. He then informed the Israeli authorities about it and they officially explored it.
The Cave of Candles is located on an area of 5,000 square metres, approximately 90 meters long and 85 meters wide. Geologists date it back to 25 million years ago, when the mountains of Jerusalem and Hebron rose from under the surface of the water.
The cave was created by sea water erosion and erosion, in addition to carbon dioxide produced by plant stems, which formed an acidic environment in which stalagmites and stalactites of lime and dolomite stones appeared over millions of years.
The occupation opened the cave to visitors in 1975, and it became a nature reserve affiliated with the Israeli Nature Conservation Authority.
Geographical characteristics of the cave
The Cave of Candles was formed as a result of the dissolution of limestone rocks over thousands of years, and the karst dissolution (referring to a region in Europe, the first region in which such caves were discovered) depends on the availability of several basic conditions, the most important of which are:
- Sufficient amounts of rain are not less than 400 mm per year, and the more rain, the greater the melting.
- Carbon dioxide gas in the atmosphere.
- Soluble rocks, especially calcite rock.
- Calcium carbonate.
- Cracks in the rock layers facilitate the process of water leakage and increase its effectiveness.
The process of dissolving rocks is carried out by carbonic acid, which is formed by the reaction of water with carbon dioxide. When the acid comes into contact with limestone, chemical reactions occur that result in dissolving the rock and turning it into calcium bicarbonate.
Among the phenomena that are common in caves are descending columns and ascending columns (stalagmites and stalactites), which take thousands of years to form.
In the Cave of Candles, there are stalagmites and stalactites that are more than 300 thousand years old. The length of the stalactites may reach 4 meters, while their diameter is a few millimeters, and sometimes it is meters.
There are stalagmites and stalactites that continue to grow, and when they fuse together, they create shapes and designs, in addition to the beauty of the water descending from its ceiling to the ground.
Scientists also believe that drops of mineral water, over thousands of years, formed these karst layers in the cave, along with other natural factors and elements such as calcium.
As a result of the cave being located under the surface of the earth, isolated from the sun, it is characterized by constant temperatures and humidity levels throughout the year. It is refreshing compared to the heat of summer and moderate compared to the cold of the winter in the mountains of Palestine.
Despite the small size of this cave compared to other karst caves in Europe, the diversity of shapes and the variety of ascending and descending papillae in it make it distinctive from others.
