Beit Guvrin-Maresha National Park
| 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. The national park includes the remains of the historical towns of Maresha, one of the important towns of Judah during the First Temple Period, and Bayt Jibrin, a depopulated Palestinian town known as Eleutheropolis in the Roman era. However, Maresha and Bayt Jibrin are not part of the UNESCO site, which covers only the cave network.
Archaeological artifacts unearthed at the site include a large Jewish cemetery, a Roman-Byzantine amphitheater, a Byzantine church, public baths, mosaics and burial caves.
It is located 13 kilometers from Kiryat Gat.