Tuesday, May 16, 2017

Bar Kokhba caves opened for Lag B'Omer

TOURISM AND ARCHAEOLOGY: JNF opens ancient caves from era of Bar Kokhba revolt (Dan Lavie,Israel HaYom). The complex of caves used during the Bar Kokhba Revolt at Khirbet Burgin at the Adullam Grove Nature Reserve was opened to the public over the weekend (and beyond?). This seems to have been in honor of Lag B'Omer, although this article doesn't specify this. The Bar Kokhba-era caves at the Adullam Grove Nature Reserve have been known for some time. See the posts from 2004 here and here. The area was also in the news recently for its ancient Jewish pyramid.

An article by Yisrael Katzover in Hamodia seems to think that new caves from the period have just been discovered: Caves Uncovered from Bar Kochva Period. But that doesn't seem to be the understanding of the Israel HaYom article. Such caves have been excavated recently at at Ramat Bet Shemesh. Adullam Park is nearby, but I have not seen reports of any new caves there.