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Bedouin Market
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Bedouin Market
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The walls of the Bell Cave at Beit Guvrin are made of beige colored limestone with celings over 60 feet high. Many of these caves are linked via an underground network of passageways that connect groups of caves.
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The bell caves supplied building materials to the cities of the coastal plain and Beit Guvrin during the seventh-tenth centuries CE. At the top of some of the caves there is a hole through which stones were removed. Located in the Shephelah, these mines were used to obtain chalk, an important ingredient in the production of plaster used to waterproof cisterns and water reservoirs.
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The stone blocks were raised and removed from the cave by means of ropes. Inscriptions reveal the presence of Christians fluent in Arabic. Most of the quarrying was done from the 7th to the 10th centuries C.E.
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Located within the boundaries of Bet-Guvrin, and date to the Byzantine and Early Muslim period. Originally there were some 80 bell-shaped pits, connected by passageways forming an underground networks. In the area there were hundreds of Bell Caves, a few with a maximum depth of 82 feet, however, most were 40-50 feet deep.
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Quarrying was carried out through a narrow opening, and the perimeter of the pit broadened during the operation. This ensured the pit against collapse, prevented the limestone from drying out, and protected the quarry workers from weather.
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The Bell Cave are former quarries, which were created by quarrying soft chalk to build the city Bet Guvrin. Most caves have an elliptical cross section with a span of up to 130 feet. The soft chalk is covered by a thin layer of hard limestone.
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At first it was thought that the caves were used as water reservoirs, storehouses, dwellings and bunkers. Today, it is clear that most of them were quarries, which supplied building materials to the cities of the Coastal Plain and to Bet-Guvrin.
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The site of Beth Alpha is believed to be an ancient Jewish synagogue. The structure was built by either Justin I (518-527 AD) or Justin II (567-578) during the Byzantine empire. The walls and floors are covered with mosaics illustrating Hebrew legends and include a Zodiac panel.
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A low narrow entrance leads into the Church of the Nativity. This entrance was lowered twice to prevent marauders from entering the church with their horses. The original cornice and pointed arch of the Crusader church can be distinguished.
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Nativity Scene
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