UNESCO NAMES CAVES TO LIST OF WORLD HERITAGE SITES

PRESS RELEASE

UNESCO NAMES NAHAL ME'AROT CAVES TO LIST OF WORLD HERITAGE SITES IN ISRAEL

New York - July 13, 2012: UNESCO named the Nahal Me'arot caves in northern Israel as a new World Heritage Site this month, the seventh tourism site in Israel to be to added to the prestigious list. 

Located on the western slope of northern Israel's Carmel Mountain range, the series of four caves--Tabun, Jamal, el-Wad and Skhul--was defined by UNESCO as a "key site" that illustrates a fascinating link in human evolution. The 22-acre Nahal Me'arot caves contain artifacts spanning more than 500,000 years of history, including early stone architecture and ancient burial sites, and provides evidence of the existence of Neanderthals and "early anatomically modern humans" in the region.

"We are thrilled by the addition of another of Israel's remarkable historic sites to UNESCO's elite list World Heritage sites," said Haim Gutin, Israel Commissioner for Tourism, North and South America, "in hopes that it will inspire a new wave of travelers to explore the unique caves in one of Israel's most beautiful regions."

Israel currently boasts seven UNESCO World Heritage Sites, including Masada; the Old City of Acre; the White City of Tel Aviv for its Bauhaus architecture; the biblical tells of Megiddo, Hazor and Beersheba; the Incense Route in the Negev Desert; the Baha'i Garden and Shrine of the Bab in Haifa; and now, the Nahal Me'arot Caves.

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