الأراضي المقدسة الخضراء / GHLands
On a Palestinian morning that began with the footsteps of adventurers and ended with the call of the land, the Ila Al-Qamar Caving and Mountain Sports Team wrote an extraordinary chapter in the nation’s ecotourism record. In a single day, the team carried out four consecutive caving expeditions, challenging time itself while celebrating a landscape that preserves, deep within its depths, the stories of stone, water, and humanity.
Bir Al-Hawiya Cave – Beit Liqya ... A Gateway to the Depths
In the village of Beit Liqya, the day began with the awe of a first encounter. Bir Al-Hawiya Cave, located in the area known as “Al-Zahalaiq,” presented a narrow opening in the rock that served as an initial test of determination. Its tight entrance resembled a hidden call, answered only by those who understand the language of caves.
The team descended approximately 40 meters using ropes, undertaking a vertical drop that demanded both technical skill and unwavering focus on safety. Deep beneath the surface, they embarked on a journey among stalagmites and stalactites, formations sculpted by water droplets over thousands of years. The members crawled through passages barely wide enough for the human body, reaching remarkable geological formations where the rock itself becomes a silent museum, telling the story of the Earth’s ancient past.
Ain Mumia Cave – Kharbatha Bani Harith ... Beauty Discovered Through a Crawl
After crossing the road toward Kharbatha Bani Harith, the team was met by a local guide who led them to Ain Mumia Cave, where beauty is not granted easily.
Entering the cave required crawling on their stomachs, as if nature itself imposed its own rituals upon its visitors. Once inside, breathtaking worlds of stalagmites and stalactites unfolded, displaying unique geometric forms spread throughout a series of chambers. Each chamber possessed its own distinct geological character, resembling rooms within an underground palace that had been slowly crafted by the passage of time.
Shuqba Natufian Cave ... Where Early Humanity Meets the Rock
At the third stop of the journey, the team headed to Shuqba Natufian Cave, where the cavers were greeted by the breathtaking natural landscape surrounding the cave, a site rich in deep human history.
After implementing all necessary safety measures, the team carried out a 40-meter vertical descent from an opening at the top of the cave. The descent was both an adventure and a symbolic return to the roots of early humanity, as these caves were once inhabited by the Natufian culture thousands of years ago, leaving an enduring imprint on the memory of the place.
Deir Ghassaneh ... The Silent Well at the Edge of the Story
In the town of Deir Ghassaneh, the team reached the final stop of their journey, where the local guide, mentor, and team member “Abu Ghaith” was waiting to receive them. The team carried out a descent into the well known as “Al-Taqqah wa Hajar,” located on the outskirts of the town. Although the well did not possess the distinctive geological features of the previous caves, it added a human dimension to the adventure, reminding participants that an experience is not always measured by what we see, but by what we live and feel.
From Dawn to Dusk ... When Caving Becomes an Act of Patriotism
In a single day, from the first light of dawn until sunset, the Ila Al-Qamar Caving Team, led by Captain Bilal Al-Housani, successfully completed four fully integrated caving expeditions, becoming the first team in Palestine to achieve such a remarkable accomplishment.
This environmental journey was far more than a passage between caves; it was a profound reading of the Earth’s own book. Here, geology tells its story, nature inspires wonder, and people discover themselves in the narrowest passages and the deepest recesses of the underground world.
Through this achievement, the Ila Al-Qamar Caving Team once again demonstrates that caving is more than an adventure—it is an act of patriotism that preserves natural heritage, reconnects people with their land, and writes, in the language of stone, an enduring story of love between the Palestinian people and their homeland.
Special thanks are due to the dedicated cavers and companions of this journey: Saeed Daghir, Marwan Kanaan (Abu Adnan), Muath Balasmeh, Raef Abu Ajina, Mohammad Abu Ghaith, Imad Hmeid, Ali Asfour, Mohammad Al-Shawawrah (Abu Ali), and the brothers Abdulsalam, Khaled, and Khuwailid Al-Halawani. They were fellow travelers and partners in reading a silent history written within layers of rock, guardians of a geological memory hidden deep within the Palestinian caves.
With you, caving became both an adventure and a national journey through the heart of karst formations, where determination meets knowledge and where the hidden beauty of the land is rediscovered in its finest details. Your presence illuminated the darkness, gave meaning to the journey, and transformed the rocks into stories waiting to be told.
Stay with us as we continue to reveal the secrets of Palestine’s caves hidden beneath the Earth’s surface, where stories lie concealed within the stone. Through detailed reports from the heart of each expedition, we will uncover the wonders and mysteries that await in the depths below.
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