The early
morning sun cast its bright rays, illuminating the Judean desert and the majestic protruding
cliffs of Qumran. The place, located on the northern part of the Dead Sea is an
archeological site. It gained international notoriety following the discovery
of the Dead Sea Scrolls, in one of the Qumran caves, over 70 years ago.
According to
David Avraham, the founder of “Project Qumran” (https://www.qumrancave.org/index.html),
whose team of volunteers I joined recently, there are roughly 240 caves in the area,
many of which had never actually been excavated. “The Qumran community,” David
told me, “Consisted of former priests involved in the Temple service under the
authority of the last descendants of Zadok.”
That morning, our
team’s destination was, as in the previous days, Cave 61. Its excavations were performed
on behalf of the Hebrew University jointly with the Israel Nature and Parks
Authority. They were led and supervised by Dr. Oren Gutfield,
an experienced and well-respected archeologist.
As we were negotiating our way through the steep path, the sense of partaking in a, somewhat, sacred mission began to throb in me. This was my first time of participating in an archeological dig. As a lover of history, mainly Jewish history, it was, for me, the fulfillment of an old dream, an opportunity to reconnect and fall in love yet again and again with Eretz Yisrael, the cradle of our heritage.
The mere
thought that I am in the very place which used to be the ancient abode of some
of our People, of touching history and helping unravel mysteries of the past engulfed my essence with joy and turned the challenging climb into a cakewalk.
Cave 61 is
located near the top of a mountain, just north of and adjacent to the waterfall
at Wadi Qumran. The precipice descends over 305 meters to the Wadi below.
During the rainy season, water flows over the cliff all the way down to the
Dead Sea.
In Biblical
times, water was channeled from this watercourse that ran along the side of the
mountain. This emptied into another channel that made its way down to the
cisterns in Qumran. As we made our way up the rocky mountain towards the caves,
we crossed the channel. It gave me an opportunity to take a break from the ambitious
climb and examine the waterway. The engineering that went into its making is
remarkable.
As I was
standing there, having my brief respite, I glanced around me. The breathtaking
view of the rising sun over the Dead Sea, filled me with awe. I gazed at the
monumental ridges speckled with the openings to the many caves, each holding
secrets that were begging to be unfolded, I was overcome with reverence mingled
with the burning desire to touch the lives of those who roamed them, put together the pieces that made
up the puzzle of their existence, learn and help educate others about them.
Each, equipped with a small hoe, under the patient guidance and supervision of the
well experienced, Dr. Oren Gutfield, we enthusiastically delved into the ground
of cave 61 as if in search of some hidden treasure. Every unearthed piece of
clay that we found raised our adrenaline levels as well as brought us closer to
deciphering small codes of their users’ identity and unlocking another door to
their life in that place.
Below are a few of the items that were found during the excavations in Cave 61.
Oil lamp dating between the late Byzantine period to early Islamic period
A fragment (right) of an oil lamp from First Temple period. The
photo on the left shows an actual oil lamp from that period
Although lab tests aimed at confirming the eras of these items are pending, they shed more light on a vivid community life in the area.
The excavations in Cave 61 are now complete. More excavations, in the area, are planned and expected to resume in the Fall.
If you wish to be part of this exciting experience, volunteer, be added to the group for updates or donate to "Project Qumran," you are invited to visit their page or send an email to David at: info@qumrancave.org
Happy Pesach
