Avshalom Cave also known as Soreq Cave or Stalactites Cave is
located on the western slopes of the Judean mountains near Bet
Shemesh in Israel. The 5000 square meters cave has one of the most
impressive collection of stalactites and stalagmites formed in a
variety of patterns.
ome of the stalactites hanging from the ceiling of the cave are
up to four meters long, and in some cases they fuse with
stalagmites growing from the floor. Other formations resemble
shelves or sheets of cloth, branches, corals and clusters of
grapes, among many other objects. The bizarre patterns at Avshalom
Cave combined with the ghostly lightening creates a rather creepy
ambience inside the cave.
Stalactites and stalagmites are formed by water flowing from the
ceiling to the floor of the cave, melting limestone on the way.
Over hundreds of thousands of years, each drop of mineral-laden
water deposited a thin layer of calcite on the ceiling and on the
ground. Given enough time these tiny layers add up to form columns
of calcium carbonate called stalactites and stalagmites.
