Wadi Khreitoun (Khreitoun Valley)
The Khreitoun Valley starts 7 kms southeast
of Bethlehem, 1 km south of mount Herodion. The area was inhabited during
the Roman and Byzantine times, and until thirty years ago, it was inhabited
by shepherds and Bedouins. The valley is named after a Turkish monkcalled
"Khreitoun" who lived in the area in the 4 century AD.
The valley is famous for its three pre-historic
caves, and the Khreitoun cave. The first cave which can be found 1.5 kms
to the left hand side from the beginning of the valley is Irq al Ahmar
(the red vein) which was inhabited mainly between 50,000 BC - 2500 BC.
The second is Um Qal'a cave, 1 km away, where remains of the stone-copper
age were found (4,000 BC). The last pre-historic cave is Um Qatfa which
is the main cave where pre-historic evidence was found in the valley at
more than 12 meters-deep excavations. It is in this cave that the first
stove in the Middle East was found. These caves were excavated between
the years 1929 - 1948.
The most interesting cave for visitors is
the Khreitoun cave, 4 kms on the rights hand side from the beginning of
the valley (one hour's brisk walk). The cave lies in the middle of the
mountain, and is an entrance to a 17km tunnel that extends through the
mountains. Archaeologists have managed to walk only 150 meters inside,
and visitors can manage a much shorter distance. There is no lighting in
the tunnel, and visitors need torches or candles to guide their way. It
also requires some crawling to reach deep inside the cave.