Qumran Caves

Cave 4Q with other caves in the background

The Qumran Caves (Arabic: خربة قمران Kuhūf Qumrān; Hebrew: מערות קומראן HaMeara Kumran) are a series of caves, both natural and artificial, found around the archaeological site of Qumran in the Judaean Desert. It is in these caves that the Dead Sea Scrolls were discovered.

Israel Nature and Parks Authority took over the site following the end of the 1967 war, when Israel occupied the West Bank and seized Qumran. Israel has since invested heavily in the area to establish the Qumran caves as a site of "uniquely Israeli Jewish heritage".^[1] The caves are recognized in Israel as a National Heritage Site, despite the caves being in occupied Palestinian territories; as such, the designation has drawn criticism.^[2]

^ Abu-Baker, Aseil; Farah, Marya (17 April 2020). "Established Practice: Palestinian Exclusion at the Dead Sea". Journal of Palestine Studies. 49 (2): 48–64. doi:10.1525/jps.2020.49.2.48.
^ Israel heritage plan exposes discord over West Bank history Archived 2020-11-12 at the Wayback Machine, BBC News, 16 April 2013: "Israel has occupied the area since the 1967 Middle East war, and its designation of sites there as part of its national heritage has drawn criticism."

[1] Abu-Baker, Aseil; Farah, Marya (17 April 2020). "Established Practice: Palestinian Exclusion at the Dead Sea". Journal of Palestine Studies. 49 (2): 48–64. doi:10.1525/jps.2020.49.2.48.

[2] Israel heritage plan exposes discord over West Bank history Archived 2020-11-12 at the Wayback Machine, BBC News, 16 April 2013: "Israel has occupied the area since the 1967 Middle East war, and its designation of sites there as part of its national heritage has drawn criticism."

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