Beit Guvrin National Park

The Beit Guvrin National Park is comprised of the remains of the Hellenistic city of Maresha, deserted in the 1st century B.C., and the nearby Roman, Byzantine, Crusader, and Arab city of Beit Guvrin. The outstanding attraction of this site is its thousands of man-made caves which were cut as quarries for the buildings which were built above them. These caves were subsequently used as hideouts in times of trouble; as storerooms; as workspaces where wine and olive presses were built; as dovecotes and burial grounds. Our office prepared a master plan for the development of this region as a national park, including detailed design of trails, parking lots, restaurants, visitor’s center, and of all the infrastructure necessary to accommodate visitors to the area, which comprises some 550 hectares. The project presents restored examples from every significant period of Beit Guvrin’s 2,000 year history.