Manot Cave

#202 among destinations in Israel

Archaeological site

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Facts and practical information

Manot Cave is a cave in Western Galilee, Israel, discovered in 2008. It is notable for the discovery of a skull that belongs to a modern human, called Manot 1, which is estimated to be 54,700 years old. The partial skull was discovered at the beginning of the cave's exploration in 2008. Its significance was realised after detailed scientific analysis, and was first published in an online edition of Nature on 28 January 2015. This age implies that the specimen is the oldest known human outside Africa, and is evidence that modern humans lived side-by-side with Neanderthals. The cave is also noted for its "impressive archaeological record of flint and bone artefacts". Geologically, it is an "active stalactite cave". ()

Local name: מערת מנות Length: 262 ftCoordinates: 33°2'6"N, 35°11'36"E

Location

HaZafonIsrael

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Day trips

Manot Cave – popular in the area (distance from the attraction)

Nearby attractions include: Yehi'am Fortress National Park, Montfort Castle, Tefen Open Museum, Rosh HaNikra Crossing.

3.3 miSE
National park, Park
Yehi'am Fortress National Park, Upper Galilee
85 min walk • Yehi'am Fortress National Park is an Israeli national park in the western Upper Galilee on the grounds of Kibbutz Yehi'am, whose main attraction are the ruins of a hilltop castle.
2 miE
Forts and castles
Montfort Castle, Upper Galilee
52 min walk • Montfort is a ruined Crusader castle in the Upper Galilee region in northern Israel, about 22 miles northeast of the city of Haifa and 10 miles south of the border with Lebanon.
6 miSE
Museum
Tefen Open Museum, Upper Galilee
152 min walk • The German-Speaking Jewry Heritage Museum is a museum in Tefen, an industrial park in the north of Israel established by Stef Wertheimer.
6.5 miNW
Cave, View point
Rosh HaNikra Crossing
167 min walk • The Rosh HaNikra Crossing also known as Ras Al Naqoura Crossing is an international border crossing between Naqoura, Lebanon and Rosh HaNikra, Israel.
6.5 miNW
Nature, Natural attraction, Protected area
Rosh Haniqra
166 min walk • Rosh HaNikra or Hanikra is a geologic formation on the border between Israel and Lebanon, located on the coast of the Mediterranean Sea, in the Western Galilee. It is a white chalk cliff face which opens up into spectacular grottos. The Rosh HaNikra grottoes are cavernous tunnels formed by sea action on the soft chalk rock.
3.9 miE
Town, Forts and castles
Mi'ilya
100 min walk • Mi'ilya is an Arab local council in the western Galilee in the Northern District of Israel. Its name during the Kingdom of Jerusalem era in Galilee was Castellum Regis. In 2019 it had a population of 3,244, all of whom are Melkite Greek Catholics. The town is located immediately to the northwest of Ma'alot-Tarshiha.
5.4 miW
33°1'33"N • 35°6'5"E
Nahariya Zoo-Botanical Garden, Nahariyya
137 min walk • Outdoor activities, Park, Zoo
3.6 miSW
Archaeological site
Tel Kabri
93 min walk • Tel Kabri, or Tell al-Qahweh, is an archaeological tell containing one of the largest Middle Bronze Age Canaanite palaces in Israel, and the largest such palace excavated as of 2014.
3.2 miE
Prehistoric site
Horvat Galil
82 min walk • Horvat Galil is an archaeological site in the Upper Galilee, Israel, 13 kilometres from the coast of the Mediterranean.
6 miW
Synagogue
Emet veShalom, Nahariyya
152 min walk • Emet veShalom is a synagogue in Nahariya, Israel. It was established in 1963 by a group of people, mainly Jewish immigrants from Germany and Central Europe, who sought a more liberal form of Judaism. Emet veShalom is one of the oldest Reform Judaism communities in Israel and is now the only non-Orthodox synagogue in Nahariya.
2.5 miNE
Music venue, Nightlife
Keshet Eilon
65 min walk • Keshet Eilon is a music center established in the year 1990, located in Kibbutz Eilon, Israel. Its mission is to be a source of strength and support for young gifted violinists.