• I am a 17-year-old American high school student, and even though the trip I'm planning to Israel is about one or two years away, I'm interested in researching what I want to include on my itinerary.  I'm considering visiting the cave claimed to be a possible site of baptisms and anointing of those following John the Baptist. 
  
  I read an article saying that there were excavations in the cave from 1999 to 2004.  So I'm wondering whether any tours of this site have taken place.  Is it open to the public?  Can an exclusive tour be arranged in advance?  Any info regarding this topic would be well appreciated.
  Joel Bardell, Livonia, Michigan

Photo:  Gila Yudkin

Entrance to the "Cave of John the Baptist"

The cave gets its name from the Byzantine period (5th and 6th century) drawings or graffiti (example to the left) discovered in the cave depicting John the Baptist.  They are possibly the earliest drawings of John the Baptist found in the entire Middle East.  During the lifetime of John the Baptist, the cave was apparently used for water immersion rites which included a ceremony of anointing the feet with oil. 

Earlier, in the 8th century B.C., the cave was part of a rock-hewn water system and a contemporary of Hezekiah's water system in Jerusalem, the Judean capital, just five miles away.  Excavations were carried out from 1999 to 2004 by archeologists Shimon Gibson and James Tabor.