Cave-dwelling Jews

Jewish tribes living in manmade caves were known for centuries in Morocco, Algeria, and in Tripolitania. Their homes and synagogues were in caves; only cemeteries were on the surface.[1] Jewish cave dwellers of Libya were known since at least 70 C.E., when Romano-Jewish historian Josephus described the Troglodytis.[1][3] When Spain invaded Tripoli in 1510, many Jews fled to Gharyan (among other places), and these Jews brought with them Sephardic traditions.[1][2] More information about the Ghayan Jews began to be published in the mid-19th century.[1] The main groups of Jewish cave-dwellers were in the settlements of Gharyan, Tigrena/Tigrinna, and Beni-Abbas.[2] In 1906, the archaeologist Nahum Slouschz visited the area and wrote a detailed account.[4][5][6]

After Libya gained independence, most Jews, including those of Gharyan, migrated to Syria to make aliyah due to worsened conditions such as pogroms.[7]

At present, many of these caves are occupied by Libyans, who modernized the dwellings, including the addition of electricity, running water, and sewage disposal. A number of advantages exist to this type of dwelling. Some of these cave homes are also rented out to tourists.[8][9]

Nahum Slouschz wrote:

"From time to time the keen eye discovers, amidst olive and fig trees, or near a mosque or ruins, holes open in the declivity of a hill, resembling in form the door of a cave. A little, wooden door opens before the traveler, and he enters into a kind of dark and uneven gallery, sloping all the way, to traverse which safely[,] practice alone is essential. After a walk of fifteen to twenty metres, one descends into a kind of court, feebly lighted from above by some rays of light; there is the stable, which precedes the central court, and which often serves as a workshop to the Jewish blacksmiths. Continually descending, a subterranean court is reached, which serves as a central dwelling, kitchen, and workshop, the compartments being in caves dug in the walls of the court, from which they receive a little light and air. The natives find subterranean life very natural and comfortable, though the traveler scarcely feels at ease. The Synagogue of the village Beni-Abbas is also situated in a cave, but the access is open and easy, and its roof is even above the level of the ground. At Tigrena a Synagogue has just been built entirely above the ground."[4]

• Cave monastery
• Qumran Caves, once inhabited by the Essenes

• Maurice Roumani. "Gharian." Encyclopedia of Jews in the Islamic World. Brill Online, 2010 (online access; requires login)
• Harvey E. Goldberg, Cave Dwellers and Citrus Growers: A Jewish Community in Libya and Israel, 1972, Chapter 4. "Troglodyte dwellings of the Gharian", pp. 36–57