Wadi Natuf

Wadi Natuf (Arabic: وادي الناطوف, Wadi al-Natuf / Wadi en-Natuf) or Nahal Natuf (Hebrew: נחל נטוף) is a wadi (seasonal stream) in the West Bank and Israel, rising in the north of the Ramallah and al-Bireh Governorate of Palestine, crossing into Israel north of Modi'in and discharging into the Ayalon River at the Ben Gurion Airport.

Wadi Natuf; Nahal Natuf
Natuf Stream, filled by winter rains, as seen between Lod and the Ben Gurion Airport
Native name	Wadi al-Natuf / Wadi en-Natuf (Arabic) Nahal Natuf (Hebrew)
Location
Country	Palestine and Israel
District	Ramallah and al-Bireh Governorate; Central District (Israel)
Physical characteristics
Mouth	Ayalon River
• location	Ben Gurion Airport, Israel

Wadi Natuf and Shuqba Cave

Shuqba Cave entrance, 2024
Location in the State of Palestine
Region	Ramallah and al-Bireh Governorate
Coordinates	31°58′55″N 35°02′37″E
Grid position	15420/15435 PAL
History
Cultures	Natufian culture
Site notes
Archaeologists	Dorothy Garrod
Public access	limited by West Bank barrier

The Natufian culture–an archaeological culture of the Epipaleolithic period in the Levant region–is named after the wadi.^[1] Along with the Shuqba Cave, which opens onto its northern bank, Wadi Natuf has been nominated as a tentative UNESCO World Heritage Site in the State of Palestine.^[2]