An Israeli man spent 50 years carving an underground home into a cliff. Now the government wants to evict him. Take a look inside.

Amanda GohJul 14, 2023, 11:52 IST

Nissim Kahlon chiseled his cave home out of sandstone cliffs that over look the Mediterranean sea in Herzliya, Israel.AP Photo/Ariel Schalit

Nissim Kahlon spent 50 years carving a house out of sandstone cliffs in Herzliya, Israel.
He filled his home with recycled items, including old bottles and tiles.

Over a period of 50 years, Nissim Kahlon chiseled a sprawling cave home out of sandstone cliffs in Herzliya, Israel.

Kahlon's cliffside home as viewed from above the Mediterranean Sea.AP Photo/Ariel Schalit

Kahlon, now 77, had been sleeping rough along the coast when he first started carving into the cliffs in 1973, per AP News.

Kahlon resting on his bed in his cave home.AP Photo/Ariel Schalit

The house has textured walls and curved ceilings, as well as narrow, arched doorways that barely allow Kahlon to pass through.

Kahlon says he began scratching into the sandstone cliffs in 1973, while he was still living in a tent along Herzliya beach.AP Photo/Ariel Schalit

The exterior of the house has been destroyed by the sea twice, per Atlas Obscura.

A decorative stone welcoming visitors to Kahlon's home.AP Photo/Ariel Schalit

The interiors of the cave home are decorated with colorful glass shards, mosaic tiles, and broken pieces of pottery.

Kahlon's home is filled with recycled items, including discarded mosaic tiles that he picked up from dumpsters in Tel Aviv over the years.AP Photo/Ariel Schalit

After half a century of living in his cave home, Kahlon faces eviction by the Israeli government because his house is a threat to the coastline.

The toilets in Kahlon's home are decorated with mosaic tiles.AP Photo/Ariel Schalit

"Instead of encouraging me, they're denigrating me," Kahlon told AP News.

Kahlon's cave home overlooks the Mediterranean Sea. The Israeli government wants to evict him because they say that the structure is illegal.AP Photo/Ariel Schalit

Local authorities say they have found an alternate home for Kahlon, but he says he has no plans to leave the cave house.

Kahlon sitting on his balcony in his cave home in Herzliya, Israel.AP Photo/Ariel Schalit

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