The Shuqba Cave is located on the northern bank of the Wadi Natuf, east of the village of Shuqba, northwest of Jerusalem, about twenty kilometers northwest of Ramallah. The Shuqba Cave is considered the model site for the Natufian civilization known globally. This civilization emerged based on hunting and gathering economies, preceding the agricultural phase that relied on the cultivation of plants and domestication of animals in settled life. The cave, a result of karst activity, was discovered by the world-renowned caver Mallon in 1924. British archaeologist Dorothy Garrod conducted excavations that revealed evidence of an unknown civilization dating back to the Late Stone Age, the Natufian civilization, which preceded the agricultural era and was named after the valley.

The Shuqba Cave is one of the largest caves in Palestine, opening into a main chamber (with a diameter of eighteen meters) containing two smoke vents in its ceiling and three side chambers. The excavations revealed the stratigraphy of the site, showing two prehistoric epochs, the Upper Luvualo-Mousterian period, and the Upper Natufian period, with evidence of use extending from the Early Bronze Age to the present day. The stone remains from the Upper Luvualo-Mousterian layer include flint tools such as weapons, serrated blades, circular tools, hand axes, drills, and a large quantity of scrapers. Blades made of flint were also found, used for harvesting wild grains and straw. The Natufian remains indicate a production method based on intensive hunting and gathering of wild grains through cooperative groups in the pre-agricultural period. A recent Palestinian-American mission has been reassessing the site in recent years