Masada (Hebrew: metsada, "fortress") is an ancient fortification in the
Southern District of Israel situated on top of an isolated rock plateau, akin
to a mesa. It is located on the eastern edge of the Judaean Desert,
overlooking the Dead Sea 20 km (12 mi) east of Arad.
Herod the Great built two palaces for himself on the mountain and fortified
Masada between 37 and 31 BCE.
According to Josephus, the siege of Masada by Roman troops from 73 to 74 CE,
at the end of the First Jewish–Roman War, ended in the mass suicide of the 960
Sicarii rebels who were hiding there.
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Dead Sea.
The Dead Sea is a salt lake bordered by Jordan to the east and
Palestine's West Bank and Israel to the west. It lies in the Jordan Rift
Valley, and its main tributary is the Jordan River.
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As of 2019, the lake's surface is 430.5 metres (1,412 ft) below sea
level, making its shores the lowest land-based elevation on Earth.
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It is 304 m (997 ft) deep, the deepest hypersaline lake in the world.
With a salinity of 342 g/kg, or 34.2% (in 2011), it is one of the
world's saltiest bodies of water – 9.6 times as salty as the ocean –
and has a density of 1.24 kg/litre, which makes swimming similar to
floating.
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This salinity makes for a harsh environment in which plants and
animals cannot flourish, hence its name.
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See more at
Dead Sea - Wikipedia.
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The cliff of Masada.
The cliff of Masada is, geologically speaking, a horst. As the plateau
abruptly ends in cliffs steeply falling about 400 m (1,300 ft) to the
east and about 90 m (300 ft) to the west, the natural approaches to the
fortress are very difficult to navigate.
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The top of the mesa-like plateau is flat and rhomboid-shaped, about
550 m (1,800 ft) by 270 m (890 ft).
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Cable Car.
Alternatively, for a higher fee, visitors can take a cable car (the
Masada cableway, opens at 8 am) to the top of the mesa.
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Reaching the top of Masada.
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Northern Complex.
The second building phase in 25 BCE included an addition to the Western
Palace, a large storage complex for food, and the Northern Palace.
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Northern Palace.
The Northern Palace is one of Herod's more lavish palace-fortresses, and
was built on the hilltop on the north side of Masada and continues two
levels down, over the end of the cliffs.
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The upper terrace of the Northern Palace included living quarters for
the king and a semicircular portico to provide a view of the area.
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Middle Terrace.
A stairway on the west side led down to the middle terrace that was a
decorative circular reception hall.
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Upper, middle and lower terraces.
The upper terrace can be seen in the upper right corner of the photo.
The middle terrace can be seen a little further down. The lower terrace
can be seen a little further down, almost in the center of the photo.
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The lower terrace was also for receptions and banquets. It was
enclosed on all four sides with porticos and included a Roman
bathhouse.
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Tristram's starlings.
Tristram's starling (Onychognathus tristramii), also known as
Dead Sea starling or Tristram's grackle, is a species of starling native
to the Middle East.
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Tristram's starling is 25 cm long (including a 9 cm tail), with a
wingspan of 44–45 cm, and a weight of 100–140 g.
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The males have glossy iridescent black plumage with orange patches on
the outer wing, which are particularly noticeable in flight. The bill
and legs are black.
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Females and young birds are similar but duller and with a greyish
head, lacking the plumage gloss.
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See more at
Tristram's starling - Wikipedia.
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Hot Room.
A caldarium (hot room) in northern Roman-style public bath.
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Many of the ancient buildings have been restored from their remains,
as have the wall paintings of Herod's two main palaces, and the
Roman-style bathhouses that he built.
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Synagogue.
Inside the synagogue, an ostracon bearing the inscription
ma'aser cohen (tithe for the priest) was found, as were fragments
of two scrolls: parts of Deuteronomy and of the Book of Ezekiel
including the vision of the "dry bones" (Deuteronomy 33–34 and Ezekiel
35–38), found hidden in pits dug under the floor of a small room built
inside the synagogue.
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In other loci, fragments were found of the books of Genesis,
Leviticus, Psalms, and Sirach, as well as of the Songs of the Sabbath
Sacrifice.
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Roman Camp.
Roman siege camp F and section of the Roman circumvallation wall.
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According to Josephus, the siege of Masada by Roman troops from 73 to
74 CE, at the end of the First Jewish–Roman War, ended in the mass
suicide of the 960 Sicarii rebels who were hiding there.
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However, the archaeological evidence relevant to a mass suicide event
is ambiguous at best and rejected entirely by some scholars.
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See more at
Siege of Masada - Wikipedia.
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Roman Ramp.
he Roman legion surrounded Masada, building a circumvallation wall and
then a siege ramp against the western face of the plateau.
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According to Dan Gill, geological investigations in the early 1990s
confirmed earlier observations that the 114 m (375 ft) high assault
ramp consisted mostly of a natural spur of bedrock.
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The ramp was complete in the spring of 73, after probably two to three
months of siege, allowing the Romans to finally breach the wall of the
fortress with a battering ram on April 16.
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The Romans employed the X Legion and a number of auxiliary units and
Jewish prisoners of war, totaling some 15,000 (of whom an estimated
8,000 to 9,000 were fighting men), in crushing Jewish resistance at
Masada.
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A giant siege tower with a battering ram was constructed and moved
laboriously up the completed ramp.
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Possible attack boulders on the fortress floor.
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Western Palace.
The first of three building phases completed by Herod began in 35 BCE.
During the first phase the Western Palace was built, along with three
smaller palaces, a storeroom, and army barracks. Three columbarium
towers and a swimming pool at the south end of the site were also
completed during this building phase.
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The original center of the Western Palace was square and was accessed
through an open courtyard on the northwest corner of the building. The
courtyard was the central room of the Western Palace and directed
visitors into a portico, used as a reception area for visitors.
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Visitors were then led to a throne room. Off the throne room was a
corridor used by the king, with a private dressing room, which also
had another entrance way that connected to the courtyard through the
mosaic room.
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The mosaic room contained steps that led to a second floor with
separate bedrooms for the king and queen.
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East side of the fortress with the Dead Sea in the background.
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Snake Trail.
There are two hiking paths, both very steep:
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The Snake Trail leaves from the eastern side at the Masada Museum
(access via the Dead Sea Highway) and gains around 300 m (980 ft) in
elevation.
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The Roman Ramp trail is also very steep, but has less elevation gain,
and is accessed from the western side of the mountain (with access by
car from the Arad road).
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Gate Hikers frequently start an hour before sunrise, when the park
opens, to avoid the mid-day heat, which can exceed 43 °C (109 °F) in
the summer. In fact, the hiking paths are often closed during the day
in the summer because of the heat.
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See also
Source
Location
