Masada

This week we have been so busy trying to see as many places as we can and visit with many believers in the land. We are starting to get tired with several late nights (past midnight) but with just two weeks left now, we want to make the most of our time here. By God's grace the children are doing so well.  Home school this week consists of many 'field trips' to different places such as the zoo which I shared in the last post. Today we shall visit a safari park up North and on Tuesday we spent the day at Masada and En Gedi. What an incredible time that was! I have so many pictures to share from our visit there in the desert. Masada and En Gedi are very close together so tours often do both sites on the same day. However,  they are can be quite exhausting due to the climbing and walking that is required especially at En Gedi but we left feeling feeling refreshed just as you would after a good walk in the hills! I love to walk and I remember that En Gedi was one of my highlights years ago when we visited and when I share pictures in the next post, you shall understand why!

Masada…… truly one of the most remarkable tourist attractions. It is a fortress built by Kind Herod in 30 BC situated upon a mountain located near the Dead Sea. The views are breathtaking and stunning and leave you wondering how a fortress of this magnitude was built in such a precarious location. Masada was a place where battles waged, where perseverance and faith and the determination to never never never give up resulted in the logic loss of lives that had chosen to die by choice rather than be taken as slaves. You cannot help but sense what it must have been like for these 960 Jewish Zealots who were determined not to fall into the hands of the Romans. Choosing to die as free men and women and children rather than live bound to a life of slavery, this story leaves us all with admiration for their courage.

The fortress of Massada was built in the year 30 BCE by King Herod, whose architectural feats have left their mark throughout the country.  At the beginning of the great revolt against Rome in the year 68 BCE, the site was conquered by a group of Jewish zealots, and Massada became their last stronghold.  In the year 72 the Romans besieged Massada and succeeded in reaching the steep fortress after constructing a huge earthen ramp on its western side.  In the year 73, the 960 Jewish zealots living at the top of Massada chose to commit suicide rather than to fall into the hands of the Romans alive. Their deeds left behind a saga of courage, heroism, and martyrdom. 

The remains of the fortress of Massada are well-preserved and have been reconstructed in an effort to pay homage to the site and its heroic inhabitants. 
The most impressive structure on Massada is King Herod's northern palace, built on three rock terraces overlooking the gorge below.  Near the palace is a large Roman style bath house with a colorful mosaic floor and walls decorated with murals.  Many other buildings at the site - such as the luxurious western palace, the mikveh (Jewish ritual bath), storerooms, watchtowers, and synagogue relate the history of Massada, especially when viewed with artifacts such as storage containers, decorated pottery, scrolls, and coins. 

The beautiful embossments and murals that were discovered on the walls of buildings on Massada were restored by Italian experts to preserve them for years to come. This is the largest and most complete Roman siege camp that remains today.

Other than choosing to walk the snake-like path up the mountain which is truly only for the fittest, the only way up the mountain is by cable car, much to my displeasure because I do not like heights. Oh my goodness, I had completely forgotten about this and it took everything within me not to hyperventilate on the way up and then back down again afterwards! I did not look but kept my head down the entire time in spite of the 'ooh's and ash's' from everyone else. Fortunately it was a very quick ride!

The views were stunning and although Masada has a reputation for being extremely hot, we were blessed with a breeze. We explored the ruins; the storehouses, baths/sauna and the synagogue where Jeff shared from Ezekiel. Since my last visit, the walls have been restored and built up higher and there is now a black line on the rocks which indicates this.

This is where the Dead Sea Scrolls were discovered in a cave by Shepherds in 1948.

The view of Masada as we drove closer!

Head down, praying!

  

Stunning views!

A Model of what the fortress would have looked like.

A Model of the Bath House.

The Sauna room where water would have been heated from a fire outside and then warmed the pipes and floor.

A cistern.

Jeff teaching in the Synagogue.

  

Enjoying some refreshments afterwards. I cannot tell you how many pomegranate and orange juices I have had!