November 16, 2024
—Here are ten things to see and do at Masada, an ancient fortress and palace of King Herod built in the Judean Wilderness on the western shore of the Dead Sea where Jewish rebels fled during the First Jewish Revolt that began in 66 A.D. and where the Romans later arrived in 73 A.D. to eliminate this last major stronghold of the rebels.
—1. Next to the ticket counter inside the main hall of the Visitor Center view the fabulous relief map of Masada and the surrounding topography.
—2. Also on the ground floor of the Visitor’s Center enjoy an 8-minute film dramatizing Masada’s last stand against the Romans.
—3. Before you head to the top of the mountain take time to visit the small museum in the Visitor’s Center that displays important archaeological discoveries from the site.
—4. Forego the cable car to the top of the mountain and instead make the 45-60 minute walk up the “snake path” to the summit. Admittedly it’s a tough ascent though I’ve heard that an early dawn climb to the top is truly spectacular. Walking down takes around 30 minutes.
—5. Walk to the northern end of the plateau to look down on Herod’s three-tiered palace and villa.
—6. Look over the side at almost any spot on the plateau to see one or more of the eight Roman camps still visible at the base of the mountain.
—7. Walk to the west side of the plateau to locate the siege ramp built at a twenty degree angle by the Romans using Jewish slave labor.
—8. Make your way to the far southern end of the plateau to visit a massive underground cistern that could hold around 8000 cubic meters of water. To put that into perspective, an Olympic-sized swimming pool holds around 2500 cubic meters of water.
—9. Not far from this massive cistern is a deep, stepped pool with niches for clothes that many have identified as a swimming pool. What a place to get a tan!
—10. There are several walking trails at Masada for skilled hikers, one hour-long hike in particular that leads to a camp on a nearby mesa which the Romans used to gather aerial intelligence about the rebel’s movements on top.
—Daniel McCabe