'Fortress Mentality' Began Here
Massada is emblematic of Israel
itself
Massada is the impregnable rock fortress and palace
built by Herod and invaded by the Romans after a three-year-siege around the
year 73. This was the last holdout of the Jewish Revolt that resulted in the
destruction of the Second Temple by Titus. When the Romans finally arrived, they
found everyone was dead.
I was picked up by United Tours at 7 am. We picked up a variety of other people and were then redistributed to our inevitable buses. My tour for the day was for Massad and the Ein Gedi Spa and Resort. We went through Jerusalem to get there, and picked up other tourists there. I saw most of the gates of the Old City from the bus. There is a steep descent when you drive from Jerusalem to the Dead Sea. A camel literally marks the spot that is sea level. You can see why fighting in this area is so difficult. You can also see the "security wall" being built in these areas. We drove near Jericho, one of the oldest towns in the world (10,000 years old, to be exact).
A snake path up the rock cliffs of Massada would take an hour to climb; thank god for cable cars. Here are two sets of photos to look at [Set A and Set B ]. The parking lot is huge but not many buses were there today. Also, the visitors' center welcomes people with footage from the ABC miniseries "Masada" and a documentary narrated by Peter Straus. Peter O'Toole played the Roman general
It is quite hot here. I made sure to have water on hand. You can see the Dead Sea from here--but it's very hazy. From Massada you can see the outlines of the various places the Romans camped out during their siege. You can also see the ramp. The ancients had a system for capturing water in deep cisterns, and to taunt the Romans, they would spill water over the edge as if to say, "We have enough water, we don't care how long you wait."
Massada also had vast covered storehouses. The walls are marked with a black line that shows how tall the ruins were when they were found. The structures that were rebuilt were made from the boulders that fell over the years. Our guide, Alberto, was excellent and knew everything about the place. Herod built two palaces here. One for himself and one for his wife. There are mosaic remnants and even bathtubs (mikvehs) here.
Our next stop was the Dead Sea.
I was picked up by United Tours at 7 am. We picked up a variety of other people and were then redistributed to our inevitable buses. My tour for the day was for Massad and the Ein Gedi Spa and Resort. We went through Jerusalem to get there, and picked up other tourists there. I saw most of the gates of the Old City from the bus. There is a steep descent when you drive from Jerusalem to the Dead Sea. A camel literally marks the spot that is sea level. You can see why fighting in this area is so difficult. You can also see the "security wall" being built in these areas. We drove near Jericho, one of the oldest towns in the world (10,000 years old, to be exact).
A snake path up the rock cliffs of Massada would take an hour to climb; thank god for cable cars. Here are two sets of photos to look at [Set A and Set B ]. The parking lot is huge but not many buses were there today. Also, the visitors' center welcomes people with footage from the ABC miniseries "Masada" and a documentary narrated by Peter Straus. Peter O'Toole played the Roman general
It is quite hot here. I made sure to have water on hand. You can see the Dead Sea from here--but it's very hazy. From Massada you can see the outlines of the various places the Romans camped out during their siege. You can also see the ramp. The ancients had a system for capturing water in deep cisterns, and to taunt the Romans, they would spill water over the edge as if to say, "We have enough water, we don't care how long you wait."
Massada also had vast covered storehouses. The walls are marked with a black line that shows how tall the ruins were when they were found. The structures that were rebuilt were made from the boulders that fell over the years. Our guide, Alberto, was excellent and knew everything about the place. Herod built two palaces here. One for himself and one for his wife. There are mosaic remnants and even bathtubs (mikvehs) here.
Our next stop was the Dead Sea.
Posted: Sun - March 27, 2005 at 02:17 PM
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Published On: Jun 20, 2009 07:04 PM
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Published On: Jun 20, 2009 07:04 PM