A Voice of Light in the Darkness: Masada

One of our favorite sites not tied directly to the Bible, was Masada. Located south of Jerusalem, Masada is an ancient fortification situated on top of an isolated rock plateau (akin to a mesa) on the eastern edge of the Judaean Desert, overlooking the Dead Sea. Herod the Great built palaces for himself on the mountain and fortified Masada between 37 and 31 BCE. According to Josephus, the Siege of Masada by troops of the Roman Empire towards the end of the First Jewish–Roman War ended in the mass suicide of the 960 Jewish rebels and their families hiding there. Masada is one of Israel's most popular tourist attractions.

The following is a description of Masada taken from wiki: "The cliffs on the east edge of Masada are about 1,300 feet high and the cliffs on the west are about 300 feet high; the natural approaches to the cliff top are very difficult. The top of the plateau is flat and rhomboid-shaped, about 1,800 feet by 900 feet. There was a casemate wall around the top of the plateau totaling 4,300 feet long and 12 feet high, with many towers, and the fortress included storehouses, barracks, an armory, the palace, and cisterns that were refilled by rainwater. Three narrow, winding paths led from below up to fortified gates."

"The site of Masada was identified in 1842 and extensively excavated between 1963 and 1965 by an expedition led by Israeli archeologist Yigael Yadin. Due to the remoteness from human habitation and its arid environment, the site remained largely untouched by humans or nature for two millennia. The Roman attack ramp still stands on the western side and can be climbed on foot. 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. The synagogue, storehouses, and houses of the Jewish rebels have also been identified and restored. Water cisterns two-thirds of the way up the cliff drain the nearby wadis by an elaborate system of channels, which explains how the rebels managed to conserve enough water for such a long time."

We toured the museum, watched a short movie, and after our trip to the top of the mountain had a nice meal in the restaurant located in the visitors’ center. While many, especially Jewish youth, hike the switchbacks to the top (a steep hike of about 1 ¼ hour), we had the luxury of taking the tram which only took a few minutes. It was a good day.