To the top of the edge

Today was an optional tour day. You could visit Masada or wander the city on your own. I and 15 of my bus mates traveled to Masada. Masada is by Jericho and served as a palace for King Herod. Apparently Herod collected palaces like l collect rocks. This is about the fourth one we have heard of on this tour. This was his outpost, and his play palace. It is literally at the top of the Wilderness of Judea and to climb up today takes about one hour. We voted that is exactly how we would have our youth groups climb to the top of Masada. We took the cable car. When the Jewish revolt against the Romans began in 68 CE (A.D.) Herod sort of abandoned Masada and Jewish Zealots and refugees from the fighting came there. It ended up being the last strong hold of the rebels.


Herod began a systematic response to the Zealots by building Roman encampments, a wall and then a ramp to access the wooden gate on the south face of the wall. This took about two years. When they ultimately breeched the gate and entered the fortress on the next morning, they found that all the Zealots had committed suicide rather than become slaves in the Roman Empire. Hence, in their defeat they claimed victory and Masada has become a rallying point for Israeli’s. It was quite a site to see the elaborate structures that remain in place. One of the things the archeologists have done is paint a black line across structures to depict the difference between what was of the Herodian era and what was reconstruction. Masada clearly shows the lengths that the Roman engineering could go, and the power of a Zealoted people to face their adversity.

Masada overlooks the Dead Sea, which is yet another marvel. This body of water is the lowest place on the planet, more than 1300 feet below sea level, and has a salt percentage between 30 – 33 percent. We went to a public beach so a few could float in the water. I choose not to float, but I did kick off my shoes and wade in the water. It had an oily feel to it, but you could definitely feel a difference on your skin. Along the coast, where the turquoise colored water lapped, there was this rim of big salt crystals. It took a while to wash the mud off my feet, which is actually one of the many rules that you have to follow when bathing in the Dead Sea.