Masada (Israel)

Overview

The rocktop fortress of Masada overlooking the Dead Sea has been invested with a quasi-religious significance as a symbol of resistance for the people of Israel. The word Masada means “fortress” and it was used as such throughout the area’s history. It's a natural flat mountain that rises from the valley floor some 1,000 feet like a huge column with sheer cliffs on every side that makes it virtually unreachable. Masada is located on the eastern edge of the Judaean Desert and the southern end of the Dead Sea, about 40 miles southeast of Jerusalem. The base of Masada is about 1,000 feet below sea level.

After a confrontation between King Saul and David close to En Gedi, David likely hid out on top of Masada afterward (1 Samuel 24:22). Masada first became a Jewish fortress under the Hasmoneans around 150–76 BC. Later, King Herod upgraded Masada’s defenses (37–31 BC) and it became one of 3 fortified fortresses he built for pleasure purposes and from which to protect his territories. Masada was fortified with elaborate water cisterns that were fed by diverting water from the nearby mountains. It even had swimming pools and many of the luxuries life afforded at that time. In addition to ample water storage, Masada had 15 storehouses of food, enough for 10,000 people for 10 years. This fortress was the site of one of the last stands against the Romans in the First Jewish Revolt. According to Josephus, the siege of Masada by Roman troops at the end of the First Jewish – Roman War, ended in the mass suicide of the 960 defenders who were hiding there.

Masada is Israel’s second most popular tourist attraction after Jerusalem