Israel...Part 2...Day 13

March 18, 2019

Day 13: Perfect blue sky with warm sunshine today!! We originally had planned to hike up Masada and watch the sun rise over the Dead Sea but my mom has had a nagging cough so we decided instead to take the cable car both up and down.

If you already know all about the history and significance of the Masada fortress feel free to skip this next paragraph, otherwise hold on and I'll give you a little lesson...

Herod the Great built a fortress on top of a plateau deep in the Judean Mountains, overlooking the Dead Sea about 35 BC. This fortress included an enormous palace (as well as a couple smaller ones), splendid bathhouses and grand halls, as well as living quarters for his generals. Huge frescoes and mosaics are still visible today. One of the most impressive features, however, are the large cisterns that provided plenty of water in the lowest elevation on the planet. In the year 66 AD a group of Jewish rebels settled there and remained during the fall of the Second Temple in the year 70 AD. In 73 AD the Roman Army laid siege to Masada, hoping to root out the last group of Jewish rebels. But Masada was built high on top of a mountain with only a steep, narrow winding trail known as the Snake Path and it was easy for the rebels to throw boulders or shoot arrows at the Roman Army and keep them from gaining access to the settlement and murdering the men and making slaves of the wives and children. The Romans built encampments around the base of Masada. First they had hoped that they could thirst or starve the rebels, but with the sophisticated cistern system they had plenty of water. They farmed fruits and vegetables and olive groves grew on the plateau, fertilized by guano harvested in the dovecotes. With no chance of starving the rebels out, the Roman Army eventually hatched a plan: using Jewish slaves they began to build a siege ramp made of stones and earth. Each day the terrified Jews watched as the ramp grew higher and closer. In the spring of 73 AD they brought a battering ram and began to berate the stone walls of the settlement. Upon realization that the end was near, the leader of the Jewish Rebels made a stirring speech. He called on the rebels to give up their own lives rather than live as slaves or be struck down by their enemies. However, they faced a dilemma; murder and suicide were forbidden. To solve this problem, lots were cast and 10 men were charged with the murders of everybody in the settlement. After setting all of the buildings on fire (except for the food storerooms in order to prove that they were not starved out) these ten men then cast lots to see who would be the one to kill the others before falling onto his own sword. When the Roman Army finally breached the walls, they found only slain bodies and burned buildings. According to the writings of Flavius Josephus (Biblical era historian) the only survivors were two women and 3 children, who possibly survived by hiding in an underground cistern.

Snake Path - Masada

Roman Encampment - Masada (square)

Underground cistern 

Herod's Palace 

Hiking up from Herod's North Palace  

Dovecotes

Roman Siege Ramp

Friendly little birdie

I could go on and give you more information, but it's Google-able. Several years ago I read a book called 'The Dovekeepers'. This was the first time I had ever even heard of Masada and I've had a special interest in it ever since.

Anyway, after spending too short of a time up there, we took the cable car down and the bus brought us up the coast to Ein Gedi, known in the Bible as the place where David hid from King Saul. The weather was perfect, but the sun was direct and it felt good to wade in the creeks. When my family was here last time the temperature was about 110F and we splashed around in the waterfalls to stay cool, even if for a few minutes. This time we were content to just have light spray from the falls.
Afterward, we were taken to a private beach on the Dead Sea. Joanie and I had packed our swimsuits but had decided that we weren't going to float around like a couple goofy tourists and we CERTAINLY weren't going to rub the dark mud all over ourselves. But once we saw that beautiful blue water we chucked those thoughts and went for it! I'm so glad we did - it was a great time!
There was also a camel there named Pistachio, and I gave him a hug. He was so cute!

Have you ever wondered what the Orthodox wear while swimming? Me neither, but it turns out that they wear all of their clothes

Caves at Ein Gedi. Very near Kumran where the Dead Sea Scrolls were found

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Dead Sea with Jordan in the background

Dead Sea with Jordan in the background.

Floating in the Dead Sea

Pistachio

Jordan villages across the Dead Sea

On the way back to Jerusalem, we went through a checkpoint. Used to just waving us through, our bus driver grew visibly irate when they questioned why we were going to Jerusalem. Next thing we know, everybody is yelling and we have two IDF soldiers asking to see everybody's passports. Yikes!



Now we're relaxing in the lounge, drinking sachlav, saying goodbye to some friends and winding down before another busy day tomorrow in the Old City and the Mount of Olives.