Masada - June 23 - Part 1

A bathroom stop on the way to Masada.

The Dead Sea

In the 1800s the water level was over the bus.  Israel and Jordan are both using so much water from the Jordan River that not enough reaches the Dead Sea and the water level keeps getting lower.

Masada

Herod the Great built his winter palace here.  He felt he would be safe here if either the Jews or the Romans turned against him.

Cable car ride to top

During the First Jewish Revolt in 66CE the Zealots took control of Masada. This is a ramp that the Tenth Roman Legion, led by Flavius  Silva, built to breach the western wall.

One of the camps of the Tenth Roman Legion.

The Dead Sea

  "After Saul returned from pursuing the Philistines, he was told, “David is in the Desert of En Gedi.” 2 So Saul took three thousand able young men from all Israel and set out to look for David and his men near the Crags of the Wild Goats.

3 He came to the sheep pens along the way; a cave was there, and Saul went in to relieve himself. David and his men were far back in the cave.4 The men said, “This is the day the Lord spoke of when he said[b] to you, ‘I will give your enemy into your hands for you to deal with as you wish.’” Then David crept up unnoticed and cut off a corner of Saul’s robe." I Samual 24

Ibex