Today we started early and got to Masada by 9:00. It was hot and dry—a lot like home. We learned that Masada was constructed by Herod sometime between 37-4 BC. This was a great place for him to get away from Jerusalem and overlook the Dead Sea. It was also very high, so made for a great fortress. We learned about how he had expansive storerooms so that it was always ready for him to run to in the event of an uprising. It was mostly abandoned after Herod’s death until a group of Jewish rebels who had escaped from Jerusalem around 70 AD went up there to live when Jerusalem was conquered by the Romans. The Romans eventually hunted down this group of about 900 Jewish rebels after living in Masada for 2 years. The rebels did not want to be captured so they allegedly killed all their families and then drew lots to see who would kill the remaining men before killing himself. Masada was hot, but very cool to see the history here.
We rode a cable car to the top of the mountain.
Gwendolyn is in one of the long storerooms. Herod was always paranoid that the people would revolt so he had a lot of food and supplies in storage.
Lia is in top of the elaborate bath house.
Ein Gedi is a desert oasis that is often referenced in the Bible. In the middle of the Judean Desert, there is a lush area with cold, fresh water flowing throughout. We enjoyed cooling off in the waterfalls.
We then moved along to the Dead Sea where we floated and then caked ourselves in mud, baked, and showered.
We then moved along to the Dead Sea where we floated and then caked ourselves in mud, baked, and showered.
Back in Tel Aviv, we walked down Rothschild for the last time, ate our last pita, and finished the night with gelato.
