Masada

The Diary of Sonsy Lass
Alex & June Laidlaw
Thu 21 Jun 2012 12:24
31:41.00N 34:33.00E Up very early and onto yet another tour bus. This turned out to be a very long day but well worth the effort. We headed into the desert area of Israel bound for the fortress city of Masada which built on top of a mountain. A combination of steep slopes and towering cliffs forged a formidable natural defensive system. The initial fortress was built in 43BC by the Hasmonean dynasty and developed by their successor King Herod of the Bible. From a basic defensive castle Herod not only fortified it but made it into a very sophisticated self-contained fortress which could withstand long periods of siege. The cisterns for collecting, storing and distributing water were a masterpiece of ingenuity. He had two major obstacles to overcome, that he was sitting on top of a mountain and he was in the middle of a desert. Rain which fell elsewhere created a flash flood through a desert ravine, a phenomenon that only occurred once in every three years. A three hour flash flood gave him ten years supply. His was also a prolific palace builder, on Masada alone he had three. After Herod’s death in 4AD, the fortress was taken over by Jewish Zealots who were fleeing Roman persecution in Jerusalem. The Romans attacked Masada with overwhelming numbers and eventually breached the wall with a huge battering ram. Rather than be taken prisoner or sold to slavery, the Jews committed mass suicide. In the morning when the Romans entered they found 960 corpses. Two women and five children who had hidden in caves were the only survivors to tell the story. From Masada we went to a spa area of the Dead Sea. This was an unreal experience as we waded into the hot water. The Dead Sea is 400 metres belowsea level and because of all the minerals it has an oily texture. The bottom is solid salt and can cause a nasty graze if brushed against. Floating is extremely easy, it’s the standing up part that causes the problem. Because of the heat, 43 degrees C and the water temperature, probably around the same, it was only possible stay in for short bursts.

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