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By
Arnie Greenberg (Masada
National Park, pictured above, is where nearly a thousand Jewish patriots took
their own lives rather than be captured by the Romans. Built 2,000 years ago as
a palace and place of refuge by Herod the Great, Masada's extensive remains survive
on the summit of this seemingly impregnable fortress, set in a rugged natural
landscape of great beauty. Masada is a UNESCO World Heritage Site) I first arrived from Ein Gedi, driving along the western bank of the Dead Sea. Even though it was December, the sun and the low altitude conspired to keep us hot. I remembered the pictures I had seen of people floating in the same seawaters, buoyed by the salinity.
(On your way to Masada, it is worth stopping at the Dead Sea, where people can literally sit on the water, buoyed by its heavy salinity. And like these two visitors, they can also partake of the healing thermal mud found on the Dead Sea beach) Now I was there, and before me lay a mighty fortress at the edge of this Judean Desert, 440 feet above sea level. With deep gorges on all sides, I realized immediately why this would be a natural place to build a fortress. I was standing below the isolated rock of Masada. The isolation was magnified by the lack of people and the stillness of the desert. There were few other cars and aside from two or three camels at the sides of the narrow road, the area was still and heavy. But now, Masada was accessible. Yet it was easy to see how impregnable it was as it guarded the southeastern gate of the kingdom. Taking a Modern Gondola to the Top of Masada We approached and looked up at this gigantic flat-topped rock. While the winding "Snake Path" to the tip was suggested, I decided on the modern gondola from the east that would allow me to video the ascent and conserve my energy.
(Kibbutz Ein Gedi, located opposite the Dead Sea in the Israeli Negev Desert, offers comfortable guest accommodations. The kibbutz is not far from Masada) Few people entered the gondola. It was like witnessing the isolated site alone. I marveled at the view as we rose silently for about 10 minutes. In the distance the Dead Sea was the only relief from sand, stone and deep gorges. It was drab, almost colorless, and beautiful in an eerie way. Then we were on top, standing on a place "natural to build a fortress."
(The Ein Gedi spa offers soothing Dead Sea indoor water pools)
Waiting for those who were climbing the exhausting footpath, I read my guidebook. Herod Flees to Masada in 40 BC It was to this rhomboid-shaped rock where King Herod fled in 40 BC with his family, fearing peril from his enemies. A group of zealots took over Masada and created a place of refuge equipped with a two palaces and square, plastered cisterns made of waterproof mortar that held almost one and a half million cubic feet of water, an artificial man-made oasis. It became the only site of Jewish resistance against the Romans, a well-appointed fortress guarded by 37 towers. It contained storerooms and officers' quarters and public two baths decorated with ceiling frescoes and patterned tile floors. One was for the king's use only. Near the Western Palace there was a swimming pool, indicating a high standard of living. There was even a synagogue with stone benches along the walls that served as a place to study the Torah.
(Visitors
to Ein Gedi can try their hand at a variety of diversions, including rock climbing)
(Then there's always a dip in the cool waters of the Ein Gedi springs) But the Romans resolved to halt the Jewish resistance, so the Tenth Legion set up eight camps and prepared for a long siege. The task of building a long ramp up to the fortified wall began. It was a daunting task but the Romans used fire and a massive battering ram, which they would use to enter the fortress. A Vow Never to Be Servants of the Romans It was then that Eliazer ben Yair, the Zealot leader, persuaded the defenders to kill themselves rather than submit to the Romans. They preferred death to slavery. "We are resolved," he said, "never to be servants of the Romans." They set fire to their belongings and ten men selected by lot, killed everyone before committing suicide. They left great stores of food so the Romans would see tat the Zealots died "not through want but because…we chose death rather than slavery". When the Romans entered the fortress they discovered over 950 dead bodies and total silence. Only two women and five children survived by hiding in a cave. The Romans used Masada as a garrison outpost for years afterwards. But it's still a thrill to go there even though little can be seen of the old site. The reconstruction from the 1960s laid bare over 97% of the area. There are Herod's buildings, walls, palaces and staterooms. The ritual baths of Masada's last defenders have been discovered anew. Even remnants of a synagogue date back to the period of the Second Temple.
(Live like royalty at Le Meridien Hotel and Spa at the Dead Sea) The dig unearthed relics like art, pottery, and utensils. Also among the finds were coins and biblical scrolls in an archeological stratum, which was possible to date. There were the remains of miles of walls plus 400 coins including silver shekels and hundreds of items with inscriptions in Aramaic, Greek, and Latin. Masada Remains a Thurn in the Romans' Side The revolt started in the year 66 and ended when Titus captured Jerusalem and destroyed the Temple in the year 70. But Masada remained a thorn in the Romans' side for another three years. During this time, the Tenth legion and thousands of Jewish laborer-prisoners besieged Masada and under the order of the Roman Governor Flavius Silva began building the great assault ramp. The rest is history. The Romans stayed on for a while and was later used as a retreat for a few Christian monks. After the Crusader Period it was abandoned. But in 1949, after the War of Independence, an Israeli flag was hoisted at the summit. In 1969 twenty five skeletons of Zealots found here were buried with full military honors. On the day I first visited this memorable place I was disappointed to find some of the walls rebuilt. I say disappointed because I soon discovered that what looked new was simply Styrofoam sections that looked like stone. These were remnants of the sets created by the film company that had just completed making a Peter O'Toole film of the story of Masada. I left with a feeling of relief knowing that clean-up crews were still working on the site. Even today, visitors are asked not to write or scratch names anywhere. A visitor's book is provided for that. They also warn visitors to take no risks, as a fall from Masada could be lethal. We walked around in relative silence, enjoying the view and totally aware that here, history was made. It is ironic that Masada is not mentioned in the Bible. It is fitting that to this day it is the most visited site after Jerusalem, and soldiers swear never to let Masada fall again. For general information on travel to Israel, visit www.goisrael.com. For information about Kibbutz Ein Gedi, visit ein-gedi.co.il, and for information about Le Meridien, visit www.deadsea.lemeridien.com). (Click below for more travel).
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