ON TO MASADA

Passing the shepherds and flocks in the Negev........

and camels, barely discernible on the hills,

and yes, a camel crossing sign,

the curvy road took us down into the bleak desert.

at a distance

 Masada is a plateau which was built up as a retreat fortress by Herod the Great. 

There is a trail to hike, but we couldn't spend the whole day climbing so we took the tram.

view from top

Hot and dry, even on an overcast spring day, there's too much to tell about this place. The history is tragic and significant.  Historians aren't sure how often Herod used this complex. Evidence of important Jewish customs were preserved here.
But when Jerusalem was overtaken by the Romans, radical Jewish people, Zealots, ran to this location, nine hundred of them.

As the story goes, they supported themselves from the storage of rain water in cisterns and of food left there as well as by sending for fresh produce from the valley.

The Romans considered them to be a threat, and besieged the site. When it became obvious to the Zealots that they could not escape, they made a decision.




Facing slaughter or slavery at the hand of the Romans, they took their own lives.

Stones with names

It was an organized process. Ten men were chosen by lot to begin, and one last man had to complete the gruesome task, and kill himself.

The historical events and the environment, left a great impact on us as we continued on to other areas in the region.

 

On the lighter side, in the gift shop we saw a salt figure called Lot's wife.