The Masada Fortress is the royal citadel of King Herod, which became the last bastion of the Zealots during the Jewish uprising. The most tragic events in the history of the Jewish people took place here - the rebels preferred mass suicide in order not to be captured by Rome.
Myths and facts
No one knows for certain which of this is fact and which is fiction, but the story of Masada is intriguing with its drama.
On a high rock in the middle of the desert, two thousand years ago, the Jewish nobleman Herod sought refuge for himself and his family. He supported the Romans in the war with the Parthians, and when the Parthian became king of Jerusalem, Herod, fearing retribution, fled to the mountains. He then went to Rome, where the Roman Senate appointed him king of Judea. Herod returned in, accompanied by two Roman legions.
Fearing rebellion and overthrow, King Herod built a citadel on the top of the mountain in 37-31 BC. Masada translated from Hebrew means "fortress". The fortress was equipped and supplied with everything necessary for the life of a large army during a long siege. Massive warehouses and fortified palaces with a labyrinth of passages provided a safe retreat in case of war.
But Herod never had to test the strength of the citadel. After his death in 4 BC, his son Archelaus inherited the fortress. A few years later, Archelaus lost the throne and Judea came under direct Roman rule, and a Roman garrison was located in Masada.
In 66, a Jewish uprising broke out, resulting in a long Jewish war. A group of Jewish Zealots overpowered the Roman garrison and captured Masada. Strategically located within the reach of Roman troops inland, ideally protected by high sheer cliffs, she was a thorn in the eye of the Romans.
After the fall of Jerusalem in 70, all the surviving rebels joined the Zealots. Masada became the last stronghold of resistance. For another two whole years they held the fortress. Desperate, the Romans sent their tenth legion there with 10,000 soldiers and several thousand slaves to break the resistance.
Proved to be a difficult task for the Romans. They settled in eight base camps in the desert around the rock. A ramp made of wooden piles was built on the neighboring ridge. Thus, they raised a solid platform 90 m high, reinforced the walls with wood, and laid stones on the top. Catapults and a giant ram were installed on the platform.
The Romans began to attack the wall with a ram. The defenders of the fortress threw large stones down on their attackers. Hoping to force the rebels to retreat from the walls, the Romans set them on fire. By the end of the day, one of the walls was broken, but the wind turned it into a solid mass of fire, blocking the way of the Romans. The rebels knew that their capture was inevitable in the morning.
However, when at dawn the Romans climbed through a hole punched in the wall, they were greeted with deathly silence. All 960 Masada defenders were already dead. After seven years of fighting against Roman tyranny, they chose to die rather than live in slavery.
What to see
Masada is located on an isolated mountain with a large flat plateau at the top, surrounded on all sides by sheer cliffs 400 m high. Only from the sea side a narrow "snake path" leads up. Double fortress walls with towers surround the entire plateau along the perimeter.
Herod's western palace was the largest building. Fragments of mosaics are still preserved on the walls. The northern palace, built on the "bow" of the plateau, cascades down three levels of the cliff. These were Herod's private apartments.
The most amazing of the deserted fortress is the huge pools carved out on top of the cliff to collect rainwater. There are Roman baths with cold baths and a large steam room. The steam room was heated by an oven located behind the wall. Hot air took place under the floor, arranged on 200 clay pillars. Floor on this moment destroyed and these clay pedestals are clearly visible. There are also two pools for ritual immersion (mikvah), where Jews periodically underwent cleansing from ritual impurity.
The western wall overlooks the desert below where the Roman camps were located. There are still ramps, and the plateau contains hundreds of grapefruit-sized rounded stones used for shooting.
There are two temples: a synagogue and a chapel. The synagogue is considered the oldest in the world, and records have been found there that helped restore the history of Masada. Today it is used again during the celebration of the bar mitzvah - the religious coming of age for Jewish boys at the age of 13. In the 5th century, Byzantine monks also built a small chapel. The monks were the last inhabitants of Masada.
The ancient one in the Nahal Kziv reserve near Haifa, Israel is rightfully proud of such shrines as in Bethlehem and Nazareth.
The Masada Fortress is open daily from 08.00 to 17.00 from April to September and from 08.00 to 16.00 from October to March. Closes one hour earlier on Friday and before holidays.
The light show is held on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 21.00 summer time and 20.00 in the winter.
Cost: 25 NIS (about 5.2 €), with 61 NIS cable car, 41 NIS light show.
How to get there: from Tel Aviv by bus # 421, from Jerusalem by bus # 486 to Masada Center station. You can climb to the fortress by cable car from the east or on foot along the serpentine path from the west.
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Fortress Masada
"Fortress Masada"
The Masada Fortress is a completely isolated fortification where rebellious Jews led by Elazar Ben Yair resisted the army of the Roman Empire during the time of Flavius \u200b\u200bSilva. The fortress is located near Jerusalem and is one of the symbols of the heroism of the Jewish people.
The word masada is the Hebrew word for metsada, but in a Greek pronunciation it means the word fortress.
The Masada Fortress is built on a flat cliff top, near Dead sea... it geographic location fortress, where there is one bare desert around and the next settlements with wells dozens of kilometers away made the Masada fortress not a criminal refuge.
The history of the fortress of Masada is repeatedly mentioned in many works of Jews and Roman historians. Josephus Flavius \u200b\u200bwrote that the fortress was founded by the Jewish priest Jonathan Hasmonaeus, after which the fortress was fortified with double walls and towers by King Herod. Tsar Herod counted on withstanding the long siege of the fortress, so he organized the construction of public bath houses, huge warehouses and reservoirs, as well as barracks for a permanent garrison of 800 soldiers.
"Fortress Masada"
The Masada Fortress is located on a flat rocky ridge at an altitude of 450 meters above the Dead Sea level, and the ridge is more than 600 meters long and 300 meters wide. The fortress is very protected: the walls adjoin steep 300-meter slopes, and the only two approaches to the fortress are presented in the form of narrow and winding paths for two people wide.
After the era of King Herod, the fortress housed a Roman garrison, which in 66 AD. was exterminated during the 1st Judean War under the leadership of Menachem Ben-Yehuda of Galilee. After his murder in 67, his nephew organized a community of extremist tribesmen in the fortress, who remained there until 73.
During the first Jewish war, in the spring of 70, a Roman legion led by the emperor Titus approached Jerusalem and began a siege. The residents of the city fought fiercely, but in August the city was captured. Resistance of the inhabitants survived only in the fortresses of Mahero, Masada and in the castle of King Herod, which was captured without difficulty.
"Fortress Masada"
In 71, the capture of the Mahero fortress was difficult, but after several attempts, the Roman soldiers managed to capture the fortress.
The siege of the fortress of Masada showed that without powerful siege mechanisms it would not work, the siege dragged on. New slaves from the inhabitants of Jerusalem, about ten thousand Jews, for several months built roads and carried earth, logs of trees to build a huge siege rampart at the western wall of the fortress. The height of the embankment reached 100 meters, then a siege tower of 25 meters was built with a ram at the level of the walls. The remains of this earthen rampart have survived to this day.
The tragedy of the defenders of the Masada fortress was that the Roman army could actually capture the fortress. The leader of the defenders Elazar Ben-Yair persuaded his fellow tribesmen that it was better to die free people than become slaves of the Roman Empire. Hundreds of men, their wives and children decided to choose death.
The faith of Judaism perceives suicide as the worst sin for a Jew, therefore ten men were chosen by lot, who killed all 960 inhabitants of the fortress with knives.
"Fortress Masada"
They set fire to all buildings and valuables, but left all food intact, so that the Romans would know that it was not hunger that forced them to commit suicide. Then the ten men cast lots on whoever killed nine of them. Thus, only one person was suicidal, who, being the last defender, cut his throat.
On the morning of April 15, 73, the defensive wall of the fortress was breached and Roman soldiers broke through the defensive walls. The soldiers were shocked by what they saw: hundreds of dead bodies and burnt buildings.
The fortress became a Roman garrison until the 6th century, and with the beginning of the decline of the empire, it quickly became empty. After the Byzantine Christians settled in local caves and built a Byzantine church, they became the owners of the fortress for several hundred years. Then the fortress became uninhabited and then forgotten. The fortress was reopened in 1839 by American archaeologists, they identified the fortress according to the records of Josephus.
The Masada fortress is under the protection of UNESCO.
The fortress has survived to this day in good condition.
Buildings for grain and weapons, water supply and Roman baths. The total length of the fortress walls is almost 1400 meters and 37 towers, in some places the thickness of the walls reaches 4 meters. On the territory of the fortress, there is a synagogue and a church, as well as the palace of King Herod.
In 1963, a massive excavation began, during which stone plates with Jewish names were found, which were probably used by ten men who killed the defenders of the fortress.
In 1971, a funicular was built to make it easier for tourists to climb the fortress.
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Built two thousand years ago on the top of a five-hundred-meter cliff on the edge of the lifeless Judean Desert, it existed for a very short time by the standards of history - only some 150 years. But this fact did not prevent her from becoming one of the most famous strongholds in human history. My story today is about the Masadu fortress, which has long become the embodiment of courage and love of freedom.
Masada is located on the eastern edge of the Judean Desert on a freestanding stepped cliff overlooking the shores.
The most impressive view of the fortification opens just from the side, from where the winding highway No. 3199 leads to the fortress.
There is another opportunity to get to Masada - directly from the shores of the Dead Sea, from where you can climb up either on foot along the Snake Trail, or on a cable car served by a local kibbutz.
About one and a half thousand years, the fortress was abandoned, so now no one can say for sure when the first fortifications appeared on the rocky ledge. Archaeologists say that, most likely, in the middle of the 2nd century BC. Let's believe them.
Today the only permanent residents of the fortress are black starlings with orange feathers on their wings. I told you two years ago.
The finest hour of Masada came at the end of the 1st century BC, when King Herod, who reigned on the Jewish throne, decided to arrange his winter residence here. Large-scale construction began in the fortress. Masada was designed to defend the southern borders of the Kingdom of Judah from a possible attack from the south. Also, the fortress was supposed to become a reliable shelter for Herod in the event of an uprising or invasion of enemy troops.
At the northern end of the rock, a chic three-tiered palace was built for Herod: in the upper part were the royal chambers, the lower floors were intended for receiving distinguished guests. The difference in height between the upper and lower tiers was 35 meters.
In addition to the palace, the northern complex included many service premises - warehouses, administrative buildings, baths. The house of the commandant of the fortress was also located here.
In addition to the Northern three-tiered palace, there was one more - the Western one, which was considered the official royal residence.
Most of Masada has been rebuilt from ruins. Black line separates the ancient preserved walls from the restored ones.
On the territory of the fortification there were many different buildings - barracks, watchtowers, swimming pools, baths and water collectors.
A synagogue was located near the western wall. Also in the fortress there was a pool for ritual ablutions and a house of teachings intended for reading the Torah.
Soon after the death of Herod, Judea became part of the Roman Empire. A Roman garrison was stationed in the fortress.
In 66 AD, a Jewish revolt began. Masada was taken over by the Sicarii, some of the most radical members of the anti-Roman opposition. It took the Romans 4 years to suppress the revolt; in 70 AD, the Roman legions triumphantly entered Jerusalem. The surviving rebels fled to Masada.
In 73, the tenth Roman legion under the command of Flavius \u200b\u200bSilva approached Masada. Eight thousand Roman soldiers stood around the fortress in several camps.
The outlines of their camps can still be seen in the surrounding area. The largest is the sixth camp. Here was the command post of Flavius \u200b\u200bSilva. A blockade wall was built between the camps, surrounding Masada on all sides and cutting off its defenders from the outside world.
On the western side of the fortress, the construction of a siege rampart began, along which battering rams could roll up to the walls. The shaft, despite the past two thousand years, has also survived to this day - it is clearly visible.
When the construction of the rampart was completed, a 30-meter siege tower with folding bridges was rolled along it. The fate of the fortress was decided. On the night before the assault, the leader of the Jewish rebels, Elazar bin Yair, delivered a fiery speech to the Jews and urged them to die free people.
The text of this speech has come down to us thanks to the Jewish historian Josephus Flavius:
Long ago, brave men, we made a decision not to obey either the Romans or anyone other than God alone, for He is the One true and just King over people. Now the hour has come calling us to carry out our decision in practice. May we not put ourselves to shame, who did not want to endure slavery even before, when it did not threaten any dangers, let us not voluntarily surrender ourselves to slavery and the most terrible torments that await us if we fall into the power of the Romans alive! For we were the first to rebel against them and we are the last to fight. I look at this as the grace of God that he gave us the opportunity to die a wonderful death and free people, which is not destined for others who were unexpectedly captured. We know for sure - tomorrow we are in the hands of enemies; but we are free to choose a glorious death along with all that are dear to us. Enemies cannot prevent this, even if they really wanted to catch us alive. On the other hand, we cannot defeat them in battle.
Let our wives not die disgraced, and our children unaware of slavery; then we will serve each other a noble service: then our honorable shroud will be our preserved freedom. But first, we will consume our treasures and the entire fortress with fire. I know well that the Romans will be upset when they do not take possession of us and see themselves deceived in hopes of prey. We will only leave food intact, for this will testify after our death that it was not hunger that forced us, but that we, as we decided from the very beginning, preferred death to slavery.
Further events are also described by Josephus Flavius:
Then ten people were chosen by lot to kill the rest. And each sprawled on the ground beside his dead wife and children, wrapping his arms around their bodies, and willingly opened his throat to ten who were performing a terrible duty. These people, without shuddering, pierced everyone with their swords, one by one. Then they threw lots among themselves so that the one to whom fate would indicate would kill nine comrades, and then laid hands on himself ... So they all died with the confidence that they did not leave behind a single living soul over which they could abuse the Romans ...
The next day the Romans ascended to Masada, and when they found the heaps of the dead, they did not rejoice at the sight of the dead enemies, but only froze in silence, amazed by the greatness of their spirit and unbreakable contempt for death.
The further fate of Masada is unenviable. For several more decades, it housed the Roman garrison, but in 111 AD, the fortress was abandoned.
Several centuries later, Byzantine hermits periodically settled on the territory of the fortress, and even for some time there was a Christian monastery. But with the arrival of the Arab tribes in the 7th century, the fortress was finally consigned to oblivion.
Near the city of Arad. This unique architectural monument of the Hasmonean period is rightfully included in the list of sights under the auspices of UNESCO.
History, description and photos of the Masada fortress in Israel
Masada fortress was founded Herod I in 25 BC. e. as a refuge for his family. It was built on the site of an older defensive structure of the Hasmonean period, which, by order of the king, was significantly expanded and improved. This fortification is surrounded on all sides by steep cliffs, and only a narrow "serpentine" path leads to it. In addition, the top of the plateau with the fortress located on it is surrounded by walls four meters thick, on which 37 towers towered.
The royal treasury was kept in Masada, as well as large supplies of food and weapons. The water supply system was equipped, palaces, Roman baths and a synagogue were built.
With the outbreak of the Jewish War in 66, the fortress was captured by Zealot zealots, who exterminated the Roman defenders, and in 67 the most radical representatives of this party settled here. Already in 70, after the Romans occupied, Masada became the last refuge for thousands of rebellious Jews, including children and women. With such forces the Zealots held the fortress for another three years, until in 73 the Romans managed to set fire to the internal fortifications with the help of throwing machines. After that, the surviving defenders killed women and children, and then each other, so as not to be captured by the enemy. The last of the Sicarii committed suicide.
Did you know? For a long time, the defense of Masada was considered a legend, until archaeological evidence of these events was found.
The ruins of the Masada fortress were discovered in the mid-19th century, and extensive excavations began only in the 1960s. Since 1971, the Carl Brandl company from Switzerland has built a funicular that leads to this attraction.
The main attractions of the Masada fortress
Nowadays, most of the buildings of the Masada fortress have partially survived:
- herod's palace with surviving fragments of mosaics;
- rainwater collection tankscarved into the rocks;
- hot and cold baths;
- synagogue;
- arms depots and outbuildings.
Best preserved and of interest to tourists - "Hanging" and Western palaces.
Did you know? The most mysterious of the surviving buildings is the synagogue. Previously, scholars believed that the Jews did not have these places of worship until the fall of the Temple in 70 AD.
Entertainment
The main attraction at Masada Fortress is sound and light show... It is played at the western entrance to National park , and with the help of special effects recreates last days in tragic story this ancient landmark and the heroic death of its defenders. Spectators take seats in a special amphitheater on the western part of the mountain, which can be reached only from the city of Arad. Simultaneous translation in English, Spanish, French, German and Russian is carried out along with the light and music special effects.
Other entertainment:
- a restaurant;
- overnight stay for groups in the western part of the fortress;
- bar-cafe;
- the world's lowest cable car.
How to get there
The Masada Fortress is located along Highway 90, between Ein Bokek Resort and Ein Gedi Nature Reserve. You can get to this attraction on foot along Snake trail or funicular, whose station is located on the Dead Sea.
Important! To visit the "Sound and Light Show" you need to drive up from the city of Arad (by car).
Excursion to the Masada fortress in Israel
In this video you will see an excursion to the Masada fortress. Happy viewing!
Opening hours and cost of visit
Prices
The cost of visiting the Masada Fortress depends on the type of excursion you choose and the way to get to the attraction:
Ascent by funicular to the eastern side of the fortress
- individual excursion: for adults 61 NIS, for children 34 NIS;
- group excursion: for adults 57 NIS, for children 33 NIS.
Hiking up the Snake Trail (approximately 45-60 minutes)
- individual excursion: for adults 21 NIS, for children 12 NIS;
- group excursion: for adults 19 NIS, for children 11 NIS.
Complex visit to the park
- individual excursion: for adults 45 NIS, for children 22 NIS;
- group excursion: for adults 41 NIS, for children 20 NIS.
Working hours
Important! Be careful on Fridays as the park and funicular close one hour earlier on major holidays.
Fortress opening hours
- april to September: opening at 8:00, closing at 17:00;
- october to March: opening 8:00, closing 16:00.
Funicular opening hours
- sunday-Thursday and Saturday: from 8:00 to 16:00;
- in winter: from 8:00 to 15:00;
- friday is a day off.
Masada - an ancient fortification on the top of the cliff did not need very high walls: it is surrounded on all sides by steep slopes, and looking down from these rocks simply takes your breath away. The fortress ascended to the top remained a symbol of the spirit ancient people, and did not submit to foreign invaders. Indeed, it was almost impossible to take the fortress, but the Romans split even not such strongholds, and for the capture of Masada they built such a powerful siege rampart that it has survived to this day.
THREE YEARS OF THE GREAT SIEVE
For more than a thousand days, Masada was defended by the Sicarii rebels against the Romans. The last of them died here, preferring death to shameful Roman slavery.
Fortress Masada occupies the flat top of a separate small plateau, shaped like a diamond. From here a wonderful view opens up of the eastern part of the Iwu Desert and the surface of the Dead Sea sparkling under the sun.
There is no exact information about the history of the emergence of the Masada fortress. The Jewish historian and military leader Josephus Flavius \u200b\u200b(c. 37 - c. 100) wrote that the emergence of the fortification was due to Jonathan Hasmoneus, who headed in 161 BC. e. Maccabean rebellion. However, there is speculation that Flavius \u200b\u200bwas referring to Alexander Yannai (125 - 76 BC), the Jewish king from the Hasmonean dynasty.
In 31 - 37 years BC. e. the Jewish king Herod I the Great (about 73/74 - 4/1 BC) captured the fortress during the struggle for the throne. He gained fame as a great builder, and Masada underwent a major restructuring during his reign. The fortifications were fortified. In addition, at his behest, two luxurious palace, great baths and aqueducts. The latter were extremely necessary, since the water at the top was collected in reservoirs during a short precipitation. Herod had many enemies, and Masada seemed to him the best refuge, since it seemed absolutely inaccessible. That is why Herod built a treasury here, where considerable reserves of royal gold were kept.
During the Jewish War 66 - 73 years. Masada became the last stronghold of the rebels against the tyranny of Rome.
When the Romans came to Judea, they found Masada and left a small garrison in it, because to defend the fortress it was enough just to block a couple of trails that led to the top. In 66, at the very beginning of the uprising against Rome, a group of Sicarii (the most radical Jewish group of fighters against the Romans) managed to capture Masada, knocking out a weak Roman garrison from it.
The situation in the war with the Romans was not in favor of the Jews, and the last Sicarii took refuge in Masada after the destruction of the second temple in 70 AD. The premises of the fortress were so vast that a thousand sicarii were established here, who equipped a synagogue and a school.
The year 72 came, and Masada still remained the only island of freedom in Judea, which forced the Romans to send the 10th legion here under the command of the procurator Flavius \u200b\u200bSilva. The Romans built about a dozen camps around Masada, tying them together with a single shaft, which excluded a breakthrough of the blockade.
However, the hope that the besieged would die of hunger and thirst did not come true: the sicarii had an abundance of food, and they received water thanks to an ingenious water supply system.
For several months, 5 thousand Romans and 10 thousand of their allies stood under the walls of Masada, until they decided to take the most difficult path: to build an embankment on the western slope. Only in this way it was possible to bring siege weapons to the walls, which were not able to throw stones and fire from the underneath of the plateau to the top.
The embankment was folded under the cover of arrows and stones. After seven months of siege, the Romans brought up the siege tower along the embankment and from it managed to set fire to the internal buildings in the fortress.
Seeing all the hopelessness of their situation, all the sicarii, including women and children, chose to commit suicide, but not surrender.
FORTRESS FULL OF RIDDLES
Not all the secrets of the Masada fortress have already been solved. So, some archaeologists are inclined to believe that there has never been any mass suicide of Jews in the fortress, and this story itself is just a folk tradition.
Today the Masada fortress is the main object national park Masada, inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2001.
Exact information about the history of Masada has not been preserved. Almost all the researchers have at their disposal is a collection of artifacts found in Masada.
For 1,500 years, Masada was not remembered: she no longer had a strategic role, and only the most fanatical hermits could live on the top of the plateau.
They started talking about Masada again in the first half of the 19th century, when the Anglo-American expedition reached it. The main excavations were carried out in 1963-1965. The most valuable find - 10 clay tablets-ostracones with names, according to archaeologists, were used as lots when committing suicide by the defenders of Masada: the last survivor had to set fire to the fortress before his death.
Numerous structures in the fortress, surrounded by a one and a half kilometer thick wall with towers, were also discovered. Among these structures, from which only ruins remain, are palaces, armories, a synagogue and baths.
When reservoirs carved into the rock were found for collecting and storing rainwater, it became clear how the defenders of the fortress managed to collect and store clean cold water for a long time. The Jews built open stucco-turene canals to drain rainwater from two canyons west of Masada into twelve drainage cisterns, carved in two parallel rows on the northwestern slope of the mountain (total capacity is about 40 thousand m 2). From here, the water was already manually delivered to other cisterns at the top of the mountain, most of them underground.
A striking fact: the embankment made by the Romans has been preserved in excellent condition. Moreover, it can be used to judge the ancient Roman siege technologies: the Romans poured alternately layers of stones and tamped earth, alternating them with thick branches of trees that served as a kind of reinforcement and gave strength to the entire structure.
Among the ruins of the fortress, the remains of 25 men, women and children were found. In 1969, two years after the victory in the Six Day War, they were buried with military honors.
Despite all these findings, no direct archaeological evidence of the tragedy that occurred in Masada has yet been found.
On the territory of Masada, the ruins of a Byzantine monastery are preserved, known in archeology as the Lavra of Marda. It is known that there was once a church built by Saint Hieromonk Euthymius the Great (circa 377 - 473), when Ancient Rome here came Byzantium. Just about a century ago, it was destroyed, and in its place, in the second half of the 6th century, another church was built, from which only ruins remained. Lavra briefly survived the church and was also destroyed around the 5th century.
The Israeli city of Arad is closest to Masada, and the roads that lead from the city to the Dead Sea are winding mountain serpentines - one of the most dangerous in the country. The city is still very young: it was founded in 1962 by natives of Israel and immigrants from, and today more than half of the city's residents are immigrants from the countries of the former USSR, working in hotels of the Dead Sea resorts.
ATTRACTIONS
Historical:
- Fortress Masada (fortress wall, towers, palaces, synagogue, armories, baths, water supply);
- Roman embankment;
- Byzantine monastery.
Cultural:
- Masada National Park;
- Museum of the History of Masada;
- Visitor center.
INTERESTING FACTS
There is a version that the word “masada” comes from the Aramaic word “mezad”, which means “fortified place”.
By the decision of the Chief of the General Staff of the Israel Defense Forces Moshe Dayan (1915 - 1981) in Israel, for some time, the IDF soldiers took the oath within the walls ancient fortress Masada, pronouncing the symbolic words of the oath "Masada will not fall again!" - this is a line from a poem by the Israeli poet Yitzhak Lamdan. The ceremony has now been moved to Latrun, 30 kilometers east of Tel Aviv.
In 1981, Soviet émigré film director Boris Sagal filmed the four-part television series Masada. Filming took place at the scene - at the foot of Masada. At the western wall of the plateau there are several siege weapons of the ancient Romans - replicas (reconstructions) made by masters of Hollywood for the filming of a film about Masada and left right there as a gift to the citizens of Israel.
Archaeologists, who claim that Josephus gave an incorrect and possibly invented description of Masada, cite the fact that the ancient historian named one palace in Masada, although in fact there were two of them. In addition, at the time of the capture of Masada, Josephus Flavius \u200b\u200bhad long been in Rome.
According to Josephus, only one old woman and a certain smart woman with five children, who hid when she went to fetch water from an underground reservoir, escaped death in Masada. It was she who told the Romans about what happened in Masada.
One of the seeds of dates found during excavations in Masada germinated in 2005, by 2008 the palm was already 1.2 m high, and now it is higher than 2.5 m.
GENERAL INFORMATION
Location: near the southwestern coast of the Dead Sea.
Administrative affiliation: Southern District, Israel.
Official status: National park site
Masada is on the List World heritage UNESCO.
First buildings: 30s BC e.
Nearest town: Arad (Israel) - 23 400 people. (2009).
Language: Hebrew.
Religion: Judaism.
Monetary unit: new shekel.
Climate: dry climate of deserts and semi-deserts.
Average January temperature: + 11C.
Average July temperature: + 26.5C.
Average annual rainfall: 100 mm.
Relative humidity: 50%.
Plateau length: about 550 m.
Plateau width: 270 m.
The length of the fortress wall: 1400 m.
Fortress wall thickness: about 4 m.
Number of towers: 37.
Height above Dead Sea level: 450 m.
Distance: 20 km east of the city of Arad.
