A three story palace with a view

The fortress of Masada beckoned us for a visit. Carved into a cliff overlooking the Dead Sea, this magnificent palace and living complex has an almost unbelievable history.

Built by Herod, King of Judea, sometime around 60 BC, the scale and technology of the place boggles the mind. They constructed a water capture and storage system that used eight cisterns, natural rainfall flow, and a set of donkeys to provide sufficient clean water supply for 10,000 people. 10,000 people, when only several hundred ever lived there at once! Herod apparently grew more and more eccentric and paranoid as the years went on, and holed himself up in his palace protruding off the front edge of the cliff with three different stories.

After he died, it fell into disuse for a little while, then was taken by the Jews as a refuge during the Great Revolt of the Jews around 60 AD against the Romans. Outnumbered more than 10 to 1 by Roman legion soldiers, the Jews bunkered in. The Romans built eight attack camps outside of the city and constructed, over the course of several months, a road large enough for them to bring an enormous battering ram up. The door held until fire broke out. On their last night, knowing that Romans would storm the fort in the morning, all the Jews decided to commit suicide rather than become slaves. They drew lots, 10 killed all the rest; they drew lots again and 1 man killed the other nine before falling on his sword. It is a dramatic story.

It doesn't end there. In the 5th century a group of monastic monks sought accommodation there, carving out minuscule cells and spending most of the week in solitary prayer. What a course of events for a castle fortress literally in the middle of nowhere.

It was neat to see in person too, as long as I stayed in the shade. The cable car ride up provided great views of the fortress and of the sea beyond.

From the top, we had free reign to explore the surroundings, including the three-story palace...

...the bathhouse...

...the vast storerooms, which contained large quantities of wine, apples, and other sustenance...

...and of course of the cisterns, vast empty rooms essential for life-giving water.

It is this kind of place that makes me just shake my head in wonder at what can get created, and why, at certain times.