Masada - Israel

Masada is located in the South District of Israel on the top of an isolated rock on the edge of the Judean Desert and the Dead Sea Valley. The flat top of the rock where the Masada is situated is rhomboid shaped and about 1,800 feet by 900 feet, surrounded on all sides by deep gorges which make the access to the site very difficult.

Masada is a unique place that hosts some ancient palaces and fortifications and it’s one of the greatest Jewish symbols.

Probably the most accurate information about the history of Masada was given by the Jewish Roman historian Josephus. He claimed that Herod the Great was the first one who fortified the place between 37 and 31 BC.

At the beginning of the First Jewish War against the Roman Empire a group of Jewish rebels called Sicarii, along with their families occupied the mountain top, using it as a rampart against a Roman settlement. It is believed that some of the current structures that are found there during the invasion of the Sicarii were reconstructed by them, as is the case with of the buildings which was modified as a synagogue facing Jerusalem.

In 72 C.E. the Roman legion X Fretensis, under the command of the Roman governor Flavius Silva, besieged the fortress. The Roman legion built a high wall around the whole rock which prevented any possibility of escape for rebels. The Romans also started to erect a rampart against the western façade of the rock which is believed to have been done with the help of great number of Jewish slaves.

When the rampart was built, the Romans, using a battering ram, succeeded to breach the fortress wall. Entering the fortress, the Romans left unpleasantly surprised that the defenders have managed to create another defensive wall which was also subsequently defeated.

To avoid falling into the hands of the enemy, the commander of the rebels forced all people to commit suicide. When the Romans entered into the fortress, they found only dead bodies with the exception of two women and five children who survived thanks to the fact that they were hidden in a cave.

From April to October, twice a week, the Masada Amphitheatre held a sound and light show dedicated to the history of the place.

Since 2001 the Masada has been listed in the UNESCO World Heritage Site.

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