Royal Desert Fortress: Masada

Road through the desert.

Driving to the South of Israel, the scenery changed drastically, as we made our way into the desert of the Negev. Last stop on our big road trip through Israel, we drove to the Dead Sea. Hills of sand and rocks surrounded us for hours and no green far and wide.

Short driving break. Practical outfit: shirt new yorker, shorts hm, sandals keen, sunglasses nazareth, bracelet hm, fish necklace zafed.

Food to survive the long drive: Super yummy cookies from a bakery^^.

Plan for the day was the desert fortress Masada, a national sanctury to the Israelis. It is located on top of a plateau cliff and you have to either walk up (not during the day!!! HOT.) or get up there by cable car.

King Herod built this fortress and he made it quite splendid: there are several palaces and store houses, a clever water system and even a sort of ancient thermal wellness spa.

Great view over the Dead Sea!!

Ruins from the ancient buildings on top of the cliff. Masada is a highly frequented spot of touristic interest. Despite the effects of an earthquake on the fortress, the desert climate keeps the ruins in a good condition.

Leftovers from inhabitants of the royal fortress: ~ 2,000 years old. They also had quite amazing (gold and silver) jewellery in the museum. The vials and bottles in the picture were used for --- Make Up!!! Believe it or not.

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The story behind Masadas importance

Actually, Masada is famous for a very sad incidence that happened long after King Herod left the castle. The Romans invaded the country and the only resistance gathered at the old castle: Jewish rebels. The Romans tried to take the castle by military force, which is not an easy task, because the fortress is in on top of a remote cliff. (The leftovers of the Romans' military camps are still visible around Masada today!). The night before the Romans were about to finally break into the castle and presumably enslave all the rebels and their families, the leader of the rebels held a very passionate speech with the result that he claimed it would be more noble to die instead of becoming Roman slaves.
He chose nine other men (it is said that they drew lots) and they proceeded to kill all the 2,000 people in the fortress: their wives, children, relatives, everyone. Finally, one of the ten men got chosen to kill the other nine men. After he did that, he commited suicide.
The Romans took the castle on the next day and they were left speechless about the massacre they found inside. It is said in the historical record that only two women and three children survived, because they successfully hid in a small cave. Nowadays, Masada is a national symbol for Jewish resistance against oppression. In fact, the picture in the museum shows belongings that were left from the rebels. They also found shoes, braids of hair and children toys, as well as food. I could'nt help it... when I stood there, looking at all those things, I cried my heart out... What a terribly sad story.