Masada & the Dead Sea

On Monday morning we took the bus to Masada.  For people who aren't used to riding the public buses, our ride to Masada was quite an experience!  We were the last ones to get on at the central bus station and the bus was already full so we had to stand in the aisle along with about ten other people!  After about forty minutes of sitting in the aisle enough people had gotten off that we could sit in seats! lol We truly had a real Israeli travel experience that morning! :D

It's not out of the ordinary to see the Israeli soldiers carrying their M-16's with them everywhere.  In case there would be a surprise attack from one of Israel's neighboring countries, everyone is prepared and ready to take action.

You'll even see teenagers in civilian clothing with a machine gun slung over their shoulder!

 

 The view of the Dead Sea from the bus on the way to Masada.

Once we arrived we took the cable car to the top of Masada.  Masada is a rugged fortress overlooking the Dead Sea.  It's a symbol of the ancient kingdom of Israel, its violent destruction and the last stand of Jewish patriots in the face of the Roman army in 73 CE.  It was built as a palace complex, by Herod the Great, King of Judea.  The camps, fortification, and ramp that are around the monument show the most complete Roman siege works surviving to this day.
 

The visitors center at the foot of the mountain has lots of artifacts on display that archaeologists have discovered there at Masada.

From the top you can see remains of the Roman camps.  There are eight of these squares visible from the fortress.  The line you see in front of the square is the remains of the Roman circumvention wall they built around Masada.
 

The ramp the Roman's built up to the western side is still there and can be climbed by foot.  This is where the siege ended.  At the top of the ramp was the siege tower, and in it was the battering ram which the Romans used to assault the casement wall.  The rebels had built a wall of earth and wood, so the battering ram was ineffective against it.  The Romans thought it would be easier to destroy this wall by fire so Silva ordered his soldiers to hurl burning torches at it.  When night fell it was obvious that the situation was hopeless for the Jews and the Romans would break through at dawn.  Eleazar Ben Ya'ir assembled his followers and called for a mass suicide of the 960 Jewish rebels and their families at Masada.  The Romans were shocked at the sight that met them when they broke through the next day.
 





We hiked down the 700 steps along the 2 km path to the bottom.

 



We met up with this Arab dude along the way down ;P

It was pretty hot with the sun beating down so dad wrapped a shirt around his head to keep from getting burnt since he forgot to pack a hat!

 



 

After Masada we rode the bus back to En Gedi where we went floating in the Dead Sea!

 

 



The Dead Sea's surface and shores are 1,388 ft below sea level, making it the earth's lowest elevation on land. It is also one of the world's saltiest bodies of water. It's 9.6 times as salty as the ocean!  Because the water is so salty it makes for an environment in which nothing can live.  This is why it is called the "Dead" Sea.  Because of the salt density it is impossible to sink!  You just lay back in the water and float without even trying!  It's important not to put your head underwater or get any splashed in your eyes because the salt will burn!

 

salt on the rocks...

We rode the bus back to Jerusalem and this time we had seats! :D
In the evening we went down to the Old City and got to walk on the Via Dolorosa!



 The Via Dolorosa is a street in the Old City of Jerusalem. 

Tradition says this is the path that Jesus walked, carrying his cross, on the way to his crucifixion.

Walking through the Arab shuck there are all kinds of shops and stands. 
I thought this was a neat way to display a pomegranate...

 



...a pyramid made out of spices!

 



We also went back down to the Western Wall...

 



Any male that is not Jewish is required to wear a "Kippah" when they go near the wall.

 

On Tuesday morning we left on the three hour bus ride to Tiberius where we would be spending the next three days.  Posts coming soon!

 

~Kaitlyn