This is Masada, an isolated rock plateau, located on the eastern edge of the Judean Desert over looking the Dead Sea. Herod the Great built himself a palace up there in case of a revolt. He did his building between 37 - 31 yrs before Christ. (I don't think he spent very much time up there if any, but he was prepared!)
This is the cable car used to go up the 400m (1300ft) above sea level. (the same distance that the Dead Sea is below sea level).
Can you believe some people hiked up rather than use the cable car, not me, way too hot and waaay too long!
The view from up top. That is the Dead Sea out there.
Masada was where the Sicarii rebels, (an extremist Jewish group that opposed Roman rule), held out. The Romans camped at the base of Masada while they worked out a way to quell the rebellion by this group. You can see remnants of the encampment from the top. Finally, the Roman siege of the fortress led to the mass suicide of the Sicarii rebels. They chose death over Roman rule.
There is a TV mini series made in 1981 with Peter O'Toole that tells this story. (I just might have to watch that)
Our Fun for Less tour leaders. Fun couple.
Our Israeli guide Joseph.
This is actually very funny, but it is a location joke for sure. Joseph is letting John know that he knows quite a bit about this site, and perhaps John should let him (Joseph) talk a bit more.
Just thought I would have a picture of me at the top of Masada with the Dead Sea in the background. Yup, I was there! No T'shirt though.
Thus ends the Israel portion of the tour. It's Monday 15 Nov 2010 and now we "get" to ride the bus south to cross the border into Egypt. Now that is a process, leaving Israel and entering Egypt, more of that later.
I just have to say that as we were driving south I saw lots of rocks, dust, rocks, desert, rocks, dust.... so, so barren, how anyone lives there is a mystery to me.
I would like to ride in that cable car. That looks fun. It does look barren around there.
ReplyDeleteI think I would have ridden the cable car too, although what if it broke down and stopped midway? Hot and dry and barren. Give me the tropics any day.
ReplyDeleteWhat a great presentation. I can't wait for your Egypt story.
ReplyDeleteMyron
soo, how do you remember all of this stuff from a year agp to write it on here?? i'm impressed, i would have forgotten what those specific places were, much less the important stuff about them. looks like a trip we'll have to do sometime. =)
ReplyDeleteBeing prepared was a big deal even back then! Gotta think "forward" right?
ReplyDeleteDixie, I can't believe that you didn't want to hike it up there. You totally could have done it! Heat and all.