Day 6 - Masada, The Dead Sea

First we visited Masada, the fortress on top of cliffs (a Horst, in geologic terms) built by Harod and occupied by the Zealots during the Jewish Revolt of 70 AD, when the Temple in Jerusalem was destroyed. There’s been a lot of reconstruction of the palaces and fortifications on top of the mountain, as it is a tremendous symbol for present day Israelis of their determination to remain free and to worship God. A half dozen of the younger ones walked up; the wiser ones rode the cable car. It’s 1200 feet from the base to the top of Masada.

For those who don’t know the story, the Zealots occupied Masada in 70 AD when the Romans destroyed Jerusalem, hoping that, because the fortress was virtually impregnable, the Romans would give up and leave them be. Instead, the Romans built a ramp to breach the fortifications. The night before the Romans were to enter the fortress, all 960 Jews committed mass suicide rather than be taken as slaves to the Romans.

The rest of our day has been spent by the Dead Sea, resting. Might seem a bit lazy, but we really are on information overload. So much to see, become aware of, realize the significance of.

We were able to bathe in salt water pools at the hotel. The water is saturated - something like 38% salt. You don’t float, you bob. Easy to ‘turn turtle’, as your center of gravity is higher in the dense water. Don’t want to get the water in your eyes, but the water is very slick on your skin, as if you had a layer of oil on it.

I couldn't take a good overview photo of Masada, so downloaded one off the internet. I took the pic of the cliff. More photos at
http://cid-f4486a935d4a5aa2.skydrive.live.com/browse.aspx/Israel%20Day%206?nl=1&uc=13&isFromRichUpload=1

Tomorrow, Jerusalem.