Masada - Masada

Masada (occasionally also Massada, Hebrew "Mezadá" מצדה, "fortress") is one of the most famous archaeological sites Israel. The former fortress of Herod is located on an isolated mountain plateau above the Dead sea, it is a national symbol and one of the most visited israeli national parks.

background

The rock fortress Masada is located in the north of the Negev desert, according to another opinion already in the mountains of the Judean Desert. Every year over 800,000 people visit this Table Mountain, which is already the Hasmoneans had served as a refuge. It was expanded between 40 BC. Until 30 BC Chr. From Herod the Great to a magnificent palace. After his death, Masada was a Roman garrison for a few years. In the Jewish uprising against the Roman occupation, a group of succeeded Zealots in a surprise coup and then served as the last place of retreat until their joint suicide in 73 AD. After that the fortress was deserted for a long time. From the 5th to the 7th century the rock plateau was used by Byzantine monks by Masada as a small monastery complex. At some point the place was forgotten until it was finally rediscovered by an Englishman in 1838.

The importance of Masada to Israel can be understood from that of the Jewish historian Flavius ​​Josephus traditional freedom struggle of the Zealots against the Romans. A small number of 973 Jewish Zealots were able to successfully assert themselves here for three years against an overwhelming majority. When the Romans finally managed to break a breach in Masada's wall, the rebels decided to die together rather than enter the bondage of the Romans. For several years after the establishment of the State of Israel, it was customary to swear in recruits here after completing their basic training.

Today many believing Jews still use the synagogue on Masada as a place for the ceremonies of religious maturity Bar Mitzvah. Since 2001 the fortress Masada belongs to the UNESCO world cultural heritage

getting there

Access to Masada is possible all year round. From April to September the facility is open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., from October to March from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., on Fridays the facility closes an hour earlier.

By plane

There is a small airfield east of Masada, but it is not served by regular air traffic. As a rule, the Ben Gurion Airport at Tel Aviv arrive; from there you can get there by rental car or by public transport via Jerusalem after Masada.

By train

The Dead Sea is not connected to the rail network; however, some bus routes run along the west bank with a stop in Masada.

By bus

The bus routes that run from Jerusalem in the north along the Dead Sea further south (e.g. to Neve Zohar or Eilat), also stop in Masada. There are also individual connections Arad and Beer Sheva (Beersheba).

In the street

Masada can be reached in two ways:

• Do you want to East Side, the way leads (only) over the road 90, which on the right bank of the Jordan Israel and the West Bank completely from Kirjat Schmona in the north to after Eilat crossed in the south. Important access roads to this street are street 1 from Jerusalemthat at Jericho crosses and the road 31 from Arad, which begins north of Be'er Sheva. The spur road that leads from road 90 to the national park branches 18 km south of En Gedi to the west. After a few hundred meters you will reach a large parking lot. There is also a two-storey car park above which the base station of the Masada cable car is located.
• Coming from Arad, the 3199 road leads to Masada (a total of approx. 20 km from Arad). If one arrives on this route with its impressive desert panoramas, one arrives at West side from Masada and can (only) climb the Roman ramp to the summit plateau. On this side of the mountain, what is happening around Masada is shown in audio-visual shows.

One should note that there is no there is a direct connection road for cars between the east and west sides of the mountain. So if you want to use the cable car, for example, you have to travel via road 90. When using the official roads via Neve Zohar and Arad, you have to cover a distance of almost 70 kilometers from one side of the mountain to the other!

mobility

Masada is generally visited on foot. One makes the ascent to the summit plateau easier Cable carfrom the visitor center on the East Side of Table Mountain almost to the summit. This cable car leads on a route of 900 m pitch in 3 minutes from 257 m below sea level up to the mountain station at 33 m above sea level and is therefore the lowest cable car in the world. The gondolas of the cable car, which was built in 1998 to replace an older one, have a capacity of 80 people. The ride up the mountain and admission cost NIS 77 for adults (as of Sept. 2019) NIS 45 for children, there are various discounts. With the cable car, a visit to Masada is easily possible even for the disabled.

Alternatively, you can go to Masada from the east via the Snake path which, coming from the coastal strip of the Dead Sea, overcomes around 350 meters in altitude as a mule track to the plateau. You should plan a good hour of walking and not underestimate the temperatures. If the conditions are too extreme, climbing is prohibited. Entry is reduced on the snake path; it costs 31 NIS for adults and 17 NIS for children. (Status: 09/2019)

If you come from Arad, you can only reach the plateau via the roman ramp to reach. The difference in altitude is significantly less than on the east side (approx. 100 m), but here, too, you have to expect a 15 - 20 minute walk (on a gravel path with steps in the uppermost section), which is especially with summer temperatures where it is still above 20 ° C even at night, can be sweaty. The path can be easily walked by sure-footed children, only babies have to be carried, Not barrier-free, unsuitable for wheelchair users and children's buggies.

The two footpaths up the mountain should only be used by people in good physical condition. Headgear and sufficient fluid reserves are mandatory, especially for the snake path. There are free water dispensers in the fortress.

Tourist Attractions

Time of the Hasmoneans

The Masada plateau resembles a diamond, which measures around 600m from north to south and around 300m from west to east. On three sides it rises about 400 m above the valley floor, in the west a narrow connection to a neighboring mountain is a little less deep. Masada was only one of the Hasmonean refuge forts, relatively simple but well fortified. The surrounding wall is still quite well preserved, it has a wall thickness of a good half a meter on the outside. Access was only available on Snake Path Gate on the east side and at the west gate on the ramp path and at the water gate in the northwest.

Epoch of Herod

Herod had the surrounding wall reinforced in its entire circumference as a 6 m wide double wall, within the thus created Casemates there were storage rooms, horse stables and simple accommodation. Under his rule the walls of roughly hewn stones were plastered and painted so that for Josephus Flavius the impression of marble cladding could arise. It closes north of the Serpent Path Gate Commandant's house next to it is a quarry from which the material for the buildings comes. To the west of it is an apartment building. The north adjoining it Warehouses each 27 m long and 4 m wide were partially destroyed by earthquakes, the restoration shows their size clearly. The luxurious Bathhouse had underfloor heating, which was probably powered by asphalt from the nearby Dead Sea. The was at the west gate West palace, the largest building in the complex, at first probably used as the royal residence of Herod. You can also find it on the western wall ColumbariaWalls with niches for burial urns, which suggest that not all residents of the complex were Jewish.

What today as Herod's palace is called, the complex is in the far north on a rock spur, there are the remains of the Herodian villa on three terraces. At this point at the latest, the question arises of how enough water for hundreds of people could be stored in an area with an average of 50 mm of precipitation per year. The solution lies in a rather complex system of a total of twelve Cisterns with over 40,000 m³ capacity. At the large cistern next to the west gate is a model that shows how two aqueducts were used to collect the water from a wadi in the west in the lower cisterns. From there it was probably brought up through the water gate in pack animals.

Buildings of the Zealots

The Zealots added a few dwellings to the structure, which served as living quarters for the crew of around 1,000, including some caves. It was also necessary to provide people with fresh food. Almost the entire southern half of the complex therefore served as agricultural land during the siege. In addition, the practice of their religion was important for the Zealots, so they built a synagogue on the west side and built in at least two basins as a ritual baptismal bath Mikveh served.

Roman siege

The Romans built a siege wall and several army camps around the mountain of Masada, the outlines of which can still be seen from above in the desert floor. The ramped ramp in the west, on which the Romans erected a siege tower, with the help of which a breach was finally made in the wall, is clearly visible.

Byzantine period

The remains of a church have been preserved from this period.

miscellaneous

• Numerous tristram starlings, black birds with brown wings, nest around the Masada fortress. These animals are quite tame. When they are hungry, they sometimes eat a breadcrumb out of the hand of the visitors.
• You should plan several hours for the visit. In summer it can get quite hot, so take enough water with you. In an emergency, however, there are several signposted places on the north side where you can get water, there are also toilet facilities.
• Those who take the cable car up shouldn't miss the slide show about the history of Masada. It is in the building of the valley station near the cable car and only takes about 10 minutes.

activities

Visit to the sound and light show in the west of Masada (access via Arad), Tuesdays and Thursdays at 7 p.m., there is a simple overnight accommodation option for groups.

shop

• In the building of the valley station of the cable car there are kiosks for souvenirs and (relatively expensive) drinks.
• At the west entrance there is a shop of the Israel National Park Administration with drinks, ice cream and souvenirs on offer, here also toilets and drinking water dispensers.

kitchen

nightlife

accommodation

An overnight stay in Masada is worth it just to experience how the silence returns in the late afternoon at one of the country's most important tourist magnets and the desert lights up red again in the evening sunlight, before night falls over the vast, motionless stretches of land. However, there is only one reasonable accommodation in Masada itself: the youth hostel.

• Masada Youth Hostel, D.N. Yam haMelach. Tel.: 972-2-5945622 (Central reservation number in Israel: 1-599-510-511), Fax: 972-8-6584650, Email: [email protected]. Open: 24-hour reception (ring the doorbell at the entrance).last change: not specified

The Masada Youth Hostel is located on the east side of the mountain directly below the valley station of the Masadabahn. The relatively new and large building has almost 90 rooms - each with air conditioning, TV, private bathroom and kettle, some with a balcony. These rooms are usually multi-bed rooms (up to six beds), but they can also be rented as double rooms, for example. In this case, the other beds in the room simply remain empty, you have the space to yourself. There is a swimming pool on the premises of the youth hostel, but it is not open all year round. Important:

• The youth hostel is well attended all year round, so reservations should be made especially during the main travel season.
• In the evenings there is not always dinner in the youth hostel. If you arrive late in the afternoon or in the evening (i.e. at a time when the visitor center is also closed), you may only get one snack.

There are other overnight accommodations in a similar price range as in Masada in the youth hostel in En Gedi, about 20 kilometers north. Much more luxurious and expensive overnight accommodation (hotel standard) can be found in En Bokek, a good 15 km south.

trips

• Is near En Gedi, here you can swim in the Dead Sea (as of 2018 no longer possible, bathing is free in En Bokek)
• From Bar Yehuda Airfield near the branch to Masada there is the possibility to book a sightseeing flight over Masada.

literature

• In the valley station and by the Schlangenpfad gate there is a booklet from the series ERETZ magazine available in German, unfortunately no ISBN number is available.

Web links

• Website of the Israeli National Park Masada
• Sights on Masada Interactive map