Israeli fortress Masada. The Masada fortress is the last line of defense of the Jews. The only source of knowledge

Not far from the city of Arad. This unique architectural monument of the Hasmonean period is rightfully included in the list of attractions under the auspices of UNESCO.

History, description and photos of the Masada fortress in Israel

Masada fortress was founded Herod I in 25 BC e. as a refuge for his family. It was built on the site of an older defensive structure of the Hasmonean period, which, by order of the king, was significantly expanded and improved. This fortification is surrounded on all sides by steep cliffs, and only a narrow "serpentine" path leads to it. In addition, the top of the plateau with the fortress located on it is surrounded by four-meter-thick walls, on which 37 towers towered.

The royal treasury was kept in Masada, as well as large supplies of food and weapons. The water supply system was equipped, palaces, Roman baths and a synagogue were built.

With the outbreak of the Jewish War in 66, the fortress was captured by the Zealot zealots, who exterminated the Roman defenders, and in 67 the most radical representatives of this party settled here. Already in 70, after the Romans occupied, Masada became the last refuge for thousands of rebellious Jews, including children and women. With such forces the Zealots held the fortress for another three years, until in 73 the Romans managed to set fire to the internal fortifications with the help of throwing machines. After that, the surviving defenders killed the women and children, and then each other, so as not to be captured by the enemy. The last of the Sicarii committed suicide.

Did you know? For a long time, the defense of Masada was considered a legend, until archaeological evidence of these events was found.

The ruins of the Masada fortress were discovered in the middle of the 19th century, and extensive excavations began only in the 1960s. Since 1971, the Carl Brandl company from Switzerland has built a funicular that leads to this attraction.

The main attractions of the Masada fortress

Nowadays, most of the buildings of the Masada fortress have partially survived:

Herod's palace with surviving fragments of mosaics;
rainwater collection tanks carved into the rocks;

hot and cold baths;
synagogue;
weapons depots and outbuildings.

Best preserved and of interest to tourists - "Hanging" and Western palaces.

Did you know? The most mysterious of the surviving buildings is the synagogue. Previously, scholars believed that the Jews did not have these places of worship before the fall of the Temple in 70 A.D.

Entertainment

The main attraction at Masada Fortress is sound and light show... It is played at the western entrance to National park , and with the help of special effects recreates the last days in the tragic history of this ancient landmark and the heroic death of its defenders. Spectators take seats in a special amphitheater on the western part of the mountain, which can be reached only from the city of Arad. Simultaneously with the light and music special effects, simultaneous translation is carried out in English, Spanish, French, German and Russian.

Other entertainment:

a restaurant;
overnight stay for groups in the western part of the fortress;

bar-cafe;
the lowest in the world cable car.

How to get there

The Masada Fortress is located along Highway 90, between Ein Bokek Resort and Ein Gedi Nature Reserve. You can get to this attraction on foot along Snake trail or funicular, whose station is located on the Dead Sea.

Important! To visit the "Sound and Light Show" you need to drive up from the city of Arad (by car).

Excursion to the Masada fortress in Israel

In this video, you will see an excursion to the Masada Fortress. Happy viewing!

Opening hours and cost of attendance

Prices

The cost of visiting the Masada Fortress depends on the type of excursion you have chosen and the way to get to the attraction:

Ascent by funicular to the eastern side of the fortress

individual excursion: for adults 61 NIS, for children 34 NIS;
group excursion: for adults 57 NIS, for children 33 NIS.

Hiking up the Snake Trail (approximately 45-60 minutes)

individual excursion: for adults 21 NIS, for children 12 NIS;
group excursion: for adults 19 NIS, for children 11 NIS.

Complex visit to the park

individual excursion: for adults 45 NIS, for children 22 NIS;
group excursion: for adults 41 NIS, for children 20 NIS.

Working hours

Important! Be careful on Fridays and on major holidays the park and funicular close one hour earlier.

Fortress opening hours

April to September: opening at 8:00, closing at 17:00;
October to March: opening 8:00, closing 16:00.

Funicular opening hours

Sunday-Thursday and Saturday: 8:00 am to 4:00 pm;
in winter: from 8:00 to 15:00;
on Friday - day off.

The book of the ancient historian Josephus Flavius "The Jewish War" describes an event that occurred in the morning of Nisan 15 (the month of the biblical year, corresponding to the second half of March - early April according to the Gregorian calendar) 73 AD. e. Then eight thousand Roman soldiers broke into the Masada fortress, which had been besieging for more than three years. What they saw made them “freeze in silence in front of them were 960 corpses of men and women - the defenders of the fortress, who preferred voluntary death to painful and shameful slavery.

Saving rain

Mentions of the fortress are also found in the writings of other ancient chroniclers. According to written sources, the first ruler who built a fortified post in this place was the king and high priest (the priest who led the service in the main temple) Jonathan Hasmoneus - this happened in the 2nd or 1st century BC. e. The structure on a high (450 meters) cliff was named Masada (translated from Hebrew - fortress).

In 37 BC. e. in Masada, there was Tsar Herod I, appointed by the decision of the Roman Senate (the same one who later ordered the extermination of all babies in Bethlehem in order to get rid of Jesus, who could take away from him to fall). At that time, Jerusalem was ruled by the king and high priest Mattathias Antigonus II, who did not want to give the throne to Herod. As a result, the Roman henchman took refuge in Masada with his family, as well as his retinue and guards, consisting of 800 people.

Herod managed to somehow bypass the barriers and sail to Rome on a ship for help. But the besieged had a hard time - because of the blockade, the fortress ran out of water. Herod's supporters were already thinking about flight, but on the night appointed for this, a heavy rain suddenly fell, filling the reservoirs set up in Masada.

Herod, returning with reinforcements, defeated the troops of Mattathias Antigonus II and took his place. But just in case, he turned Masada into an impregnable refuge for himself and his supporters. The fortress was surrounded by a high wall with 37 towers, additional fortifications and food warehouses were erected here in case of a long siege. 12 pools were carved into the rock to collect rainwater. In addition, the fortress had a large public bath, a synagogue, comfortable rooms for the ruler, armories, and numerous auxiliary buildings. Here Herod I kept gold.

From above, Masada looked like a rhombus measuring 600 by 300 meters. The rock had steep slopes and the only connection with the outside world was a narrow serpentine path rising from the side of the Dead Sea. The enemy's warriors would have been forced to go along it in single file, so they did not pose a particular danger.

Didn't want to accept the title

After the death of Herod I (4 BC), a Roman garrison was located in Masada, which remained here until 66 AD. e. - when a massive uprising against the Romans began, called the First Jewish War.

The reason for the uprising was the oppression of Gessius Florus, the procurator (ruler appointed by Rome) of Judea, who ordered the withdrawal of silver from the temple treasuries of the Jews. In response, the Zealots (zealous supporters of the Jewish religion) raised the people to fight. The uprising engulfed the entire country and even spread to the Jewish communities in Syria and Egypt. In the cities, street battles took place, in which thousands of people died.

Emperor Nero sent a huge 60,000-strong army under the command of the experienced commander Vespasian to suppress the uprising in a small province. Roman soldiers took several small Jewish cities, killing 40 thousand local residents... The surviving Zealots took refuge in Jerusalem.

By that time, a coup had taken place in Rome: in 68 A.D. e. Nero was overthrown, and after a short reign of several emperors, the throne passed to Vespasian.

His son Titus took command of the siege of Jerusalem. It is known that in the first months of the battle for the city more than 115 thousand Jews were killed. The capture of Jerusalem was accompanied by bloody massacres and destruction. Titus celebrated his triumph in Rome, where several captive leaders of the uprising were brought for execution.

During the war, according to the testimony of ancient historians, more than 600 thousand Jews perished (out of a total of 2 million). Those who survived were sold into slavery. The victory went to the Romans so hard and was so bloody that neither Vespasian nor Titus wanted to accept the title of "Conqueror of the Jews."

Three years for the construction of the embankment

Several hundred rebels with their wives and children entered the Masadu fortress. They managed to kill the Roman garrison and, taking possession of the weapons that had been stored here since the time of Herod I, for a long time resisted the soldiers of the 10th Legion led by Flavius Silva.

The siege lasted for three years! Less than one thousand Jews, including women and children, successfully opposed the eight thousandth Roman army. Flavius Silva chose a place on the western side of the fortress, where the height of the sheer cliff was the smallest and was 100 meters. Here, Jewish slaves, by order of the Romans, carried earth and tree trunks to create a siege rampart. Its remains have survived to this day. In three years, nine thousand slaves raised the artificial embankment to the desired height. Then a 25-meter siege tower with a powerful battering ram was built on it in order to breach the fortress wall.

The defenders of Masada tried to thwart the plan of the Romans. The builders of the embankment were constantly fired at from bows and thrown stones at them. Because of this, the slaves were forced to work with only one hand, while holding the shield in the other.

When the Roman soldiers began to ram the wall of the fortress, the Jews erected another right behind it - from wooden logs, the space between which was filled with earth. The dismantled buildings served as the material for its construction. The good thing about the new wall was that the battering ram intended for the stone got stuck in the softer material and could not destroy it. But the Romans through the punched stone wall they began to throw torches and lighted arrows at the wooden frame. The logs began to burn, and the soil filling began to crumble. Masada's defense came to an end.

Stayed free

On the night before the decisive assault by the Romans, the leader of the Jews Elazar Ben-Yair gathered everyone who remained in the fortress and convinced them not to become victims and slaves of the victors, but to perish as free people. The historian Josephus Flavius reproduced this speech in his book from the words of two women and five children who hid in one of the reservoirs and then were captured by the Romans.

The warriors agreed with their commander. First, each of them cut the throat of his wife and children with his own hands. Then lots were cast - and ten executors of the last will were chosen. In the same way, they cut the throat and killed the rest of the defenders of the fortress. Then they burned everything of any value, with the exception of food - so that the Romans would not think that hunger pushed the Jews to commit suicide. After that, one of the ten, also chosen by lot, killed the rest and threw himself on the sword.

Note that Judaism regards suicide as the gravest sin - and the chosen tactics made it possible to reduce the number of those who committed suicide to just one person.

The Roman soldiers were amazed at the fortitude of the defenders of the fortress. And for many years Masada has been a symbol of national courage and striving for freedom.

Symbol of national heroism

After these events, a Roman garrison was again located in Masada. And when in the 5th century A.D. e. The Roman Empire fell, the fortress fell into disrepair. About a century later, Byzantine Christian monks settled here, setting up their cells inside the destroyed buildings and next to them. But for some unknown reason, the priests later left Masada - and the remnants of an uninhabited fortress were simply lost.

Only in 1838, two American researchers, Edward Robinson and Eli Smith, discovered this historical object on a mountain that the Arabs called A-saba, and compared it with the descriptions given in the book of Josephus. It became clear that in front of them was indeed Masada, the former impregnable fortress biblical king Herod.

For the time being, its study proceeded at a very unhurried pace. In 1852, a plan of the fortress was drawn up, in 1905, water supply systems were discovered and slightly cleared.

Only much later than the formation of the State of Israel, in 1963-1964, large-scale archaeological work was carried out in the fortress. During the excavations, almost all buildings were cleared and restored. And the result of the activities of archaeologists was the publication of an eight-volume work devoted to writings, household items and other finds on the territory of Masada. By the way, near one of the palaces, on a site that could serve as a gathering place, 11 clay shards were found, each of which had only one name inscribed - it was they who were most likely used for the deadly drawing of lots for the warriors. In 1966 Masada was given the status of National archaeological park, and in 1971 a cable car was built on the eastern slope of the mountain. Now it is one of the most popular tourist centers Israel. The former fortress of King Herod is a symbol of the national heroism of the Jewish people: here many recruits take an oath and take an oath: Masada will never fall again!

There was much in the history of the Jewish people, but what was always lacking in it was heroic deeds. The same resistance in the ghetto during the Great Patriotic War, although it is described in different sources in different ways, but the closer the author was to the events, the less he mentions heroism. And yet, there is something to tell about.

Masada is a legendary ancient fortress located almost on the shores of the Dead Sea. It is on the list of World Heritage Sites.

As soon as they do not write the familiar word "Masada" from an unknown language - massad, mossad, mossad ... And Israel's foreign intelligence service is called mossad, mossad, massad, masad. Correctly spelled and pronounced - Masada, with an emphasis on the second "a". These names are consonant not accidentally. The name of the intelligence agency was based on the name of the fortress.

The Masada fortress in Israel was built in 25 BC by King Herod the Great, who left a memory of himself as a cruel villain, who, fearing to lose the throne, ordered to kill all the babies of Bethlehem to get rid of the newborn Jesus.

However, he left a mark in history as a king-builder. He expanded the Temple Mount, reconstructed the Second Temple, and built an Amphitheater in the suburbs of Jerusalem, where gladiator fights and horse races were held. In honor of his deceased brother, he built a mausoleum with a tower. He rebuilt Samaria, built the port of Caesar, a temple on the island of Rhodes, founded Herodion and Esevon (now it is the territory of Jordan).

Built on top of an impregnable rock in Israel's arid and desolate wilderness, the Masada fortress served several purposes. It was a refuge for Herod and his family during the endless wars, gold and weapons were kept in it.

The fortress walls of four meters thick, almost one and a half kilometers long with numerous defensive towers, the palace of King Herod, and a synagogue have survived to this day.

Masada had a well-organized system of collecting rainwater in huge storage tanks. Food supplies and drinking water helped the defenders of the fortress to hold the defense for three years.

History of the fortress of Masada

In the 66th year of the first century AD, historical events begin to unfold in the Middle East, which, without exaggeration, have seriously influenced the course of human history. It is about the uprising of the Jews against the oppression of the Roman Empire. At this time, Masada was taken by the rebellious Zealots - implacable and belligerent opponents of the Romans, who decided to fight them to a victorious end and destroyed the Roman garrison.

In 67 A.D. Sicarii - representatives of the radical wing of the Zealot movement - settled in Masada. It was they who led the uprising against the Romans, which then resulted in a long Jewish war.

In the summer of 70 A.D. Roman general Titus captures Holy Jerusalem, fiercely defended by rebels, and destroys the First Jerusalem Temple. Soon the only stronghold of the rebels remains Masada. The defenders of the fortress barely numbered a thousand people, including women and children, but they managed to hold Masada for another three years.

Around the seemingly impregnable fortress, legionnaires set up eight military camps, the outlines of which have survived to this day. The military campaign to capture the last stronghold of the Jewish rebels was led by the legendary Tenth Legion of the Roman army.

Having studied Mount Masada from all sides, the commander of the legion Flavius Silva gives the order to pour a 70-meter stone rampart (ramp) from the western, more weak side fortress. With the help of this shaft, the Romans planned to bring the ram as close to the fortress wall as possible.

About 9 thousand slaves led roads and carried land for the construction of a siege rampart around the fortress and sites for throwing machines and battering rams.

When the Romans succeeded in setting fire to the internal defensive wall, which was additionally built by the Sicarii, consisting of wooden beams, the fate of Masada was decided.

One of the leaders of the uprising, Elazar Ben Yair, realizing that all the besieged in the fortress will be destroyed, and the survivors will be subjected to cruel torture and humiliation, during the night convinces his comrades to prefer death over slavery.

“For a long time, brave men, we decided not to obey either the Romans or anyone else, except only Gd, for He is the One true and just King over people. I look at this as at the mercy of Gd that he gave us the opportunity to die a wonderful death and free people, which is not destined for others who were unexpectedly captured. "

A lot was thrown, ten executors of the last will were chosen, who stabbed all the defenders of the fortress, women and children with swords, after which one of them, also chosen by lot, killed the rest and committed suicide.

In those days in Masada, 960 besieged Jewish rebels gave their lives for freedom. The Romans, ready for battle, were amazed at the terrible sight that appeared before them. This is how the Jewish War of 66-73 ended. n. e.

The remains of the legendary fortress were searched for for many centuries, but they were discovered only in 1842. They began to seriously study this place and engage in excavations only in the sixties of the twentieth century. Restoration work lasted more than a dozen years, and only by the beginning of this century, scientists and restorers restored the fortress in the form in which it was under King Herod.

In the heart of the fortress, behind a glass door, a rabbi is copying the Torah. Attempts to photograph it react quite bloodyly.

One of the most striking finds is the synagogue. It was believed that the Jews had no need for synagogues as long as they had the Temple. Masada was reconstructed during the existence of the Second Temple, but a synagogue was nevertheless created in it.

For a time, the history of the defense of Masada was considered a legend, but a comparison of Jewish and Roman historical chronicles, including the book of Josephus Flavius "The Jewish War", and archaeological finds on the territory of the fortress, among which - stone tablets with names, used as lots by ten executors of the last will, convince of the opposite.

Today the fortress is a real ancient city with streets and all the infrastructure of that distant time. You can climb there in two ways: by cable car, which in two or three minutes will take you to the top of the cliff, or along the Snake Path - the same one used by the defenders of the fortress.

This path is not easy and takes about an hour. However, enthusiasts who venture on a difficult hike will be truly rewarded: from every point of this winding trail, amazing beautiful view to the Dead Sea and the picturesque surroundings.

At the foot of the mountain, sometimes grandiose concerts and festivals are held with the participation of world stars. The fortress is firmly included in the top ten must-see sights of the country.

For modern Israel, Masada is not only historical monument, but also a synonym for national courage, heroism and striving for freedom, on which more than one generation of the country's inhabitants has been brought up.

Masada - an ancient fortification on the top of the cliff did not need very high walls: it is surrounded on all sides by steep slopes, and looking down from these rocks is simply breathtaking. The fortress ascended to the top remained a symbol of the spirit ancient people, and did not submit to foreign invaders. Indeed, it was almost impossible to take the fortress, but the Romans split even not such strongholds, and for the capture of Masada they built such a powerful siege rampart that it has survived to this day.

THREE YEARS OF THE GREAT SIEVE

For more than a thousand days, Masada was defended by the Sicarii rebels against the Romans. The last of them died here, preferring death to shameful Roman slavery.

The Masada Fortress occupies the flat top of a free-standing small plateau, shaped like a rhombus. From here a wonderful view of eastern part The Yiwu Desert and the Dead Sea sparkling under the sun.

There is no exact information about the history of the appearance of the Masada fortress. Jewish historian and military leader Josephus Flavius (c. 37 - c. 100) wrote that the emergence of the fortification was obliged to Jonathan Hasmoneus, who headed in 161 BC. e. Maccabean uprising. However, there is speculation that Flavius was referring to Alexander Yannai (125 - 76 BC), the Jewish king from the Hasmonean dynasty.

In 31 - 37 years BC. e. the Jewish king Herod I the Great (about 73/74 - 4/1 BC) captured the fortress during the struggle for the throne. He gained fame as a great builder, and Masada underwent a major restructuring during his reign. The fortifications were fortified. In addition, at his behest two luxurious palace, great baths and aqueducts. The latter were urgently needed, since the water at the summit was collected in reservoirs during a short period of precipitation. Herod had many enemies, and Masada seemed to him the best refuge, since it seemed absolutely inaccessible. That is why Herod built a treasury here, where considerable reserves of royal gold were kept.

During the Jewish War 66 - 73 years. Masada became the last stronghold of the rebels against the tyranny of Rome.

When the Romans came to Judea, they found Masada and left a small garrison in it, because to defend the fortress it was enough just to block a couple of paths that led to the top. In 66, at the very beginning of the uprising against Rome, a group of Sicarii (the most radical Jewish group of fighters against the Romans) managed to capture Masada, knocking out a weak Roman garrison from it.

The situation in the war with the Romans was not in favor of the Jews, and the last Sicarii took refuge in Masada after the destruction of the second temple in 70 AD. The premises of the fortress were so vast that a thousand sicarii were established here, equipping a synagogue and a school.

The year 72 came, and Masada still remained the only island of freedom in Judea, which forced the Romans to send the 10th legion here under the command of the procurator Flavius Silva. The Romans built about a dozen camps around Masada, tying them together with a single shaft, which excluded a breakthrough of the blockade.

However, the hope that the besieged would die of hunger and thirst did not come true: the sicarii had an abundance of food, and they received water thanks to an ingenious water supply system.

For several months, 5 thousand Romans and 10 thousand of their allies stood under the walls of Masada, until they decided to take the most difficult path: to build an embankment on the western slope. Only in this way it was possible to bring siege weapons to the walls, which were not able to throw stones and fire from the under-knife of the plateau to the top.

The embankment was folded under the cover of arrows and stones. After seven months of siege, the Romans brought up the siege tower along the embankment and from it managed to set fire to the internal buildings in the fortress.

Seeing all the hopelessness of their situation, all the Sicarii, including women and children, chose to commit suicide rather than surrender.

FORTRESS FULL OF RIDDLES

Not all the secrets of the Masada fortress have already been solved. So, some archaeologists are inclined to believe that there has never been any mass suicide of Jews in the fortress, and this story itself is just a folk tradition.

Today the Masada fortress is the main object national park Masada, inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2001.

There is no exact information about the history of Masada. Almost all the researchers have at their disposal is a collection of artifacts found in Masada.

For fifteen hundred years, Masada was not remembered: she no longer had a strategic role, and only the most fanatical hermits could live on the top of the plateau.

They started talking about Masada again in the first half of the 19th century, when the Anglo-American expedition reached it. The main excavations were carried out in 1963-1965. The most valuable find is 10 clay tablets-ostracones with names, according to archaeologists, used as lots when committing suicide by the defenders of Masada: the last survivor had to set fire to the fortress before his death.

Numerous structures in the fortress, surrounded by a one and a half kilometer thick wall with towers, were also discovered. Among these structures, from which only ruins remain, are palaces, armories, a synagogue and baths.

When the reservoirs carved into the rock were found for collecting and storing rainwater, it became clear how the defenders of the fortress managed to collect and store clean cold water for a long time. The Jews built open plaster-turene canals to drain rainwater from two canyons west of Masada into twelve catchment tanks carved into the northwestern slope of the mountain in two parallel rows (total capacity is about 40 thousand m 2). From here, water was already manually delivered to other cisterns on the top of the mountain, most of them underground.

A striking fact: the embankment made by the Romans has been preserved in excellent condition. Moreover, it can be used to judge the ancient Roman siege technologies: the Romans poured alternately layers of stones and compacted earth, alternating them with thick branches of trees, which served as a kind of reinforcement and gave strength to the entire structure.

Among the ruins of the fortress, the remains of 25 men, women and children were found. In 1969, two years after the victory in the Six Day War, they were buried with military honors.

Despite all these findings, no direct archaeological evidence of the tragedy that occurred in Masada has yet been found.

On the territory of Masada, the ruins of a Byzantine monastery have been preserved, known in archeology as the Lavra of Marda. It is known that there was once a church built by Saint Hieromonk Euthymius the Great (circa 377 - 473), when Ancient Rome here came Byzantium. Just about a century ago, it was destroyed, and in its place, in the second half of the 6th century, another church was built, from which only ruins remained. Lavra briefly outlived the church and was also destroyed around the 5th century.

The Israeli city of Arad is closest to Masada, and the roads that lead from the city to To the dead sea, are a winding mountain serpentine - one of the most dangerous in the country. The city is still very young: it was founded in 1962 by natives of Israel and immigrants from, and today more than half of the city's inhabitants are immigrants from countries. the former USSR working in the hotels of the Dead Sea resorts.

ATTRACTION

Historical:

Fortress Masada (fortress wall, towers, palaces, synagogue, armories, baths, water supply);
Roman embankment;
Byzantine monastery.

Cultural:

Masada National Park;
Museum of the History of Masada;
Visitor Center.

INTERESTING FACTS

There is a version that the word "masada" comes from the Aramaic word "mezad", which means "fortified place."

By the decision of the Chief of the General Staff of the Israel Defense Forces Moshe Dayan (1915 - 1981) in Israel, for some time, the IDF soldiers took the oath within the walls ancient fortress Masada, pronouncing the symbolic words of the oath "Masada will not fall again!" - this is a line from a poem by the Israeli poet Yitzhak Lamdan. The ceremony has now been moved to Latrun, 30 kilometers east of Tel Aviv.

In 1981, Soviet émigré film director Boris Sagal filmed the four-part television series Masada. Filming took place at the scene - at the foot of Masada. At the western wall of the plateau there are several siege weapons of the ancient Romans - replicas (reconstructions) made by masters of Hollywood for filming a film about Masada and left right there as a gift to the citizens of Israel.

Archaeologists who claim that Josephus gave an incorrect and, possibly, invented description of Masada, as confirmation, cite the fact that the ancient historian named one palace in Masada, although in fact there were two of them. In addition, at the time of the capture of Masada, Josephus Flavius had long been in Rome.

According to Josephus Flavius, only one old woman and a certain smart woman with five children, who hid when she went to fetch water from an underground reservoir, escaped death in Masada. It was she who told the Romans about what happened in Masada.

One of the seeds of dates found during excavations in Masada germinated in 2005, by 2008 the palm was already 1.2 m high, and now it is higher than 2.5 m.

GENERAL INFORMATION

Location: near southwest coast Dead Sea.
Administrative affiliation: Southern District, Israel.
Official status: object of the national park
Masada is on the UNESCO World Heritage List.
First buildings: 30s BC e.
Nearest town: Arad (Israel) - 23 400 people. (2009).
Language: Hebrew.
Religion: Judaism.
Monetary unit: new shekel.

Climate: dry climate of deserts and semi-deserts.
Average January temperature: + 11C.
Average July temperature: + 26.5C.
Average annual rainfall: 100 mm.
Relative humidity: 50%.

Plateau length: about 550 m.
Plateau width: 270 m.
The length of the fortress wall: 1400 m.
Fortress wall thickness: about 4 m.
Number of towers: 37.
Height above the level of the Dead sea: 450 m.
Distance: 20 km east of the city of Arad.

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Fortress Masada

"Fortress Masada"

The Masada Fortress is a completely isolated fortification where rebellious Jews led by Elazar Ben-Yair resisted the army of the Roman Empire during the time of Flavius Silva. The fortress is located near Jerusalem and is one of the symbols of the heroism of the Jewish people.

The word masada is the Hebrew word for metsada, but in a Greek pronunciation it means the word fortress.

The Masada Fortress is built on a flat cliff top, near the Dead Sea. This is the geographical location of the fortress, where there is one bare desert and the nearest settlements with wells dozens of kilometers away made the Masada fortress not a criminal refuge.

The history of the Masada fortress is repeatedly mentioned in many works of Jews and Roman historians. Josephus Flavius wrote that the fortress was founded by the Jewish priest Jonathan Hasmonaeus, after which the fortress was fortified with double walls and towers by King Herod. Tsar Herod counted on withstanding the long siege of the fortress, so he organized the construction of public bath houses, huge warehouses and reservoirs, as well as barracks for a permanent garrison of 800 soldiers.

"Fortress Masada"

The Masada Fortress is located on a flat rocky ridge at an altitude of 450 meters above the Dead Sea level, and the ridge is over 600 meters long and 300 meters wide. The fortress is very protected: the walls adjoin steep 300-meter slopes, and the only two approaches to the fortress are presented in the form of narrow and winding paths with a width of two people.

After the era of King Herod, the fortress housed a Roman garrison, which in 66 AD. was exterminated during the 1st Jewish War under the leadership of Menachem Ben-Yehuda of Galilee. After his murder in 67, his nephew organized a community of extremist tribesmen in the fortress, who remained there until 73.

During the first Jewish war, in the spring of 70, a Roman legion led by the emperor Titus approached Jerusalem and began a siege of it. The residents of the city fought fiercely, but in August the city was captured. Resistance of the inhabitants survived only in the fortresses of Mahero, Masada and in the castle of King Herod, which was captured without difficulty.

"Fortress Masada"

In 71 year, the capture of the Mahero fortress was difficult, but after several attempts, the Roman soldiers managed to capture the fortress.

The siege of the fortress of Masada showed that without powerful siege mechanisms it would be impossible to carry out the siege, the siege dragged on. New slaves from the inhabitants of Jerusalem, about ten thousand Jews, for several months built roads and carried earth, logs of trees to build a huge siege rampart at the western wall of the fortress. The height of the embankment reached 100 meters, then a siege tower of 25 meters was built with a ram at the level of the walls. The remains of this earthen rampart have survived to this day.

The tragedy of the defenders of the Masada fortress was that the Roman army could actually capture the fortress. The leader of the defenders, Elazar Ben-Yair, persuaded his fellow tribesmen that it was better to die as free people than to become slaves of the Roman Empire. Hundreds of men, their wives and children decided to choose death.

The faith of Judaism perceives suicide as the worst sin for a Jew, so ten men were chosen by lot, who killed all 960 inhabitants of the fortress with knives.

"Fortress Masada"

They set fire to all buildings and valuables, but left all food intact, so that the Romans knew that it was not hunger that forced them to commit suicide. Then the ten men cast lots on whoever killed nine of them. Thus, only one person was suicidal, who, being the last defender, cut his throat.

On the morning of April 15, 73, the defensive wall of the fortress was breached and Roman soldiers broke through the defensive walls. The soldiers were shocked by what they saw: hundreds of dead bodies and burnt buildings.

The fortress became a Roman garrison until the 6th century, and with the beginning of the decline of the empire, it quickly became empty. After the Byzantine Christians settled in local caves and built a Byzantine church, they became the owners of the fortress for several hundred years. Then the fortress became uninhabited and then forgotten. The fortress was reopened in 1839 by American archaeologists, they identified the fortress according to the records of Josephus.

The Masada fortress is under the protection of UNESCO.

The fortress has survived to this day in fairly good condition.

Buildings for grain and weapons, water supply and Roman baths. The total length of the fortress walls is almost 1400 meters and 37 towers, in some places the thickness of the walls reaches 4 meters. On the territory of the fortress, there is a synagogue and a church, as well as the palace of King Herod.

In 1963, a massive excavation began, in the course of which stone plates with Jewish names were found, which were probably used by ten men who killed the defenders of the fortress.

In 1971, a funicular was built to make it easier for tourists to climb the fortress.

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