Fortress Masada in Israel - the last stronghold will not fall. Mossada fortress: history, modernity, interesting facts How to find Masada fortress by car

In Israel, not far from Dead sea, the road around which is considered the lowest point on Earth (height -427 meters), near its southwestern coast, on the flat top of one of the mountains, at an altitude of 450 meters, there is an ancient fortress masada... It is notable for lovers of historical events because King Herod the Great built a refuge here, the same one who reconstructed the Second Temple and built an amphitheater in Jerusalem. The ruins of the palace of King Herod still attract many tourists. And I was very worried about the questions, why and by whom was Masada built and then destroyed? Being a UNESCO World Cultural Heritage Site, Masada is interesting both as a cultural object and as an object of history. And just to climb to its top on foot along the snake trail is so interesting!

In fact, the territory along which Highway 90 runs to Eilat in the very south of Israel is Palestine. But buses and cars with Jewish numbers travel around here without hindrance, unlike other regions. From the central bus station, located in Jerusalem on Jaffa Street, buses run towards the Dead Sea. You can drive to the extreme point of the route, and then return back. So, the fare is 36 shekels. The Martian landscape begins again outside the window, then the Dead Sea appears, blue and cold.

Masada will fall no more

For me, the destination was Masada (pronounced Mezada with emphasis on the first syllable), national Jewish pride. The Jews, pursing their lips, sadly exclaim - The fall of Masada must not be repeated! This is a reason for pride, and tears of shame. And the young soldiers of the Israeli army, taking the oath, solemnly swear: "Masada will not fall again!"

Climbing Masada on the snake trail

The Masada Fortress is located on a mountain 450 meters high. The Jews of the 1st century AD climbed up the serpentine path and did it very skillfully. At least the Romans, who had besieged the fortress city of the rebel Zealots for about two years, did not dare to climb up, not wanting to waste their strength. Patiently waiting for the enemy to surrender, they camped around the mountain. The Jews did not surrender, but they all committed suicide so as not to be defeated. If you want to survive this, this pain and courage of the ancient people, pay for the entrance to the park 27 shekels and forward - along the convenient stairs (the Zealots did not have such luxury!) Up! 700 steps - this is how much you have to walk to reach the top! And if such a climb seems too long (from an hour to an hour and a half) and tiresome to you, you can always use the funicular (72 shekels) and get to the top in about three minutes.

Of course, I went to Masada on foot. My interest is history in feelings and emotions, so the funicular will only put the border between me and the people who lived here two thousand years ago. The snake path really turned out to be a snake path. Dodging from stone to stone, she gradually raised everything to great heights. Every time I looked around, I noticed beautiful views opening up to my eyes. Yet the desert can be delightfully beautiful and mesmerizing. The Dead Sea, which is connected here by a thin strait, attracted the eye. The people below looked like little figures. Likewise, the Romans, in their brilliant armor, certainly seemed to the Jews a weak rival.

Winding trail

The cable car will quickly take you to the Masada fortress

Railings are installed along the narrow difficult sections of the ascent to the hill

Here begins the ascent of the hill with the Masada fortress

View of the Dead Sea from the hillside

The trail encircles the hill

Remains of a Roman camp at the foot of Mount Masada

Valley and sea

The Dead Sea

Beauty in the distance

Guided tour of the Masada fortress

The ruins of the partially restored fortress leave a grandiose impression. These buildings, standing under the scorching sun, scattered sandy color, are witnesses of courage and valor. The beautiful Northern Palace of King Herod, consisting of three tiers, has preserved colorful frescoes. This means that once it was not so deserted and deserted here. Brightness is a very bold move in the vicinity of the Dead Sea.

View from the fortress of Masada to the Dead Sea

Chipped wall

Watch tower

Column Hall

Remains of columns

Breathtaking view

Black guests

Handsome man with orange feather

There is plant life on the top of the hill in Masada fortress too

The surviving columns of the lower level of the North Palace at Masada

Remains of a large palace

Ruins of the three-tiered North Palace in Masada

Unimaginable beauty

The fortress offers stunning panoramic views of the surrounding area

Wealthy Jewish Americans consider it an honor to hold a bar mitzvah for their children at the Masada Synagogue.

A walled city is a completely autonomous structure that can function for a long time. And if the Romans had not blocked access to water, they would not have had a single chance to take the mountain by storm.

Two columns and a wide staircase in the Synagogue

Pile of large stones

Fortresses in Masada

Big hall

Masada fortress is located on a high hill

It would be useful to rewrite the bus schedule at the ticket office of the museum when you buy tickets, and calculate your time so that you will be downstairs before the bus appears. If you are hungry, then rejoice: they have taken care of this and many restaurants await tired tourists, including a large McDonald's located next to the ticket offices and the visitor center.

How to get from Masada to the Dead Sea by bus

From Masada to the Dead sea, more precisely to the free Ein Gedi beach (do not confuse it with the Ein Gedi Spa), you can take a bus for 18 shekels. This area of \u200b\u200bthe sea belongs to everyone and locals often swim here. Tourists from the CIS countries like to come here, so you will surely hear Russian speech. After the obligatory photo of you lying on the surface of the sea with a newspaper in your hands, do not forget to take a shower (they are near the water's edge in the open air) to wash the salt from your skin. And be careful not to get water in your eyes while swimming! This is very, very frustrating!

Palm trees grow on the shores of the Dead Sea

Coast

Dead Sea - Ancient Chernobyl?

The Dead Sea is a rather curious place. It is a known fact that this is the lowest point on Earth, and the difference in altitude when traveling from the highlands where Jerusalem is located to the beach can be more than 500 meters. So get ready for some inconvenience if your blood pressure isn't okay. Personally, this place seemed unkind to me. As if some kind of tragedy happened here in ancient times, that until now life cannot recover from its consequences. I believe the ancient people, they just won't call the whole sea Dead. So something happened here. I would compare this valley with Chernobyl, which is still in a state of nonexistence.

On the shores of the Dead Sea

From one side of the sea you can see the opposite side and Jordan

Salt crystal

Your onward journey by bus from the Dead Sea to Jerusalem will cost you 31.5 shekels.

What else to see near Jerusalem

If you are based in Jerusalem it is worth visiting qumran caves, the famous place of finds essenes manuscripts... And if you still travel by car and are not indifferent to the beauties of nature and you do not have enough views from the windows of buses, then the place Wadi Qelt, the mystical Martian desert, also deserves your attention. Roman aqueducts, monastery of St. George, the oldest synagogue in the world built by the Hasmoneans, water sources - they are all waiting for visitors. All of these attractions are located along Highway 90, not far from.

Massada Israel - a lonely mountain fortress in the heart of the Holy Land, where an amazing and chilling story took place 2 thousand years ago. Here, a small handful of Jewish rebels challenged the most powerful army of the time, the army of Rome.

HISTORY OF THE MASSADA FORTRESS

And so, all in order, it was 66 A.D., Judea was captured by the Romans, the area was in revolt, the despotic Roman authorities were trying to prevent the uprising of the Jews, and they were doing it with incredible cruelty. A small handful of devout Jews called Zealots managed to take refuge in the Judean Desert.

They took refuge in a building built in the 1st century BC. King Herod of the mountain fortress. For Herod, the fortress served as a safe haven in the event of an uprising or invasion of enemy troops. It was an unprecedented piece of engineering. The very geography of Massada made it impregnable. Mount Massada rises 450 meters above the level of the Dead Sea, and its top is a flat diamond-shaped platform measuring 650 m by 300 m.The fortress was well supplied with provisions and had good defensive structures, so the zealots could hold out here for a very long time.

Moreover, it was possible to go upstairs only along a narrow serpentine path, along which, in their opinion, the Roman army would certainly not pass.

After the fall of Jerusalem in 70, its last defenders fled to Massada, among them was Elazar bin Yair, who then led the rebels. As the population of Massada grows, she attracts the attention of the new general of Rome - the cunning Flavius \u200b\u200bSilva. It was a great chance for him to prove himself.

For 73 years, 8 thousand Roman soldiers stood around the fortress. It soon became clear that the Romans were building more than just camps at the foot of Massada. They built a huge embankment out of wood and earth, leading directly to the walls of Massada. And when the height of the embankment reached 70 meters, the Romans raised a huge 30-meter siege tower with hinged bridges along it and made a breach in the fortress wall. They managed to set fire to the inner wall built by the rebels without difficulty.

And then Elazar ben Yair, admitting that everything was lost, made a fiery speech before the rebels, urging them to die free people - preferring death to shameful and painful slavery.

They could have surrendered, but they chose to remain unconquered to the end, choosing freedom at any cost. Each of the men killed their wives and children, and then they chose ten people by lot to kill the rest. Then these ten, casting lots, chose the one who was to kill nine of his comrades, and then himself. So they killed all 960 people in the firm conviction that they did not leave a single living soul over which the Romans could outrage.

The next day, the Romans who ascended Massada found only heaps of dead bodies, but did not rejoice at the sight of the dead enemies, but only froze in silent silence, amazed by the greatness of their spirit and unbreakable contempt for death.

The rumor about the action of the defenders of Massada spread far beyond the fortress and over time this event became one of the most iconic moments in Jewish history. Massada became a symbol of Jewish heroism.

In the history of the defenders of the fortress of Masada, the human mind finds something attractive and frightening at the same time. This legend gave rise to a controversial attitude towards her. Some believe that even after 2 thousand years, this story, about the preference for death to captivity, continues to fascinate. Others believe that the shocking act of Elazar and the zealots is nothing more than a manifestation of religious extremism.

But be that as it may, we can confidently assert that the history of the fortress of Massada cannot leave anyone indifferent. It is not surprising that Massada is one of the most visited places in the territory of the State of Israel.

The best way for sightseeing in Israel is by renting a car. You can read about how to rent a car in Israel, about the rules of the road and parking

Opening hours of the Massada Park and the funicular:

April to September: 8.00 - 17.00 October to March: 8.00 - 16.00
The park is open as usual on Saturdays and holidays. On Friday and on the eve of holidays, it closes an hour earlier, before Judgment Day - at 12.00. The park is closed on the day of judgment.

Israel today is deservedly considered one of the most amazing places in the world. And the point is not only that the miracles described in the Bible took place on this earth, but that now the most significant shrines for Christians are located here.

Israel landmarks

Unsurprisingly, the Promised Land is one of the most popular and sought after tourist destinations. Travelers from all countries come to Israel to get in touch with unique shrines, plunge into ancient history and relax on the shores of the Red or Dead Sea.

The landmarks of this land are unique. In no other place is it possible to see such a number of sacred relics and places of worship. Most are concentrated in Jerusalem: this is the Dome of the Rock Mosque, the Church of St. Mary Magdalene and, of course, the Western Wall - one of the main attractions of the Promised Land. It is a sacred place located on the western slope of the Temple Mount - part of the ancient wall, erected around the temple built by King Solomon. It received the name "Wailing Wall" in the sixteenth century. Today, here Jews and tourists pray or atone for sins, leaving notes in the cracks addressed to the Almighty.
Among the sights of Israel, one cannot fail to mention those located in Nazareth, sacred to all Christians, the city in which Christ's childhood and youth passed, and where the miracle of the Good News took place. Above the grotto of the same name rises a beautiful Catholic church in honor of the Annunciation.

It is a mistake to think that there are only places of worship and holy places on the land of Israel. In this amazing country, there are many interesting museums to visit. The Promised Land is considered not only the birthplace of three religions, but also the cradle of civilizations. Therefore, the historical value of this area can hardly be overestimated. Among the places that must be included in sightseeing tours for tourists are museums such as the Fine Arts, Israel, the Holocaust Memorial Museum, the Bible countries and others.

The colorful colors of city streets, multinational hubbub and artifacts of all major world religions are another reason that thousands of travelers are drawn to hot, but surprisingly interesting Israel. And the proximity of such natural monuments as the Judean Desert, seaside resorts, etc., only increases the army of tourists.

Israel, being a tiny piece of land surrounded by seas, deserts, forests and mountains, has turned today into a modern country, suffered and built by many generations of Jews. And if you list all the iconic places of this state, then one of them is definitely worth visiting. The top ten most popular tourist attractions include the Masada Fortress in Israel. Every traveler orders excursions here.

How to get there

Very often, this word causes some bewilderment among Russians. The reason is that many people associate the Masada fortress with the Israeli special service Mossad. However, there is no connection between them. The word "masada" is of Greek origin, in Hebrew it means "fortress". This ancient legendary structure is listed as a World Heritage Site. It is located near the shores of the Dead Sea - only twenty kilometers away. The ancient fortress Masada is located near the city of Arad, next to the Ein Gedi highway.

History

It was built in the twenty-fifth year BC by Herod I the Great, whom history knows as a cruel villain who, out of fear of losing his throne, ordered to kill all babies in Bethlehem. So he tried to get rid of his main enemy - the newborn Christ. However, Herod I the Great left another mark in history - as a tsar-builder. It was he who expanded the reconstruction of the Second Temple, and in the suburbs of Jerusalem, the Amphitheater was built, in which horse races and gladiator fights were later organized.

Construction goals

In honor of his deceased brother, King Herod also erected a mausoleum with a tower. He is also credited with the rebuilding of Samaria and the port of Caesar, an amazing temple located on the island of Rhodes, as well as the founding of Herodium and Esebone in today's Jordan.

Standing on the top of an impregnable cliff, on a desolate desert territory, the Masada fortress had several tasks. Firstly, it was supposed to become a refuge where King Herod and his family could hide during the wars, and secondly, gold and weapons were stored here.

Description

The Masada Fortress rises 450 meters above the Dead Sea. It stands on the site of a Hasmonean construction, which, according to documents, dates back to the thirties before our chronology. And today tourists are shown here how skillfully the water supply system and baths, reminiscent of Roman baths, were arranged. The Masada fortress was used mainly to preserve weapons and food here, but the king's associates knew that his inexhaustible reserves of gold were hidden here.

Inaccessibility

From all sides the building is surrounded by steep rocks, and only from the side of the sea a narrow "serpentine" path led up to it, which still exists today. On the western side, the ancient fortress of Masada is connected to the outside world by a path that was built on an embankment laid by the Romans. The length of the path is approximately thirty minutes.

The Masada fortress is built on the top of a cliff, which is crowned by an almost flat plateau with dimensions of approximately 300 x 600 meters. It was on this trapezoidal platform that there were a synagogue, the royal palace itself, armories, auxiliary buildings, pits for collecting and subsequently storing rainwater. A powerful fortress wall surrounds the plateau. Its total length is 1400 meters. The height of the fortress wall was about four meters. There are 37 towers on it.

Archaeological finds

And today, in the fortress, tourists can see the palace in which King Herod and his family hid during the endless wars, the synagogue in which he prayed, fragments of amazing mosaics. The water reservoirs carved into the rock mass, as well as hot and cold baths, amaze with their engineering thought. But the most striking find, judging by the opinions of archaeologists and historians, is a synagogue. It has long been accepted that the Jews did not need it, since they had a Temple. However, this find surprised specialists. The fact is that the Masada fortress was reconstructed at a time when the Second still existed, which was restored by Herod himself. Nevertheless, a synagogue existed there. It must be said that a similar find was found among the ruins of the ancient fortress of Gamla. This is what proved that among the ancient Jews the question of the existence of the synagogue was not connected with the Temple.

Chronicle

In the seventieth year of our chronology, the Romans, having suppressed the uprising, were able to capture and destroy Jerusalem. However, for the final celebration of the victory, they still had to capture the Masada fortress, in which the few surviving rebels managed to take refuge. It would seem that the latter are no longer in danger. After all, the Masada fortress, which was surrounded by sheer cliffs and a high fortress wall, was still considered impregnable. But against the rebels, who numbered about a thousand people, together with children and women, there was an experienced and, most importantly, a large army of the Romans. Therefore, the besiegers managed to surround the fortress. Having broken numerous military camps around it, the Romans began to build a huge embankment, which was supposed to become a road to the fortress wall.

So, the Romans laid siege to the fortress, set up several military camps around it and began to build a giant embankment against the fortress wall. It was intended not only for the advancement of the infantry, but also for the transportation of throwing weapons, as well as the ram. The fate of the fortress was a foregone conclusion. The rebels had nowhere to wait for help. The appearance of the Roman army inside the fortress, the destruction of its walls with a battering ram was expected in the very next few hours. But the proud Jews, not wanting humiliation and slavery, including for their children, took the most desperate step. The defenders of the fortress, deciding not to leave any trophies to the Romans, burned all the property in the fortress. They left only food and water, thereby showing the legionnaires that they did not have a shortage of provisions, nevertheless, they made a choice towards death, preferring to die free.

The most tragic page in history

After that, ten soldiers selected as a result killed all those who were hiding in the fortress at that time, both their close comrades and women and children, including their own. Then they chose one, who killed the other nine and committed suicide. This tragic page of the chronicle of the famous ancient fortress has been brought to this day by writing about it in a book called "The Jewish War". He, relying on the stories of two women and several children who managed to hide in a cave and subsequently tell about what happened, truthfully conveyed everything that was said by the witnesses. The credibility of his story was confirmed by archaeological finds - several tablets on which the names of those who participated in this death lot were written. In addition, around the fortress, the ruins of camps set up by Roman legionaries have survived to this day.

Masada today

Today, you can climb to this attraction, which is included in almost any excursion tours around Israel, by the cable car built to it. The cost of the trip is about twenty dollars. Daredevils and lovers of overcoming obstacles can reach the fortress both along the "serpentine path" from the Dead Sea, and along the earthen rampart built by the Romans during the famous siege. However, most tourists still choose the cable car.

Information for tourists

There is a parking lot at the foot of the "snake" trail. There is also an information center where tourists can buy tickets to enter the fortress, as well as to climb the funicular. There is also a museum with artifacts found during archaeological excavations. Weather permitting, Masada fortress turns into a concert hall, where music is played and cultural events are held.

This was the last line of defense, where completely isolated from the rest of the world, the insurgent Jews under the command of Elazar Ben-Yair confronted the powerful Tenth Roman Legion led by Flavius \u200b\u200bSilva.

Ein Gedi Nature Reserve is located 80 kilometers from Jerusalem, and 20 kilometers from it is the Masada fortress, which is associated with one of the most heroic pages in the history of the Jewish people. Masada is a powerful fortress perched on top of a huge cliff that rises near the shores of the Dead Sea.

The fortress's geographical position in a waterless desert zone, far from settlements, and natural inaccessibility made it a safe haven. The Roman historian Josephus Flavius \u200b\u200breports that the fortress was built by the high priest Jonathan, and then King Herod strengthened it even more, erecting 37 high towers. Josephus says about it like this:

He erected a wall around the top of the mountain and built thirty-seven towers over the wall. And he erected a royal palace for himself in a fortress, on the western slope of the mountain - under a wall that closes at the top of the mountain. And everywhere in the rock he carved pools for reservoirs, thanks to which he managed to provide water to the inhabitants of the fortress ... Thus, the fortress was erected by God and people to protect against the enemy who would rise on it in war ...

Photo 2.

The word “mezad” or “mezada”, in the Greek pronunciation “masada”, was used to denote a fortress in general, and at the end of the Second Temple period - the name assigned to a certain fortress, are found in Scripture. Massada is a diamond-shaped rocky plateau that rises immensely over the surroundings to a height of about 450 meters above the Dead Sea (and about 50 meters above absolute sea level). The length of the Massada plateau is approx. 600 meters, maximum width - approx. 300 meters.

This is a very strong fortress, and here are its features: from all sides of a very high and wide cliff there are steep slopes that descend into such abysses that they cannot be measured. No living creature has set foot here. Only in two places is there a slight slope in the rock and there are paths going up, but they are very narrow.

The slopes of the cliff are really very steep: on the east side, their height reaches 300 meters, and the height of the lowest cliff on the west side even reaches almost 100 meters.

Massada and its history are repeatedly and in detail mentioned in the world famous works of the Jewish-Roman historian Flavius \u200b\u200bJosephus (Yosef ben-Matatiyahu, 37-100 AD), but also in the books of other ancient chroniclers. Flavius \u200b\u200breports that the first ruler who made Massada a fortified point was the Great Cohen (high priest) Jonathan Hasmoneus, moreover, it is believed that Flavius \u200b\u200bhad in mind Alexander I Jannes, the king and high priest of Judah from the Hasmonean dynasty, whose Hebrew name was also Jonathan and coins from the reign of which (103 - 76 BC) were found in the fortress. Then, in 37 BC, King Herod the Great, newly appointed in the same year (by the decision of the Roman Senate), fled to Massada, pursued by the last Hasmonean king and high priest Mattathias Antigonus II (Matityahu Antigonus, who ruled from 40 to 37 AD). BC.).

King Herod (aka: in Hebrew Hordos, but in Latin Herodus) also sheltered his entire clan and 800 retinue and guards here. After some time, Herod managed, leaving his family in Massada, to slip through the barriers and sail to his Roman patrons. Meanwhile, the unrelenting blockade carried out by the Jewish king almost led the people who had taken refuge in the fortress to death from dehydration. However, at the most critical moment, the saving rains began, again filling the reservoirs arranged in Massada. Herod, who then returned from Rome, went up with his retinue to Massada and lifted the blockade from her. After these events, Herod turned Massada into a completely autonomous and exceptionally fortified castle-refuge, filling it with all kinds of palace sophistication and comfort, such as, for example, a bath complex, view terraces, huge warehouses, etc. and quartered here numerous servants and guards.

During the reign of King Herod, the fortress was surrounded by a double wall, the inner space of which was divided into casemates. There were four gates in the wall, shaped like square rooms with two entrances, paved floors, and seating along the frescoed walls.

Photo 3.

Foreseeing the possibility of a long siege, he ordered the construction of a whole complex of food warehouses in the northern part of the rock and a large public bath next to them. To the west of the Dead Sea were two canyons: from them, using open plastered channels, water was diverted into 12 drainage systems, carved in two parallel rows in the northwest of the cliff. Of these, water was manually delivered to the top of the cliff to other cisterns.

After the death of Herod the Great, a Roman garrison was stationed in Massada, which stayed here until 66 AD, the year in which the Great Revolt against the Romans broke out (1st Jewish War). Zealot zealots led by Menachem Ben-Yehuda of Galilee broke into the fortress and massacred its entire garrison. After the murder of Menachem ben Yehuda by ideological opponents in Jerusalem, El'azar Ben-Yair, who belonged to Menachem's nephew El'azar Ben-Yair, found refuge for himself in Jerusalem by ideological opponents. In 67, he led a detachment of defenders of the fortress here, which consisted of the most extremist Zealots, the so-called. Sicarii, who have entrenched themselves and actually locked themselves here, which became fatal for them in the 73rd year.

In 66, after the beginning of the Jewish War, Menachem (the son of Judah the Galilean), at the head of a detachment of Zealots, captured Masada. They beat up the Roman garrison and seized weapons that had been laid down by King Herod.

Photo 4.

In the spring of 70, the Roman army under the command of the emperor Titus laid siege to Jerusalem, but here they were awaited by fierce resistance from the inhabitants of the city.The proposal for surrender was indignantly rejected by the rebels, who, with their frequent sorties, tried to interfere with the siege work of the Roman troops. The Romans had to take every meter from. fight. Only after the emperor Titus surrounded Jerusalem with a ring of trenches could his army resume attacks without hindrance. In August, the legionnaires captured the Second Jerusalem Temple, and in September they captured the entire city.

But even after the fall of Jerusalem, the last fighters for Israel's independence defended themselves with such stubborn bitterness, as if their cause had not yet been lost. The fortresses of Mahero and Masada and the castle of King Herod were still in the hands of those who resisted. The latter was simply a fortified palace and therefore was easily taken by Lucius Bas-som. But the Romans managed to take possession of the Mahero fortress not so easily, after which beatings and the sale of Jews into slavery began again.

Photo 5.

In the 72nd year, after all of Judea had already been conquered, plundered and destroyed by the Romans, including Jerusalem, the 10th Roman Legion, led by the procurator Flavius \u200b\u200bSilva, settled around Massada and blocked it from all sides. The siege lasted for months and was hampered for Silva by the logistical difficulties of bringing food and water to her people. No less than nine thousand Jewish slaves paved roads, carried earth and dragged tree trunks to build a siege rampart, poured into the gorge from the west of the fortress. On this embankment, raised, according to Flavius, by 100 m, the Romans built a 25-meter siege tower with a powerful ram, equating it with the fortress wall, which allowed them, in the end, to loosen it and make a breach. As already mentioned, the siege rampart has been perfectly preserved to this day, and along the path laid through it, one can climb to the fortress in the west.

On the night preceding the breakdown of the wall, El'azar Ben-Yair persuaded the Zealots not to surrender to the mercy of the victor and die as free people, laying hands on themselves and on their wives and children. Josephus Flavius \u200b\u200beloquently describes a speech full of drama, delivered to his companions by El'azar Ben-Yair, witnessed, according to Flavius, by two women and five children who hid in one of the reservoirs and then surrendered to the Romans who rose from dawn on the plateau. A terrifying and chilling story, in its scope, perhaps, has no analogues in the world chronicle: each warrior cut the throat of his wife and children with his own hands ...

Then ten performers were chosen by lot, who cut the throats of all the men - the defenders of the fortress ... The total number of all those killed was about 960 people. Then they burned all jewelry and everything of any value or usefulness, except food, so that the Romans would not think that hunger spurred them to commit suicide. Finally, one of ten, also chosen by lot, killed the rest, set fire to the fortress and fell on his sword.

Photo 6.

So on April 15, 72, the last defenders of Masada died. Only two women with five children survived, who took refuge in one of the caves.

It is appropriate to clarify here that Judaism regards suicide as the gravest sin and, therefore, the "tactics" of killing chosen by the Zealots actually reduced the number of suicides among them to one single person. Josephus also narrates that the Roman soldiers, who finally ascended to Massada and were prepared for a fierce battle, suddenly realized that they had no one to capture and nothing to plunder (looting was a familiar and desired trophy and a reward for valor) and were amazed at the sight they saw. fortitude, fortitude and devotion to their ideals as the defenders of the fortress ...

And, nevertheless, despite the seemingly obvious fact of unparalleled courage and heroism, in Judaism, suicide cannot be justified in any way and cannot be branded as a "brave" or "noble" act, especially since the defenders of Massada killed their wives and children, without asking their consent, violating Jewish law and this act.

Following the events described, the Roman garrison was again located in Massada for several years, then, after centuries of complete desolation, in the 5th-6th centuries. here, in the caves, several Byzantine Christian monks settled, who also arranged cells both inside and next to the destroyed buildings. They also erected a Byzantine church in Massada and stayed here for over a hundred years. With the departure of the monks, Massada again became uninhabited and has been abandoned to this day. Interest in Massada and its legendary history was renewed in modern times by two American researchers, A. Robinson and A. Smith, who in 1839 examined this archaeological site from the side of Ein Gedi, who identified it with Massada and associated it with the stories of Josephus Flavius \u200b\u200b...

Photo 7.

Masada is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Photo 8.

In Masada, many food and weapons supplies were preserved, an elaborate water supply system, baths, modeled on the Roman ones, were arranged. The fortress was also used to store royal gold

On all sides Masada is surrounded by sheer cliffs. Only from the side of the sea a narrow so-called snake path leads up. The top of the cliff is crowned by an almost flat trapezoidal plateau, which measures approximately 600 × 300 m.

The plateau is surrounded by powerful fortress walls with a total length of 1400 m and a thickness of about 4 m, in which 37 towers are arranged.

On the plateau, palaces, a synagogue, armories, pits for collecting and storing rainwater and other ancillary structures were built.

The fortress now houses the palace of King Herod, a synagogue, fragments of mosaics, water reservoirs carved into the rocks, cold and hot baths and much more.

Photo 9.

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

In addition, a synagogue was also found in the ruins of the Gamla fortress. This proved that among the ancient Jews, the existence of synagogues did not depend on the existence of the Temple.

In 66 A.D. e. Masada was taken by the rebellious Zealots, the Roman garrison was massacred.

In 67 AD, representatives of the radical party settled in Masada, which led the uprising against the Romans, which resulted in a long Jewish war.

In 70 AD, after the capture of Jerusalem by the Roman legions, Masada became the last stronghold of the rebels. The defenders of the fortress barely numbered about 1,000 people, including women and children, but they held Masada for another 3 years.

Photo 10.

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

“Not wanting to surrender to the Romans, the Sicarii decided to commit suicide. Lots were cast, ten executors of the last will were chosen, who killed all the defenders of the fortress, women and children, and then one of them, chosen by lot, killed the rest and committed suicide. The story of the massacre in the fortress was told by a woman who hid in a water reservoir and therefore survived. " Josephus Flavius, "The Jewish War"

Photo 11.

For some 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 \u200b\u200b"The Jewish War", and archaeological finds on the territory of the fortress, including stone tablets with names used as lots by ten executors of the last will, are convinced of the opposite.

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There is also a version that when the Romans broke through the fortress wall, the defenders of the fortress set fire to all the buildings.

However, human remains and / or graves have never been found on the territory of the fortress (it is worth recalling that we are talking about a thousand people, which is quite a lot for such a relatively small area), therefore, no version has yet found sufficiently strong confirmation.

The ruins of the fortress were first discovered in 1862, while thorough excavations were carried out in 1963-65.

Since 1971, a funicular has been operating on Masada connecting the foot of the cliff with its top. You can also climb on foot to the gates of the fortress along the "serpentine path" winding along the eastern side of the cliff.

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How to get there

1. To the East Entrance to Massada from Jerusalem.We arrive in Jerusalem along highway number 1 to the entrance to the city. Then, using the road signs, we move towards the Dead Sea. Passing the intersection of a-Giv'a-Tsorfatit (Tzomet haGiva haTzorfatit), follow, without turning, along a section of the highway for about 30 km and going down to the Dead Sea. At the Tzomet Beyt haArava junction, turn south and head straight for Massada. On this section of the road, we pass the kibbutz (a kibbutz is an agricultural or economic-industrial commune) Almog, KALIA, Mitspe Shalem, Ein Gedi.

2. To the East Entrance to Massada from the side of Arad.Arriving in Massada from the northern regions of Israel take the general direction to Beer Sheva and, reaching the Tzomet Lehavim junction, turn east, onto highway 31, along which they travel several tens of kilometers (bypassing, mainly, Bedouin settlements, and also Tel Arad - an archaeological mound that preserves the cultural layers of the Talmudic period), until they get to the Zohar crossroads (Tzomet Zohar), directly adjacent to the Dead Sea coast. Here you should turn north and, after about 20 km, turn left at the sign for Massada.

3. From Arad to the place of light and sound performance and the siege rampart (Western entrance).The descent to the place of light and sound performance, as well as to the western passage to Massada (ascent along a short path through the siege rampart) is carried out from the side of Arad, from where a highway has been laid specially for this purpose. On this road, already from the very entrance to Arad, there are clearly placed signs.

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The central attractions of Massada

1. Fortress wall. Herod surrounded Massada with the so-called casemate (escarp) wall 1400 meters long, i.e. double walled, with a flat top floor (roof). Inside the wall, piers were placed, forming premises for the garrison (casemates), weapons and food warehouses, etc., and 7 gates were arranged in it. The only object not taken into the wall was the Northern Palace, due to the fact that, thanks to the sheer cliff, there was no way to get to it from the outside.

2. Northern palace (haArmon haTzfoni). It is one of the most impressive surviving relics from the period of King Herod. This palace is one of the most luxurious of the many built by Herod, and it is described in great detail and vividly in the book of Josephus. The Northern Palace was considered the most important object of Massada. The palace has a wall that separates private apartments from public areas and premises.

Why did Herod build the main palace in this particular place? There were a number of good reasons for this:

A. This side of Massada is not exposed to the sun.

B. This sector of the fortress is its most strategic element, because reservoirs are located under the Palace.

Q. This is the northern end of the mountain, even on the hottest days there is a breeze.

However, the builders of the palace would have faced the most serious difficulties in its construction in such a topographically narrow place of Massada, if the architects of Herod had not proposed a very original solution to the task assigned to them. The palace was erected in three tiers, but with a breakdown into three rocky levels with a total 30-meter height spread. The upper tier is located at the top of the cliff, the middle one is at a height of 18 meters below the upper one, and the lower one is 12 meters below the middle one. In the upper tier was the actual entrance to the Northern Palace. It housed rooms for guards, sleeping rooms, a central hall (front or reception hall) and a semicircular panoramic balcony-terrace. From here, an overview of the lower levels of the Palace opens, as well as a view of the Tseelim, Mishmar and Haver streams. From the balcony you can also see the Roman road connecting the sources of the Zeelim stream with the Roman camps.

An internal staircase leads from the area adjacent to the bath complex to the middle tier. Going down it, we pass an underground reservoir, as well as a step carved into the rock, which served as a mikvah for the inhabitants of the Palace (a pool for ritual ablution) and reach a flat space, apparently a round hall, surrounded by two rows of columns around the perimeter, of which only grounds. To the south, under the rock wall, there are flights of stairs and additional rooms. From here we go down to the lower tier, in which there was a rectangular hall (hall) framed by columns and painted with frescoes. On the east side, in the basement, a typical Roman-style bath complex was discovered. Outside there is a tub for washing the feet, and in the interior there are two pools, one for cold and the other for hot water.

To the south of the territory of the Northern Palace, in the same place near the wall of the baths, on the site that served as a gathering place for the rebels, eleven clay shards (ostracons) were found, each containing only one name, inscribed in one handwriting and one ink. One of the names is Ben-Yair, the name of the leader of the defenders of Massada. It is possible that these are the very fatal ostracons that were used for the drawing of lots by the ten last performers of the oath. In any case, this was the expert opinion of prof. Yigal Yadin, whose excavations and research, in fact, opened Massada for visiting the general public ...

3.Western Palace (haArmon haMaaravi). The largest building on the territory of Massada, as one would expect, was also erected by Herod I the Great. Its area is about 4 thousand square meters. m and consists of the remnants of living quarters, a reception hall, bathing rooms lined with mosaics, toilets (royal!), workshops and storage facilities.

4.Food warehouses. About 15 separate warehouses in Massada were built, and some of them have undergone a solid restoration. The rest of the warehouses were left in a pre-restoration state, awaiting a possible restoration by the hands of our descendants. The Massada warehouses were mainly used to store wine, oil, flour and ammunition.

5. Mikvah. The pool for ritual ablution, located in the eastern part of the plateau, was built according to all the rules of the Halakha (highly demanding Jewish religious law). Compliance with Halakha was established by one of the most prominent Hasidic rabbis, our contemporary.

6. Synagogue... This is one of the oldest synagogues in the world, and comparable to it in antiquity was found only in Gamla, in the Golan Heights. Prior to these discoveries, it was believed that the Jews had no need for synagogues as long as they had the Temple. But the confirmed fact of the construction of synagogues that existed before the destruction of the Second Temple (Titus in 70 AD) proves that the ancient Jews used synagogues regardless of the existence of the Temple.

Photo 15.

The siege stationing of the Romans at Massada

Along with the intractable fortifications of natural origin - especially steep slopes and sheer rocky cliffs that perfectly replaced the fortress walls, King Herod erected a man-made wall 5 meters high around the top of the plateau and about 1400 meters in the perimeter. The fortress wall, as already indicated, itself consisted of two parallel walls: an outer one, 1.4 m thick and an inner one, 1 m thick.The gap between the walls was about 4 meters, and this whole space with a total area of \u200b\u200babout 9 These dunams were covered with a powerful ceiling, and inside they were divided by walls into numerous rooms. Every 40 meters of the walls, watchtowers were erected, between which sentries patrolled along the wall covering. A gate was erected opposite each of the four paths that climbed the mountain: the East gate - against the "Serpentine path" (Shvil ha-Nahash), the Western gate - against the Western path (Shvil ha-Maarav), the North gate - against the Water path (Shvil ha-Mayim) and the Cave Gate (Shaar ha-Mearot) - opposite the South Path (Shvil ha-Darom).

Thanks to such a multifaceted fortification, the Romans were stuck under Massada for many months until they managed to break through the wall, and only in the fall of 73 AD. they managed to defeat an extremely small squad of Zealots. To do this, they had to set up at least 8 siege camps around Massada. The siege was commanded by the Roman governor Flavius \u200b\u200bSilva, who had at his disposal about 10 to 15 thousand people. Starting the blockade, the Romans surrounded the entire mountain with a siege wall about 5 km long. In the last stages of the siege, the Romans also erected a grandiose siege rampart against the western fortress wall. The siege rampart was constructed in alternating layers of trees and soil layers delivered from the nearby Zeelim Creek.

While the Romans were building the rampart, the Zealots did everything in their power to prevent their engineering plan, turning it into a nightmare. Arrows, sling stones were constantly falling on the Romans, and huge stone rounds rolled from the wall, which forced the besiegers to work with one hand and squeeze the shield handle with the other. However, despite fierce resistance, the rampart was completed, a siege tower with a battering ram was built on it, and the wall in the western part was finally breached. However, the story did not end there: the Zealots did not even think to surrender, but under the guise of the Roman initiative behind the rammed wall they managed to build a second - even more powerful - of two parallel rows of logs, the space between which was filled with earth.

The material for this fortification was the dismantled wooden roofs of the palaces, the overlapping of the scarp wall and other wooden elements of the Massada's structures. The paradox was that in this makeshift wall the Romans could not break through, because The ram, designed to destroy stone walls, just got stuck in the soft material! But the Romans found an operational solution to this surprise: they threw torches and incendiary arrows at the wooden frame, the base caught fire and began to crumble, and the ground filling began to crumble, which predetermined the further fate of the defenders of Massada.

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There was a lot 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 by accident. 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 cliff 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 for collecting rainwater into huge storage tanks. The supply of food and drinking water helped the defenders of the fortress to hold the defense for three years.

History of the Masada fortress

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 the rebels, and destroys the First Jerusalem Temple. Soon Masada remains the only stronghold of the rebels. 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 legendary Tenth Legion of the Roman army led the military campaign to capture the last stronghold of the Jewish rebels.

Having studied Mount Masada from all sides, the commander of the legion Flavius \u200b\u200bSilva gives the order to fill a 70-meter stone rampart (ramp) from the western, weaker side of the fortress. With the help of this shaft, the Romans planned to bring the ram as close as possible to the fortress wall.

About 9 thousand slaves led the roads and carried land for the construction of a siege wall around the fortress and sites for throwing machines and 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 that the survivors will be subjected to cruel torture and humiliation, during the night convinces his comrades to prefer death rather than 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 it 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 with swords all the defenders of the fortress, women and children, 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. Ready for battle, the Romans 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. The 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 him react quite bloodyly.

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

For some 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 \u200b\u200b"The Jewish War", and archaeological finds on the territory of the fortress, including stone tablets with names used as lots by ten executors of the last will, are convinced 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 on this winding trail, amazingly beautiful views of the Dead Sea and the picturesque surroundings open up.

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 a historical monument, but also a synonym for national courage, heroism and the desire for freedom, on which more than one generation of the country's inhabitants has been brought up.