Masada

One of my favorite places we visited was the fortress,Masada,because the view was spectacular and the history behind it was interesting.  From the top of the plateau we could see for miles and miles.  In our range of view was the Dead Sea and the beautiful mountains of Jordan.  Some believe that Masada was built by Jonathan the High Priest.  Josephus,who was a first century scholar, wrote about Masada and said that Masada was King Herod's safe haven.  King Herod realized the advantages of Masada because of its location on the plateau, but eventually that wouldn't keep Masada from its fall against the Romans.   According to the brochure, written by Guy Stiebel, "The camps, fortifications, and assault ramp at its base constitute the most complete surviving ancient Roman siege system in the world."  However, the fall of Masada, because of the rebels in the first century,led to many deaths and the destruction of the Kingdom of Judea.

Photos by Aaron Harrison and Chloe Cooper
Info from the brochure from Masada, written by Guy Stiebel