Masada: Herod's Fortress and the Last Stand

Masada rises almost 400 meters above the Dead Sea, a flat-topped rock the Romans called a fortress of indescribable natural strength. Herod the Great agreed: he built a palace fortress here between 37 and 31 BCE with two luxurious palaces, Roman-style bathhouses, storehouses and a stunning network of cisterns that could hold tens of thousands of cubic meters of water, filled by flash floods from the desert wadis.

The name Masada is tied to the darkest and proudest story in Jewish memory. During the Great Revolt, Sicarii rebels took the fortress in 66 CE, and after Jerusalem fell in 70, they were its last free fighters. In 73 CE the Roman Tenth Legion, under Flavius Silva, surrounded the mountain, built a siege ramp on the western side, and pushed a siege tower to the walls. According to Josephus, the night before the breach the 960 defenders, led by Elazar ben Yair, chose death over slavery, each man taking his family's life in turn. Historians still debate Josephus's account, but the archaeology confirms the siege: the camps, the ramp and the Roman siege line are still visible from above.

Two ways up. The Snake Path on the east zigzags about 400 vertical meters and takes 45 minutes to an hour; the reward is sunrise from the top, when the Judean hills turn pink over the Dead Sea. On the west side you can walk up the Roman ramp in about 15 minutes, which we use when climbing at midday. Most visitors ride the cable car up and down.

At the summit you can walk the casemate wall, visit the small synagogue (one of the oldest known in the world), the large bathhouse, the storehouses and the reconstructed Byzantine church with its mosaic. But the masterpiece is Herod's Northern Palace, three hanging terraces carved into the cliff face, with frescoes and views that still take your breath away.

Practical tips: it gets brutally hot, so go early, bring a hat and at least two liters of water per person, and wear real shoes. Almost every Masada visit is combined with the Dead Sea for a float afterwards, plus Ein Gedi oasis or the Qumran caves.

Masada became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2001, and the Israeli army still holds its swearing-in ceremonies on the summit, under the words "Masada shall not fall again". Our Masada & Dead Sea private tour pairs sunrise (or a relaxed cable-car morning) with the perfect float.