Masada
Israel · Southern District · 450 m
Description
Masada (מְצָדָה) is a flat-topped rock rising four hundred metres above the Dead Sea with a palace-fortress Herod built into its northern cliff on three hanging terraces. In the year 73 a Roman legion besieged the last Jewish rebels holding it, built a ramp up the western side that is still there, and according to Josephus found nearly a thousand dead by their own hand when they broke through. The story is contested and the site is national symbol as much as archaeology. UNESCO listed it in 2001. The Snake Path takes about an hour, or a cable car does it in three minutes.
Length of stay
Recommended length of stay: 1 day
Travel season
Best time to visit: November – March
- Jan
- Feb
- Mar
- Apr
- May
- Jun
- Jul
- Aug
- Sep
- Oct
- Nov
- Dec
Highlights
- Masada fortress plateau (UNESCO World Heritage)
- Sunrise from the summit over the Dead Sea
- Snake Path climb before dawn
- Herod's northern palace on its hanging terraces
- Cable car to the plateau
- Roman siege ramp and the legionary camps below
- Bathhouse, cisterns and the storerooms
- Synagogue and the scroll fragments found in it
- Masada museum at the visitor centre