Masada

Masada (in Hebrew: מצדה - metsada means: fortress) is an archaeological site and a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Masada is an ancient fortification in the Southern District of Israel. It is on top of an isolated rock plateau, like a mesa. The rock is on the east of the Judaean Desert, and overlooks the Dead Sea.

Herod the Great fortified Masada between 37 and 31 BC, and built palaces for himself on the mountain. 

According to Josephus, the Sicarii, a splinter group of the Hebrew Zealots, held out against a Roman legion here.  This was the Siege of Masada at the end of the First Jewish–Roman War. The seige ended in the mass suicide of 960 people – the rebels and their families.Stiebel, Guy D. 2007. "Masada." Encyclopaedia Judaica. (eds) Michael Berenbaum and Fred Skolnik. 2nd ed, vol 13. Detroit: Macmillan Reference USA, p593–599. Gale Virtual Reference Library.Ben-Yuda, Nachman 2000. The Bible and interpretation: the Masada myth 

The hill is 63 meters above the sea level and 450 above the dead sea level near Mount Elazar.  

 References 

 Other websites 

Masada photos
Masada page on Israeli National Park website 

Category:Archaeological sites in Israel
Category:World Heritage Sites in Asia
Category:1st-century BC buildings and structures
Category:Southern District (Israel)