Visit the ancient Masada and explore a piece of history, Israel

-

Masada a time capsule hidden in the desert. 

Once upon a time Exodus was put upon the people, and there were to wander the desert for 40 years as a punishment. Wandering into the desert and the hottest place in Israel myself, I can’t see nothing but beauty as far as the eye can see. The roughness and scorching heat kind of blows you away in a very unique way. It is an experience that cannot be explained but needs to be experienced for yourself. The Judaea desert is memorable for its spectacular landscape and scenic gorges. Here you can’t be anything but marvel at nature's ability to create and shape the landscape.


But it is hot, hot as in a melting pot. I was sweating from places I didn’t even know I could sweat from, and a lot of it. And there in the middle of it all, on an isolated clifftop in the heart of the desert, overlooking the Dead Sea and the untamed landscape of the Judaea Desert, you find the ancient mountain fortress of Masada, or what is left of it. Originally it was built to be a palace in the early Roman Empire by Herod the Great, King of Judaea. But it became a symbol of the ancient kingdom of Israel, and where the rebels against the Roman empire and fought back in the time of the Great Revolt in 73 A.D. Here they fought for their freedom at the cost of their lives. 


There are two options for reaching the top of the cliff. You can take the walking trail that crawls up the cliff. It gives you around 45 minutes in the scorching and merciless sun sweating and praying for your life. It is called the Snake Path or you can be lazy and grab the cable car up, as it is way to hot to walk. Enjoy the ancient fortress of Masada. It is one of the world’s most beautiful ruins. Exploring and pioneering here gives you a chance of engaging in this enthralling historic events that once took place at this place. Walk through the excavations that are now a UNESCO World Heritage site. 




When done with the excavations turn your eye to the breathtaking view from the top. The Judaea Desert is at your feet and it stretches as far as the eye can see in 360 degrees from the Masada. While resting here on the top of the cliff, hopefully catching a bit of a cooler breeze, notice that the desert isn’t dead at all. Several different species of birds frequent and entertain the tourists, including the Tristram's Starling, the blackstar and the fan-tailed and the brown-necked ravens. Imagine what life would have been like here 2.000 years ago. How the people lived and inhabited this fort. How they transported or even got their hands on food and water. Was life all hard work and no play or did they have the freedom to enjoy the spectacular view?



 How do get to the Masada

The Masada is located in the middle of the Judaea Desert overlooking the Dead Sea. You drive on steep, narrow, twisted roads for one hour and a half from Jerusalem or a bit over two hours from Tel Aviv. The easiest way to do it is to rent a car and do it yourself. Then you get a chance to stop on the way and spent as much time as you want here, and in the Dead Sea. You also have the option of arriving early to climb it early in the morning b to see the ruins at the top as the sun rises over the Dead Sea.
Busses do run fairly direct from Jerusalem, but you don’t want to do too much walking and you can’t walk from the Masada to the Dead Sea in the heat.


Next Stop

While visiting the Masada you must of course go and have a swim in the Dead Sea. It is one of the most famous lakes in the world. It is also the lowest point on earth, surrounded by the epic and gorgeous landscape of the Negev Desert. check out the dead sea at my other blog post.






* All photos are private and taken by me
Location: Masada, Israel

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Top 9 things to do Between Darwin and Katherine (Northern Territory).

-
Image
When spending time in the Northern Territory in Australia here are so many amazing stops to make and things to do. I've made a little collection of 9 of the things I loved and would recommend people to stop by when they are in the area and want some beautiful nature experiences. Enjoy.. 9. Darwin As a state capital, Darwin is worth a visit. You would normally land here if you fly to NT, and spending the day exploring this 'Bush Capital' is a nice stop and gives a vibe on what the Northern Territory is about. Darwin is famous for its nightlife and people seem to be able to drink an enormous amount of alcohol. Besides the partying Darwin is a quaint kind-of-sleepy city where things only start to happen once the sun sets. Watching sunset over the sea, Darwin, NT Checking out the city from the viewpoint, Darwin, NT 8. Umbrawarra Gorge, NT  This park protects a beautiful and isolated gorge with steep red cliffs. Take your time to wander through the gallery...
Read more

Is the difference between a tourist and a racist really three weeks in Africa…??

-
Image
Most travel blogs always write about how amazing and beautiful a place or a location is. Everyone hides the bad stuff, the ugly things. No one wants to buy the ugly truth. We all want to buy the dream, the beautiful, filtered wonder of the world. Who wants to buy cockroaches, racism, harassment and dirty laundry… I will give you a little bit of everything in this blog post. So... Cape Town What is the difference between a tourist and a racist? Three weeks in Africa… This was something I was told once in South Africa when I first visited. First I thought he was crazy, I mean it was such a weird thing to say. He did laugh when he told me but I was skeptical to his intentions. But three weeks into my stay in South Africa I got my first experience of what he meant. I would underline the fact that most of my experiences in Africa have been amazing. I love the continent and would recommend it to everyone. Africa gets under your skin and once you have been here you will al...
Read more

Kalbarri National Park, Western Australia

-
Image
Spectacular, spectacular… Travel into the wild, wild west of Australia and be blown away by the wild wonders and the rough beauty of Western Australia. The Kalbarri National Park is filled with opportunities and is one of the most exciting and beautiful National Park. A park that needs to be experienced for yourself. The Murchison River. Kalbarri is an amazing national park hidden in Western Australia around 8 hours north of Perth, depending on the route you take. The absolute best way to get here is by car. It gives you the freedom of stopping along the way up the coast, and the opportunities of exploring the less touristy parts of the park, and at your own pace. While you drive in the park keep an eye out for the inhabitants of the park. They have a tendency of not respecting stop-signs and can often be found at the side of the road. Every time I see a roadkill I become immensely sad that we do this to live, even if it is not on purpose. While we were driving around Kalbarri ...
Read more