Tobia Ziklik

Masada is a rugged natural fortress, of majestic beauty, in the Judean Desert overlooking the Dead Sea. It is a symbol of the ancient kingdom of Israel, its violent destruction, and the last stand of Jewish patriots in the face of the Roman enemy, in 73 CE.

It was built as a palace complex, in the classic style of the early Roman Empire, by Herod the Great, king of Judea, who reigned in the years 37-4 BCE.

The camps, fortifications and ramp that encircle the monument constitute the most complete Roman siege works surviving to the present day.

As I mentioned in my Israel Trip Day 5 post, the original plan was to spend an hour or two at Massada towards the end of the fifth day, but by the time we reached Massada, we would have only had half an hour to spend, including the cable car rides up and down.

Saddened, I decided that we would return the next day and take the first cable car up at eight in the morning, and push the rest of our schedule out by a couple of hours. However, in the middle of the night, Arnon woke me up to suggest that we do what a lot of people do when they visit Massada, which is to start out super early and hike the Snake Path to the top of Massada in time to see the sun rise over the Moab Mountain range in Jordan.

Naturally, I’ve always wanted to do that, but come on—I’m fat, out of shape, and it’s no secret that I have a damaged hip. Still, Arnon insisted that I could do it, so we drove to the base of Massada and were the first people that day to start the miserable trek to the top.

We started our hike at a quarter to five, and even though it was pitch dark outside and I was dressed in a thin t-shirt and a hiking skirt, I was sweating like a pig. Can you believe it was 40 degrees celsius at that hour?

There were about a dozen of us at the start, mostly Germans and Australians, and believe it or not, I was not the one struggling the most, though I had to stop and catch my breath a million times. Arnon patiently kept pace with me, sometimes walking backwards up the hill to slow down.

At one point, three Israeli-Americans passed by, complaining about the steep hike and the extreme heat, and wondering out loud how the Roman soliders used to do the same trek in full armor with supplies on their backs. My father-in-law had once told me that while in the Israeli Defense Force, his troop had to hike Massada with all of their gear in the middle of the day to toughen up. Thinking of the Romans and my father-in-law made me feel better … for about thirty seconds.

By the way, it’s only supposed to take about forty-five minutes to hike to the top, but my fat ass took an hour and a quarter. Towards the end, it was fairly bright out and I was sure the sun would make an appearance before I reached the top, so I started to panic. But we made it to the top of the watch tower with time to spare.

While we waited for sunrise, we watched a festive procession arrive (by cable car – an exception for special occasions) and head to the ancient synagogue for someone’s Bar Mitzvah. After sunrise, we walked over to the synagogue to observe. The people there were very welcoming, inviting us to participate, but Arnon didn’t want to.

Massada doesn’t look like much to a lot of people, but I think it’s magnificent. Its location is so desolate, so harsh, and yet so beautiful. The hike up the Snake Path makes you feel like you’ve earned your entrance into the fortress.

From the terraces of the Northern Palace, where Herod the Great used to vacation, there’s an amazing view of what seems like an expanse of hell on earth with a blue oasis in the distance. I imagined myself as Herod, dressed in silk robes, taking in the view and thinking in Mel Brooks fashion that "it’s good to be the king." It’s easy to pretend you’re Herod when you’re delirious from the heat.

On the western side of Massada, you can see the remains of the Roman ramp, the means by which the Romans gained access to Massada, marking the end of the ancient kingdom of Israel.

The final eight pictures show you Massada in reverse. I would have liked to have taken photos as I entered the Massada area, but it was obviously too dark.

By the time we left Massada, it was only nine in the morning, so we headed back to the hotel for breakfast and prepared to head north. I’ll share those details in my next post.