Oct 2 – Masada and the Dead Sea

We are off today on a drive through the Judaean Desert to Masada…but first, the mix up.  We had been told that our pickup for all tours out of Jerusalem would leave from our hotel.  Not true.  Our hotel is in an old section of town with narrow streets…and our street is actually blocked off most of the time.  Eventually we connected by phone with the tour company.  The bus got within a short block of the hotel and we walked up.  Only a half an hour late by that time.

Most of today's driving will be below sea level.  And there was a huge sign to tell us where sea level was. 

The drive takes us into Palestine (another country) and across the Judean Desert.  

We had a short rest stop at an Ahava facility.  They showed us a short video about their research on the benefits of the minerals and mud from the Dead Sea.  Of course, most of the time was spent in the large shop.  Paul thought he would try their moisturizer.

The drive took us along the Dead Sea. 

Masada was a massive plateau or mesa that stands out by itself and is very distinctive.  Masada is an ancient fortification on the top of a plateau in the Judean Desert.  It is like an island in the desert that stands out by itself and is very distinctive.  It has views that go on forever.  The Dead Sea is near the foot of the plateau.

 At Masada we took a cable car to the top.  

The hike would have been grueling in the heat and sun. 

Masada is an ancient fortification on the top of a plateau.  It is like an island in the desert.  There were several very nice models so that we could see how things looked back in the day.

King Herod built a palace here as a refuge in case of a revolt.  However, Masada is probably better known for the Roman siege of the city in 73-74 AD.  In 73 AD the Jewish Zealots, who had captured Masada from the Romans some years earlier, decided to commit mass suicide rather than become Roman slaves.  Of the population, 960 died.  There were only seven survivors, two women and five children. 

Some excavation work has been done here.  We visited the Northern Palace.

and saw remains of the synagogue...

and the baths, 

and the aqueduct (basically a trench) carved into the side of the mountain.  The aqueduct captures rain water from the cliff sides and diverts it into massive cisterns.  The complex was self-sufficient with enough water for the population as well as farming that was done on top of the mountain.

And we had good views of the Dead Sea from Masada.

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More Masada
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From there it was back through the countryside to a national park center/rest area for lunch.

The afternoon was spent at Kalia Beach, on the shores of the Dead Sea.  We are at an altitude of -430.5 meters (-1,412.4 feet) below sea level.  It is fed by the Jordan River and has no outlet.  The Israel/Jordan border runs right through the middle of the sea. 

The salt content of this hypersaline lake is 34.3%.  This high salt content makes it denser than the human body.  That it why it is so easy to float in the water.  

We both took a turn floating around in the water.  Once you were on your back it was actually rather difficult to get your feet back under you to walk.  It was a fun experience.

The mud of the Dead Sea is supposed to be very good for the skin.  Neither of us tried it but a lot of people had slathered the mud all over themselves.

There was a display of pieces of wood that were totally encrusted with minerals from the Dead Sea.  Guess they spent too much time in the water.

Then it was showers, a quick snack (ice cream bar for Paul, smoothie for Mary), and a long ride back through the desert to Jerusalem. The driver pointed out the spot where we would be picked up tomorrow…absolutely the spot where ALL tours picked up for our hotel.  (Not true, we double checked with the supplier and our pickup was up the street.  Sigh.  They don’t talk to each other much.)

The street outside our hotel in Jerusalem.