When I visited the Holy Land in 2008, I had the opportunity to see the ancient fortress of Masada. This fortification sits on a hill in the southern district of Israel, on the eastern edge of the Judean desert overlooking the Dead Sea.


Herod the Great built a palace and fortified it on the mountain in 31-37 AD. Israeli armed forces used to have training exercises on this hill and hold graduation ceremonies there. Today, the ancient city atop the mount is an archaeological site where many of the structures buried under centuries of sand and rubble are being carefully restored. A 2,000-year-old date palm seed was uncovered there and taken to Hebrew University in Jerusalem, where it was nurtured and is now growing into a beautiful date palm tree.

I took the cable car from the base of the mountain up to the top, where I walked around the site and looked to the south where I could see the Dead Sea, the lowest land-based elevation on earth. “Why is this hill such an important place in the Holy Land,” I asked our guide? Here’s what I was told:

Roman troops had taken over Jerusalem and all of Judea around 70 AD. After destroying the Temple in Jerusalem, they chased the remaining Jewish rebels south to Masada. According to the historian Josephus, the 960 rebels held out for two years during the Roman siege of Masada. When the Roman army finally completed construction of a ramp up the west side of the mountain and reached the top, they were shocked to find all the occupants dead from an apparent mass suicide. They refused to give the invading army the satisfaction of capture and torture which they knew would happen.

Today, Masada is one of Israel’s most visited tourist attractions, drawing approximately 750,000 visitors each year. In 2001 the site was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

When the Masada National Park is open, visitors can take the tramway to the top. Hikers can take the narrow, winding trail up the side of the mountain to the top, but it can be dangerous. In 2015, a young woman from Florida State University was hiking up the so-called Snake Path and fell to her death when she veered off the path. Hikers are cautioned to stay on the trail and take a bottle of water since temperatures can reach over 100 degrees (F) during the summer months; remember, the hill is situated in the eastern Judean desert. I recommend the visit to anyone who may be interested in biblical history. It’s a journey I shall never forget.