Masada
| מצדה | |
Aerial view of Masada
|
|
 Shown within Israel
|
|
| Location | Southern District, Israel |
|---|---|
| Region | Judea |
| Coordinates | 31°18′56″N 35°21′14″E / 31.31556°N 35.35389°ECoordinates: 31°18′56″N 35°21′14″E / 31.31556°N 35.35389°E |
| Type | Fortification |
| History | |
| Builder |
Alexander Jannaeus (?) Herod the Great |
| Founded | 1st century BCE |
| Events | Siege of Masada |
| Site notes | |
| Excavation dates | 1963–1965 |
| Archaeologists | Yigael Yadin |
| Website | www |
| Official name | Masada |
| Type | Cultural |
| Criteria | ii, iii, vi |
| Designated | 2001 (25th session) |
| Reference no. | 1040 |
| Region | Asia and Oceania |
Masada (מצדה metsada "fortress") is an ancient fortification in the Southern District of Israel situated on top of an isolated rock plateau, akin to a mesa. It is located on the eastern edge of the Judaean Desert, overlooking the Dead Sea 20 km (12 mi) east of Arad.
Herod the Great built palaces for himself on the mountain and fortified Masada between 37 and 31 BCE. According to Josephus, the siege of Masada by troops of the Roman Empire at the end of the First Jewish–Roman War ended in the mass suicide of 960 people, the Sicarii rebels and their families hiding there.
Masada is one of Israel's most popular tourist attractions.
The cliff of Masada is, geologically speaking, a horst. As the cliffs on the east edge of Masada are about 400 m (1,300 ft) high, and the cliffs on the west are about 90 m (300 ft) high, the natural approaches to the cliff top are very difficult to navigate. The top of the mesa-like plateau is flat and rhomboid-shaped, about 550 m (1,800 ft) by 270 m (890 ft). A casemate wall was around the top of the plateau totaling 1,300 m (4,300 ft) long and 4 m (13 ft) high, with many towers, and the fortress included storehouses, barracks, an armory, a palace, and cisterns that were refilled by rainwater. Three narrow, winding paths led from below up to fortified gates.
...
Wikipedia