The Northern Palace at Masada
Today is the first of our two days at the Dead Sea. At 7:30 this morning we left rainy Jerusalem, which sits 750 meters above sea level, to drive through the Judaean Desert down to the Dead Sea, which is about 430 meters below sea level. Our first stop was Masada, a mountain plateau on the western side of the Dead Sea, which King Herod built out into an impressive palace (see picture). Masada was later occupied by the last of the Jewish rebels in the Jewish War against the Romans. The rebels held out on the mountain top from 70-73 CE, when the Romans finally had enough and stormed the mountain. Instead of taking the cable car, we hiked up the steep mountain on the snake path. David guided us to the most important places and read to us parts of the riveting story of Masada as told by the first century Jewish historian Josephus.
Owls on top of Masada
After a lunch break at the base of Masada we got back into the bus and drove along the western shore of the Dead Sea to Qumran, the site of the ancient Jewish community that left us the famed Dead Sea Scrolls. Having just come from Masada, which is arguably one of the most impressive archaeological sites in all of Israel, if not in the world, the ruins of Qumran may seem small, even insignificant. But Qumran is significant not because of its archaeology but because of the scrolls. David told us the story of the discovery of the first scrolls in 1947, described the small Jewish community who lived here in self-imposed exile at the turn of the common era, and pointed out some of the more impressive features of the site, such as the sophisticated water system and the many ritual baths.
Floating in the Dead Sea.
Our final stop today was at the Dead Sea beach at Kibbutz Kalia. The weather was cloudy and cool, but most of the students took the opportunity to enjoy the unique experience of “swimming” in the Dead Sea. Due to the high salt and mineral content, it is really only possible to float on the surface, but our students had fun experiencing the extreme buoyancy of the water. The water’s unusual chemistry is said to be good for the skin and for healing all kinds of ailments. Finally, we headed to the lovely hostel facing the sea at Ein Gedi, refreshed after a long day outdoors.