Masada Citadel is located southwest of the Dead Sea (Israel) built by Herod the Great in 40 BC – once considered an impregnable fortress of the Jews.
In the journey to discover Israel, visitors can hardly ignore Madasa Fort – one of the World Heritage Sites recognized by UNSECO in 2001.
If going along the highway from south to north of the Dead Sea, Masada fortress is on the right hand side. The road leading up to the fortress was long and winding and filled with sand and rocks. At the end of the road, a towering mountain appeared, if not introduced first, few people can imagine that on the top of that mountain higher than 400m there is a fortress thousands of meters wide.
Madasa Fort was built on a vertical cliff base. From the fortress one can see the Dead Sea. (Photo: Hien Lam).
Built by Herdo the Great between 40-30 BC, when it was first built, Masada fortress was impregnable.
He did a lot of research before choosing this terrain to build the fortress. To the east, the fortress borders the Dead Sea with an altitude of 400m above sea level, the west has an altitude of more than 100m.
Masada Fortress is located on high ground with vertical cliffs, with only 3 trails to go up. Today, if you travel by trail, you have to go for 3 hours in the burning sun to reach the fortress. If traveling by cable car, the time is reduced to 10 minutes.
If standing on the fortress, visitors can enjoy a panoramic view with a fairly long view, stretching tens of kilometers.
According to UNESCO documents, in fact the fortress was built from a mountain, not a fortress built on a mountain.
Masada Fort has a solid wall system with nearly 40 watchtowers. Inside the city walls are many constructions such as warehouses, stables, houses and castles. In particular, the North Palace has many steps built by cutting into the cliff.
Archaeological excavations show that the various structures within the fortress are linked by 120 sunken steps. The entire final structure is decorated with many mosaics and wall paintings, architectural parts and mosaics are plastered, painted or gilded.
A huge well to store tens of thousands of cubic meters of rainwater in Madasa fortress. (Photo: Hien Lam).
King Herod the Great carefully calculated the case of the castle being besieged, so he built many food stores and 12 water tanks that could hold tens of thousands of cubic meters of rainwater. Archaeologists believe that with its huge reserves of water and food, Masada fortress could withstand the siege for nearly two years.
After the death of King Herod (4 BC), the fortress was besieged for the first time during the Jewish revolt against the occupying Roman army around 70 AD.
Specifically in the period from 70 to 73, after the temple in Jerusalem was destroyed, under the command of Flavius Silva, 973 people of the Zelot movement used Masada fortress as a base and resisted the forces. mighty army of 15,000 Roman soldiers.
In the distance is the ruins – the camp site of the Roman army when occupying the fortress. (Photo: Hien Lam).
Nearly 1,000 people fought very bravely against an army of up to 15,000 soldiers, but in the end still could not use thin force to defeat the enemy.
This battle (taken on the top of the mountain) has great historical and symbolic significance because it was the last attempt of the Jews to rebel against oppression under the Roman Empire.
People who dream of freedom eventually meet a sad ending of mass suicide so as not to return to slavery. Since then, Jews have been scattered throughout Europe, persecuted by terror for 2,000 years, and finally have to overcome the terrible genocide of Nazi Germany in World War II to survive and establish present-day Israel. .
After that battle fell, Masada fortress was abandoned until 1838, it was rediscovered by historians. The main excavations and research took place in the 1950s and 1960s.
Not only is a place of great cultural and historical significance, but Masada Fortress is also an indispensable destination for international tourists on trips to visit the Dead Sea, Negev desert and En Gedi oasis. (Israel).