Before departing for an evening in Tel Aviv and our flight back home, Mr. Baber, Mr. Reiser, Collin Baber, and myself drove east to toward the Dead Sea, the lowest point below sea level on the planet. Our first stop was at the ruins of the ancient and mysterious fortress of Masada. A gondola took us to the edge of an immense mesa where once stood the gate of Herod's greatest engineering feat. Complete with massive store rooms, palaces, guard towers, court yards, a library, bath houses, and cisterns, this place was a one of a kind keep in the middle of Judaean desert. While its construction is impressive, its story is equally captivating. Around 70 CE Jewish rebels faught back against the oppressive Roman occupation. Though valient, they were thwarted in the northern region of Galilee down to Jerusalem. The last stop on the Roman's list was Masada. As broken pottery shards made into lots indicate, leaders of Masada decided to commit suicide rather than be cast into slavery. Over 900 people ended their lives before the Romans could reach the summit via a makeshift pile of rocks and dirt leading to the western edge of the walls.
For more on the seige of Masada see this short video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=11iPrDv8aBE&t=2s
A kosher lunch was followed by a dip in the Dead Sea. Keeping it simple, the lake's salt content is one of the densist in the world, which makes swimming similar to floating. The bottom of the Dead Sea is covered with hardened nodules of salt crystals that amass into intricate and quite beautiful formations. The experience was otherworldy. As we reclined on our backs and stomachs we gazed longingly at Jordanian mountains colored of ochres, pinks and light purples. A fitting ending to an adventure filled with wonder.
