Israel: Masada Fortress
Masada fortress sits on a flat-top mesa-like plateau right above the expanse of the Dead Sea below. The plateau is 400m/1300ft above the land on the east and 100m/350ft above the ground on the west – as such it is totally isolated and inaccessible. Herod the Great who is considered to be one of the greatest kings of Judea (he ruled at the time of Jesus) built an immense palace on top of the Masada plateau. During the Jewish-Roman war, the Roman troops laid a siege to the fortress and its 960 inhabitants committed a mass suicide rather then be conquered and enslaved. A cable car whisks you to the top of the plateau and back. It’s a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of the most visited sites in Israel.
