Masada and The Dead Sea

Masada is the site of Herod's spectacular hilltop fortress.  From our tour notes... The remains of the fortress of Masada are well-preserved and in many cases, have been reconstructed. The most impressive structure on Masada is King Herod’s northern palace, built on three rock terraces overlooking the gorge below. There are many other places of interest, such as the luxurious western palace, several Jewish ritual baths, storerooms, cisterns, watchtowers, and a synagogue built into the casemate wall. But the story of Masada is the story of the Jewish rebels who escaped war torn Jerusalem and found refuge on the mountain. From the hilltop one can see the Roman army bases and imagine how Flavius Silva, the Roman general, organized and planned the siege that would eventually bring the defenders to their final stand. At the breeching point, we see the Roman ramp upon which the Romans soldiers climbed into the fortress on that last day of fighting in the winter of 73 CE...

On our way back to Jerusalem, we stopped at Qumran, a small ancient village along the shores of the Dead Sea, where the Essenes, a monastic Jewish sect from the 1st century BCE and CE found refuge from infighting in Jerusalem. They wrote the Dead Sea Scrolls, and hid them in the caves around their village. Some Christians raise the possibility that John the Baptist may have been associated with the Essenes at Qumran and may have visited or lived there periodically