To get to the ruins, you can either hike up the mountain or take a cable car. We opted for the hike up the Snake Trail (which you can see in this photo), and quickly realized that hiking in the desert is no joke.
Just a small portion of the ruins. It is miraculous how intact so many of the walls and buildings still are after all of these years.
The inside of one of the remaining structures. The black line on the wall indicates where the original wall ends, so the colorful pieces date back over 2000 years.
The bathhouse room had a unique heating system that involved two floors. Here you can see some of the pillars that held the upper floor a couple feet above the lower floor. A furnace outside the room funneled hot air into the cavity between the floors, which heated the water poured on top of the second floor.
Looking directly at the center of this photo, you can see a diamond shape in the sand. This is one of the spots where the Romans set up camp as they planned their siege of Masada. I kept thinking how terrifying it would have been to be at the top of the mountain just watching the Romans plan their attack on your home.
Perspective on how steep the mountain really is. In order to invade, the Romans had to build a ramp leading up the side of the mountain.
There are a couple little structures like this around the grounds and we learned that they were designed to house doves. The doves would nest in the spaces between the stone (seen on the left). The residents could use their droppings for fertilizer and eat their meat.
Beautifully preserved tile floor.
Below: A view of the Judean Desert from the top of Masada. The Dead Sea is the body of water in the distance.
Remains of the Byzantine church.
The Dead Sea was a well-deserved treat after spending the day hiking and walking around in the hot sun. Just look at that water! This is the lowest point on Earth and the high salt content of the water prevents you from sinking.
Although gorgeous, the water does have an interesting texture-- almost slimy from all of the minerals it contains. You come out feeling oily and gritty, but then you just cover yourself in mud anyway :)
The mud pit.
All along the shoreline, we found these huge salt deposits. The rocks along the water were all covered in a thick layer of hardened salt.
For some reason I thought the water of the Dead Sea was going to be fairly dirty and murky, but it turned out to be just the opposite. The water was crystal clear and bright blue!
The Dead Sea is a place that I learned about in text books growing up, but I honestly never imagined I would have the opportunity to experience it myself. This was such a magical day and I hope the pictures do it justice!
xo. D+E
Your guys' pictures are unreal! That mud covered one is prime candidate for a holiday card cover:) What an adventure!!!
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