The Dea Sea and Masada

After Bet Shean, we stopped for lunch in Jericho and then headed south to the lowest point on the earth- the Dead Sea. The Dead Sea has a salinity of 32% which makes it about 9 times saltier than earth's oceans. Because of the density of the water, you can float effortlessly in the Dead Sea. It is also the site of many resorts and spas (I had an excellent massage!). The minerals found in the Dead Sea are used in many types of skin treatments.

Panorama of the Dead Sea

We stayed at a very nice hotel at the Dead Sea. Here is what a typical meal looked like- the first plate was salads.

The second plate was usually meat, veggies, rice, pita and hummus. 

The next morning, we got up at 4:30 to hike to the top of Masada and watch the sunrise. The hike is about 1000 feet up and took about 30 minutes.

Here is the sunrise over the Dead Sea.

Mike brought some instant coffee to make with our cold water- not the best cup of coffee that I have had.

The crew

Cheers!

We had about a two hour wait and then the rest of our group took a tram up to the top of the fortress for our tour.

Masada was a fortress built by Herod the Great between 37-31 BC. He built it as a place of retreat in the case of revolt and originally, there were two palaces at the top of Masada as well as an armory, cisterns, barracks and storehouses.

Masada was the site of a rebellion by a group of Jews against the Romans in 73 AD. The Jews held out against the Romans until a siege ramp was constructed. When the Romans finally reached the top of Masada, all 960 (or most) of its inhabitants were dead due to mass suicide.