Masada is an ancient fortress located in the Southern District of Israel, on top of an isolated rock plateau overlooking the Dead Sea. It was built by King Herod the Great between 37 and 31 BCE, who built two palaces for himself on the mountain and fortified Masada. The fortress contains a number of barracks, armories, and defensive structures, as well as huge storehouses and cisterns that contained months worth of food and water. The primary defense of Masada was a single-file "snake path" up the 1,300-foot mountain, which was extremely easy to defend from vantage points above.
During the First Jewish-Roman War, a group of Jewish rebels occupied Masada and held out against the Roman army for several years. In AD 72, a Roman legion under the command of General Flavius Silva finally surrounded Masada, but they couldnt reach the small band of holdouts living at the top. In true Roman fashion, the Romans brought in thousands of slaves and spent a number of months building a huge siege ramp up the backside of the mountain. When the Romans finally breached the fortress in the spring, they found that the Jewish rebels had committed mass suicide rather than be captured and enslaved by the Romans.
Today, Masada is one of Israels most popular tourist attractions, attracting around 750,000 visitors a year. Among the ruins are King Herods Palace, which sprawls over three rock terraces, and a Roman-style bathhouse with mosaic floors. The Masada Museum has archaeological exhibits and recreations of historical scenes.
