| Sunday we drove first to Bethany to visit the Church of Lazarus, near where Lazarus was raised from the dead. Afterwards we drove to Masada along the Dead Sea and explored the amazing partially-restored archeological site of Herod the Great�s hilltop palace fortress. This fortress was virtually impregnable. Here 967 Jewish zealots held off the Roman Legion for 3 years after the fall of Jerusalem in 70 A.D. When Masada finally fell, 960 chose mass suicide rather than capture by the Roman army. From on top Masada we had a fantastic view of the Dead Sea and the Judean Wilderness. The Dead Sea, the lowest place on earth, is 1292 feet below sea level. Because of increased over-exploitation by Israel and Jordan, the water flowing into the Dead Sea from the Jordan River has decreased in recent decades, causing more land to be exposed at this southern end. |
