Israel: Day of the Dead
On Friday, we ventured outside of Jerusalem to visit some of the “dead” tourist attractions — the Dead Sea Scroll caves, the Dead Sea, and Masada (site of a mass suicide).
On the way, we traveled through the mountains surrounding Jerusalem. Many Bedouins still live in these mountains today. The picture above shows a temporary Bedouin settlement. Our tour guide indicated that Bedouins will settle for a few months and then move on — such an interesting and intriguing way to live.
The barren mountains outside of Jerusalem
Qumran, an archeological site in the West Bank near the caves where the Dead Sea Scrolls were found.
One of the eleven caves near Qumran where Dead Sea Scrolls and other religious texts were discovered.
View of the Dead Sea, mountains of Jordan, and ultralights flying overhead
Area where David went to hide from Saul
The Dead Sea!
You can see the city of Masada on top of the mountain. It was originally a retreat for Herod the Great, but it was later taken by Jewish rebels who were fighting against Roman rule. It was the last Jewish stronghold when the Romans conquered the rebels. To get into the fortress, the Romans built a ramp on the back of the mountain so they could access the city. Instead of being taken captive alive, all of the rebels committed suicide.
Ruins of Masada — a city capable of supporting 1,000 soldiers for 3 years. Herod had a great palace located here, a spa, and synagogue.
The ramp that the Romans built to re-take the city of Masada
Swimming in the Dead Sea — without a doubt, it was one of the most fun and memorable experiences of the entire trip. You literally do not have to lift a finger to float in this water. It’s amazing and SO MUCH fun!
Our last stop of the day (or night) was the city of Jericho. We traveled through it on the bus and stopped at the bottom of this mountain. The green area shown in this picture is where people think Jesus went to be tempted in the desert. Now, a monastery sits on the site.
For more pictures of our trip, be sure to check out the Israel albums in the photo section of blog.
