Masada
מצדה
A fortress of Herod the Great on a solitary peak beside the Dead Sea. It is a World Heritage Site and is often combined with floating in the Dead Sea as a day trip.
Masada is a palace-fortress built by Herod the Great on an isolated plateau about 400 metres high on the western shore of the Dead Sea. The story of the Jewish defenders who died together in AD 73, rather than surrender to the besieging Romans, has made it a symbol of the Israeli nation. It was inscribed as a World Heritage Site in 2001. Visitors can take the cable car to the top, or hike the Snake Path on the eastern side for about an hour before sunrise. The summit contains remains of the Northern Palace, bathhouses, storerooms and the Roman siege ramp. Admission, including the cable car, is about 80 shekels. It is about 1.5 hours' drive from Jerusalem, and it can be combined on the same day with floating in the Dead Sea and Ein Gedi.
Opening hours
Approx. 8:00 am–5:00 pm (Snake Path opens before sunrise in summer; cable car per official schedule)
Nearby sights
- Cave of the Patriarchs (Hebron)
- Church of the Nativity, Bethlehem
- Haas Promenade (Armon HaNatziv)
- Jerusalem Biblical Zoo
- The First Station
- City of David & Hezekiah's Tunnel
- Cenacle & King David's Tomb
- Abbey of the Dormition