Israel Day 7 - The Dead Sea

This day was the Sabbath in Israel, and many shops and attractions would be shut down in Jerusalem, so, our group went a different direction … to the Dead Sea. Because the day was going to be hot we started out early, eating breakfast and then leaving by 7:15a.m. We drove down the road (4,000 feet) from Jerusalem to the Dead Sea. The terrain was very sandy. This was the Judean wilderness. One could literally see how Jesus could be tempted to turn these rocks into bread.

Our first stop was at Ein Gedi. Ein Gedi is a nature preserve. We saw the trees along the road. There were Coneys in the trees and also atop some of the rocks. Normally Coneys run when they see you. When I walked up next to one, I noticed it was panting, affected by the heat. It did not run, but it did walk. We were also able to get close to antelope.

From the entrance we walked down a valley between the hills on a rock path. There were caves along this rock path. This was the place David hid from King Saul (1 Samuel 24). There was a stream there, a rare bit of moisture in a barren wilderness. Grass and other plants were growing, more and more the further we hiked into the canyon. Up stream at the 2nd water falls the pool was deep enough to take a dip. Many took their shoes off and got into the water.

We traveled further south to Masada. This was King Herod’s desert fortress. It was built to withstand attacks. The top of the mountain (fortress) sits 1,000 feet above the Dead Sea. There is a path up to the top, called the snake path because of its curves. John & Sue DeLancey ran the path (20 minutes). As they arrived, the path was closed for heat. The rest of the group took a cable car to the top. The view was amazing.

Some believe that Jonathan, one of the Maccabees built the original fortress upon the mountain. King Herod greatly expanded it, knowing it would be a place of safety for him. There were storehouses that contained food for years. There was a 1,440,000 cubic feet cistern on top of the mountain which would catch what little rain fell (and we were told about a huge rain storm that comes every several years). Herod could be protected for years if his people ever turned against him. They did not.

What did happen, though, is that at the time Jerusalem fell, a group of Zealots displaced the small Roman garrison upon the mountain and fortified it. The Romans tried to remove them as they worked to end the resistance. But the fortress was too strong, and 967 Zealots were occupying the top. The Romans eventually sent 10,000 and 15,000 troops commanded by Roman General Silva to conquer the Zealots. The Romans built a retaining wall and 8 separate camps around this fortress to lay siege, but the fortress was too well stocked. Finally the Romans built a ramp up the back side of the fortress, and after 3 years of confrontation, entered, only to find the Jews had committed suicide rather than suffer at the hands of the Romans. Shlomo read a passage from Josephus which contained the impassioned speech by their leader.

From Masada, we headed north to Qumran, after lunch several of us took an optional hike up the mountain to see the caves. This is the place where in 1947 a shepherd boy found the Dead Sea Scrolls. Several climbed through one of the caves, which was several caves chiseled together to form one larger unit.

Following our hike John and Shlomo shared how the scrolls were written, and what went on in the Qumran community. Following our tour we went to the Dead Sea to “swim,” or should I say float. To get in, you wade out to mid thigh, then you lay back. We floated. We floated beyond where we could stand up, and then someone said, “Try to put your feet down.” We managed to do it, but this was difficult because of the mineral content of the water. It felt much like a water bed as I lay and rested in the water.

On the return trip to Jerusalem we visited Jericho. We saw a sycamore tree. (Luke 19) We visited the Tel at Jericho and saw the layers of city and excavations including the clay wall from Joshua’s time period. (Joshua 6) We saw a fountain which proclaimed Jericho as the world’s oldest city, 1300 feet below sea level.
On our way we pulled off the main road to find an overlook where we could see the old road from Jericho to Jerusalem. (Luke 10) This area is also known as Wadi Qelt. Below us at the location we stopped there was St. George's monastery. This monastery is built into the rock. It is very beautiful.