Masada

Masada is an ancient fortress located on a rock plateau on the eastern edge of the Judean Desert overlooking the Dead Sea in Israel's Southern District. Built as a fortress and palace complex by Herod the Great (c. 37–31 BCE), Masada included two palaces, storerooms, a synagogue, bathhouses, and an elaborate water system of cisterns and water channels to survive siege conditions.

During the First Jewish–Roman War (66–73 CE), Masada remained a stubborn outpost held by Jewish rebels as other strongholds fell to Roman forces. In 73–74 CE the Roman legion under Flavius Silva built siege ramps and heavy earthworks around the mountaintop fortress and finally breached Masada. According to the ancient historian Josephus, the defenders chose mass suicide over capture; after the breach the Romans found no surviving defenders.

Excavations led by Yigael Yadin in the 1960s revealed the site's layout and artifacts, including the Northern Palace and the Eastern Palace, the storerooms, cisterns, a synagogue, and the remains of the Roman camps surrounding the plateau. The discoveries illuminated Jewish life in the Herodian fortress and provided insight into ancient engineering, especially Masada's water system and storage capabilities.

Today Masada is a national park administered by the Israel Nature and Parks Authority and a major tourist destination. The summit is accessible by a cable car or via the historic Snake Path trail, which hikers ascend from the desert floor to the plateau.