2021-04-16 Fri

Masada (Ruins of Masada), an ancient fortification in the Southern District of Israel, site of the jews’ last stand against the Romans after the fall of Jerusalem. It is located on the eastern edge of the Judaean Desert, overlooking the Dead Sea 20 km east of Arad.

Some authorities hold that the site was settled at the time of the First Temple (c. 900 BCE), but Masada is renowned for the palaces and fortifications of Herod the Great, king of Judaea under the Romans, and for its resistance to the Roman siege in 72–73 CE.

According to Josephus, the siege of Masada by Roman troops from 73 to 74 CE, at the end of the First Jewish–Roman War, ended in the mass suicide of the 960 Sicarii rebels who were hiding there. However, the archaeological evidence relevant to this event is ambiguous at best and rejected entirely by some scholars.

In the 20th century, Masada became a symbol of Jewish national heroism, and it is now one of Israel’s most popular tourist attractions. It was designated a UNESCO World Heritage site in 2001.

Depicted above is a set of three Masada commemorative stamps, issued by Israel in 1965.

Image Source: Wikipedia.org