Visit at Masada National Park
This is a text given to us by the tourist agency organizing the tour at Masada:
Masada is situated atop an isolated rock cliff at the western end of the Judean Desert, overlooking the Dead Sea. It is a place of gaunt and majestic beauty.
On the east the rock falls in a sheer drop of about 450 meters to the Dead Sea (the lowest point on earth, some 400 m. below sea level) and in the west it stands about 100 meters above the surrounding terrain. The natural approaches to the cliff top are very difficult.
Masada is one of the most exciting and frequently-toured places in Israel, and relates a story of perseverance and power, faith and surrender, ambitions, and a tragic end. Masada is a place where battles were waged with rocks and flaming arrows, as well as battles of the human spirit.
A visit to Masada is a thrilling and exciting experience. The chilling story and the archeological remains contribute to the special atmosphere of the site, and preserve its magnificent past. In the year 2000 readers of Traveler Magazine rated Masada as the best tourist site of its type in the world, and in 2001 UNESCO declared Masada a World Heritage Site.
All of these give the visitor the feeling that he is situated in the place where the events took place some 2,000 years ago.
The program of the trip is as follows:
- Arrival to Masada National Park for a visit which includes: a video on the history of the site, a new cable car climbing the mountain, extensive tour of the palace and the ancient synagogue at the top of Masada.
- Descend by cable car and visit of the new museum, with the findings of the excavations on mount Masada.
- Lunch at the new dining area at Masada.
For more information google "Masada" or visit http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Masada.