MASADA - FORTRESS IN THE SKY

Remains of buildings in the Western Palace

The fortress-palace of Masada was its own world.

Isolated in the rugged wilderness along the western shore of the Dead Sea, it could survive for long periods of time without help or supplies from the outside world. Its water storage system and hoard of food supplies made it independent - which is exactly as Herod the Great had planned.

He gave the site its most distinctive features:

• the casemate wall surrounding the crest of the hill
• an elaborate system for diverting and storing runoff from winter rains
• a storehouse complex covering about 2,200 square yards (see above)
• a large bathhouse of Roman design
• a sumptuous villa built on three terraces at the northern end of the site.

It was to be a refuge from potential enemies - of which Herod had many.