• 12/02/2023
  • By binternet
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Massada, the legendary fortress of the Judea Desert<

Perched on a cliff above an almost lunar landscape, the former Massada fortress has dramatic tunes at the height of its legendary.

The isolated complex was the site of a last desperate fight betweenJews besieged by the Roman army, which would have led to mass suicide, preferred to capitulation.

The site, listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is custody of an arid extent of theJudea desert, bordered by the Dead Sea Bleu Scintillant in the distance.Pilgrims often arrive before dawn to take the winding path leading to the top of the cliff while sunrise passes the sand from the brown to pink desert.

The Massada Palatial Complex was built under King Herod Iᵉʳ Le Grand, who reigned by 37 BC.J.-VS.at 29 BC.J.-VS.True classic example of architecture at the beginning of the Roman Empire, its greatness is matched only by the symbolism of the legend associated with it.

A group of Jewish rebels protest against Roman domination has taken hold and the Massada site in 66 AD and occupied it for several years. Les forces romaines ont encerclé la forteresse en 72 aprèsJ.-VS.and finally managed to unravel the walls by building a giant ramp, the traces of which are still visible.

Massada, la forteresse légendaire du désert deJudée

Selon l'historien Titus FlaviusJosèphe, avant que les Romains ne puissent envahir l'enceinte de Massada, les rebelles ont fait le choix du suicide de masse ; les hommes ont tué leurs propres femmes et enfants, puis se sont tués les uns les autres, le dernier homme restant ayant retourné son épée contre lui.According to this story, 960 people have died in this burst of honor.Only two women and five children have survived.

While some have since questioned this story, claiming that the archaeological archives did not mention this bloody episode, the legend has taken great symbolic importance in Jewish culture, and in particular Israeli.The site attracts hundreds of thousands of visitors each year.

Le complexe devint plus tard le site d'une petite colonie de moines chrétiens, mais ils abandonnèrent à leur tour le site vers le 6e siècle de notre ère.After the dissolution of the colony, Massada remained abandoned for more than thirteen centuries until it rediscovered in 1828.He did not really have excavated in the 1960s.

The excavation and restoration of the site have been voluntarily limited, with some concessions to modernity and tourism, including the construction of a cable car for visitors incapable or unwilling to go on arduous hiking at the top, as well as awelcome and a museum at the foot of the cliff. Les transports en commun relientJérusalem et Tel-Aviv au site.