Masada  is a Jewish fortress located in Israel , southwest of the ᴅᴇᴀᴅ Sea . It was largely built by King Herod the Great (Herod I) between 40 BC and 30 BC on a smaller fortress that had existed for decades. It was considered impregnable at the time. Situated on a high plateau with steep cliffs, the fortress has only three paths leading up to it. The eastern side of the fortress is 400 metres above the ᴅᴇᴀᴅ Sea, and the western side is 100 metres above the sea.

Thanks to its location and panoramic views, this 300 m × 600 m diamond-shaped plot of land was very well defended. King Herod I built this mountain into a fortress: this high ground was surrounded by a strong fortification tunnel with nearly 40 towers. Inside the city wall were many buildings such as warehouses, stables, houses and castles, including the North Palace, which had many steps carved into the mountainside.

In addition, to be able to defend for a long time in case of siege, the fortress has many food reserves and 12 water tanks that can hold tens of thousands of cubic meters of rainwater.

Several decades after Herod’s death (4 BC), the fortress was besieged for the first time during the Jewish revolt against the occupying Roman army around AD 70. The Jewish-Roman historian Flavius ​​Josephus recounted the story of the siege of Masada in his work “The Jewish War”. According to him, between AD 70 and 73, after the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem , 973 Zealots resisted a powerful force of 15,000 Roman soldiers under the command of Flavius ​​Silva in the fortress of Masada. First, the general built a wall more than 4 km long around the mountain to separate the besieged people from the outside world and erected a total of 8 military barracks, the remains of which can still be seen today. Next, the Romans built a high earthen platform that reached the western wall of the fortress, which was lower. Through this platform they brought many battering rams closer to the fortress and finally breached the protective ramparts.

According to Flavius ​​Josephus, in this desperate situation the besieged decided to die as free men rather than be captured by the Romans. When the Roman soldiers stormed the city they found only two women and five children alive. All the others in the fortress had committed suicide. Thanks to this legend, Masada became a symbol of the Jewish desire for freedom.

After its fall, Masada was abandoned, except for a temporary stay by Byzantine monks. It was forgotten until 1838 when it was rediscovered and then excavated mainly in the 1960s under the direction of Yigael Yadin .

Although Masada was long forgotten and the reliability of Flavius ​​Josephus’ account is still disputed, the legend has had a great impact. The events surrounding Masada have had a great influence on the self-perception of the Israeli army. The final training exercise of recruits ends after two days on the fortress. In the soldiers’ oath, the fortress has become a symbol of the Jewish people’s will to ᴀssert themselves: “Masada shall never fall again.”

Today Masada is an important destination for tourists visiting the ᴅᴇᴀᴅ Sea , the Negev Desert and the nearby En Gedi oasis . In 2001 Masada was recognized by UNESCO as a world cultural heritage .