Masada, the High Fortress

[Psalm 18:2-3] “The LORD is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer, my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold. I call upon the LORD, who is worthy to be praised, and I am saved from my enemies.”

Masada (Hebrew: מצדה‎), literally meaning “fortress” or “stronghold,” and in modern Hebrew, “mountain stronghold,” is a place of refuge and protection. It is a natural fortress and tourist attraction in Israel, and a UNESCO World Heritage site.

Masada is located on the eastern side of the Judean Desert, near the Dead Sea coast, on a rocky mountaintop between Ein Gedi and Sodom. To its west lies the bottom of the Ben Yair Valley, and to its southeast, the Masada Valley. Masada stands 450 meters (1,476 feet) above the Dead Sea level. Its eastern cliff is approximately 450 meters (1,476 feet) high, dropping directly to the Dead Sea shore; its western cliff is about 100 meters (328 feet) high. The summit is flat and diamond-shaped, approximately 600 meters (1,968 feet) long from north to south and 300 meters (984 feet) wide from east to west, with a perimeter wall about 1,400 meters (4,593 feet) long. The natural paths leading to Masada are extremely treacherous, with the most prominent being the “Snake Path” on the eastern side.