The Other Sea

I recently took you south to Masada in our Israel journey. As you travel south from Jerusalem along Highway 90 toward Masada you drive along a sea. This time, it's not one of my favorite seas, definitely not the Sea of Galilee or the beautiful Mediterranean. It is a very interesting sea with its own kind of beauty, a sea in which nothing can live, a sea where a person can not sink when swimming and a sea that can be very toxic if the water is swallowed. It is a fascinating place! It is the Dead Sea.

The Dead Sea lies 1328 fleet below sea level, the lowest spot on earth within a land mass. It is bordered  by Israel on the west and Jordan on the

A View the Dead Sea from the Top of Masada

east and is one of the saltiest bodies of water on the earth at 33.7% salinity. It's main tributary is the Jordan River and it receives a scant 4 inches
of rain a year. More water evaporates from the Dead Sea each year than it receives; it continues to increase in salinity and is receding from its banks. This is being accelerated because of the diversion of water from the Jordan River causing the sea to not only become smaller in size, but also causing giant sink holes to form along its edge which can be very dangerous in places as well as creating other ecological problems.

The Dead Sea begins at the south end of the Jordan river near Jericho and extends south to Masada. The area along the sea is sparsely populated, with a few small towns (the largest of which is Ein Gedi) and resorts and mineral spas used for health treatments and cosmetic purposes. There are also beaches where one can go to bathe in the water, sometimes after slathering oneself entirely with black mud before entering the sea: this is reported to be very good for the skin. There are also a few nature reserves in the area containing oasis with springs and interesting plant and animal life. Potash (used in fertilizer) and Bromine are several products of the sea and tar was often mined from it by the ancients, particularly the Egyptians who used it in mummification.

Looking Down the Ein Gedi Beach Across to the Hills of Jordan.

            The Dead Sea,
            where everyone
        floats and black mud
             is the fashion.
     (I just don't get the mud!)

Crystals of salts and other minerals line the shores of the sea.

Giant caves were a refuge for David as well as the
hiding place of the Dead Sea Scrolls.

There are also areas of historical significance the area. The traditional baptismal site of Jesus is along the Jordan River just north of the sea. The Judean Desert and its many caves around the sea was a haven for David as he sought refuge from his enemies. Other prominent sites are Ein Gedi, the Qumran Caves – where the Dead Sea  and other Scrolls were found – and, of course, Masada, of which I spoke in my last post. Also, research has shown that the remains of the Sodom and Gomorrah, destroyed by God's  judgement more than likely lie below the sea (Genesis 18 and 19).

It's a place like no other on earth - fascinating!

The shores of the Dead Sea are sparsely populated.

Masada - An Amazing Place With a Tragic Story

Bedouin Camps South of Jerusalem

Masada towers over the rest of the Judean desert.

If you travel south out of Jerusalem, the terrain changes very quickly.  The city and forested terrain drop away and the land becomes barren.  Bedouin camps appear among the sandy hills.  You are entering the desert of Judea and are on the way to Masada and the Dead Sea.

Today you can hike up the Snake Path or take
a cable car to the top of Masada

Masada, what an interesting place, with a tragic story!  Masada is a huge and isolated plateau about 90 minutes south of Jerusalem.  It sits on the Eastern edge of the Judean desert and overlooks the Dead Sea, towering 1300 feet on one side and 3000 feet on the other.  It was first used in a limited way by the Hasmonean king, Alexander Jannaeus, during the first century B.C. It was then captured by Herod the Great who decided to used his formidable construction skills to build a royal city there in three phases.  The first phase included a large palace on the western side along with three smaller palaces, some towers and a swimming pool. (Yes, you read that right - a swimming pool!) There were also storage rooms and an army barracks.  In the second phase Herod added more storage rooms and the magnificent Northern Palace, a construction marvel that literally cascades down the end of the plateau.  In the third phase, about ten years later, the entire top of Masada, except for the Northern palace, was enclosed in a casement wall. The wall was a double wall which provided living quarters for soldiers and servants and more storage.  There was also a dovecote, huge cisterns that could collect enough water for the entire year from the one or two rains that fall, as well as room for growing crops and grazing animals.  The whole plateau was accessed by means of a snake path which still is in use today.

A model shows us what Harod's luxurious
Northern Palace must have looked like.

Looking Down on the Ruins of
The Northern Palace today.

One has to ask why Herod built such an amazing and luxurious city in such a remote place,  There are two reasons: first he loved to build impressive places to exhibit to guests.  Masada was only one of a number of his efforts, among them the Second Temple, Caesarea, and Herodium, which was near the city of Jericho.  He spent as little time as possible in Jerusalem, preferring to escape the city's turmoil for one of his other palaces. Also, he was an evil, paranoid king with many enemies.  Masada was and is remote and easily defended so, in the event of a threat to his rule, he had a secure and luxurious place to which he could escape.

Restored painting gives us a look at Herod's
design taste.

Beautiful mosaics adorned the
floors of Herod's palaces.

The tragic end of ancient Masada occurred several years after  Jerusalem and the Second Temple were leveled by the legions of Rome under the command of Flavius Silva. According to the historian Josephus a  band of Jewish Zealots called Sicarii led by Eleazar Ben Ya'ir escaped to Masada and managed to overcome the Roman garrison and then take up residence there.  In time, the number of Jews on Masada grew to almost 1000 men, women and children. However the Zealots were not content to live peacefully on Masada but raided nearby Jewish villages where they murdered inhabitants and pillaged their belongings as well as harassed Roman troops.

Looking Down Into One of the Large Cisterns on Masada

The remains of Roman camps are clearly
visible from the top of Massada.

Huge catapults rained down large rock
projectiles on Masada.

In 73 A.D.  Flavius Silva laid siege to Masada to take care of the problem of the zealots.  However, due to the almost impregnable nature of the plateau that was not a task easily accomplished.  It took the Tenth Legion three years, 15,000 troops, Jewish prisoners and the construction of a massive siege ramp to finally be able to reach the wall and breach it using battering rams.  The morning after breaching the wall, the Romans entered Masada prepared to finish off the Zealots.  Instead they found that the Zealots had burned the food storage rooms and then committed mass suicide rather than become the slaves of Rome. Josephus states that only two women and five children lived to tell the Romans what had happened and that 960 bodies were found. Archaeologists have found ostraca (pottery shards) bearing the names of ten men (one of them Ben Ya'ir) which are thought to be lots used by the men who killed the others and then each other, leaving the last to kill himself.

The Remains of the Siege Ramp That the Romans
Built to Breech the Wall of Masada

Ostraca found in a store room with the names
of zealots probably were used to draw lots that
final night.

Masada's site was identified in 1842 and excavated between 1963 and 1965 by prominent archaeologist Yigael Yadin.  Due to its remote location much of the ruins of Masada remained, including a good portion of the Roman attack ramp.  The sites of Roman camps all around Masada are clearly visible. Inside the Synagogue portions of Deuteronomy and Ezekiel were found in pits dug in the floor of a small side room and portions of Genesis, Leviticus and Psalms were found elsewhere. In addition there are the remains of a Byzantine church from the 5th and 6th centuries. Much of the ruins of Masada have been restored and are a fascinating place to visit today.  One can still climb the snake path to the top or take the cable car from the modern visitors center.  (One word of caution!  Try to visit in the cooler weather though, as it was 118.4 degrees on the top of Masada during one of our visits.  Dry heat or not, that is hot!!!)

Today Masada is also used for the swearing-in ceremony of soldiers who have completed their basic training in the IDF (Israel Defense Forces).  The soldiers climb the snake path at night and take their oath by torchlight. The ceremony always ends with the declaration "Masada shall not fall again".

Masada Shall Not Fall Again!

Caesarea - By the Beautiful Sea

Looking from the courtyard of Herod's
palace out to the sea.

Herod the Great lived from 74 or 75 B.C until
4 B.C. and was an Idumean or Edomite from South of Judea.  Though the Jews did not consider him one, he converted to Judaism and served the Romans as King of Judea from about 34 B.C. until his death in 4 A.D.  He was also a madman, known for killing many, among them one of his wives and several of his sons as well as every male child under two in the village of Bethlehem when told of the birth of  "a new king" by the visiting Magi who were looking for the Christ child. He was also a genius at construction and was responsible for some of the marvels of that era including the Second Temple in Jerusalem,  Herodium (near Jericho), Masada (a place that we will visit soon) and Caesarea Maritima, an amazing man-made harbor and city by the Mediterranean Sea.

The Caesarea of Herod's time was named after Augustus Caesar and was the military and administrative capital of Judea during the time of the Romans.  It's large man-made harbor made it a

Herod's Palace had a swimming pool that
protruded out into the Mediterranean.

center of trade for ships coming from  all over the world.  It featured a temple dedicated to Augustus Caesar, a large palace that jutted out into the sea, a hippodrome for chariot races and games, baths and a large and diverse population.  Over the years it was conquered repeatedly by the Persians, Turks, Crusaders and finally Muslim invaders, who destroyed it. Jews and Byzantines also inhabited it for brief periods of time. In addition it was devastated by a number earthquakes which finally destroyed the harbor.  It's ruins sit on the Mediterranean halfway between Tel Aviv and Haifa.  

           

             The Remains of the Hippodrome
       at Caesarea

The Theater at Caesarea is still used today

Who is that driving that chariot?

The huge Roman bathes at Caesarea have some beautifully
preserved mosaics

Caesarea was introduced to Christianity when Cornelius the Roman Centurion, and others who had gathered with him, heard the good news of Christ from Peter and were baptized.  Philip the Evangelist also lived in Caesarea often housing the Apostle Paul who was finally impriioned there for two years and appealed his case to Caesar before Festus, the Roman governor at the time.

Ruins of the Ancient Buildings in  the Harbor Area

Looking Toward the Mediterranean from the Harbor Building Ruins

Entrance to the Harbor Through the Crusader Ruins

Today Caesarea is an Israeli National Park.  Archaeological excavations and reconstruction began there in the 1950s and 1960s and continue on a small scale to this day.  The southern end of the site contains the ruins from the time of Romans; and the northern area which was built by the Crusaders has a wonderful example of a moat.  There is also evidence of Muslim influence with a minaret in the harbor area.  Between the two areas is what remains of the harbor which has been developed into a lovely tourist area filled with shops, restaurants, a beach and even a diving school and underwater museum.  It is a popular area for family vacations as it is surrounded by hotels and homes and even is the location of one of the few golf courses in Israel. The theater, built by Herod, has been refurbished and is still used for concerts and events today.  In addition the promenade and restaurant areas are popular and well used and often are the site of newly wedded couples and their entourages who like to come there to have photographs taken.

What a Beautiful Place for Wedding Photos!

                                                                     

The Remains of the Roman Aqueduct

There is also a second popular beach north of the park area in Caesarea where there is a wonderful and picturesque section of a double Roman aqueduct which brought water from springs at the foot of Mt. Carmel.  The beautiful sands and lovely Mediterranean make it another great place to visit in the area.

We have often taken visitors to see Caesarea, but it is also one of our favorite places to go as a couple. We love to sit in one of the restaurants and have a delicious dinner while watching the sun as it sets over the beautiful sea. Caesarea is a wonderful balance between historical significance and modern day pleasure.

Sunset at Caesarea

There's More to Switzerland Than I Thought!

In my last Galilee post I wrote about the Road to Switzerland, a treat brought to us by our somewhat inconsistent but well-meaning GPS unit "Naggy Maggie".  Last Friday we took our niece Meg to several areas in the Galilee and decided to drive home by way of the Road to Switzerland.  When you reach what appears to be almost the top the mountain there is a fork in the road.  The left turn (which we have always taken) heads out toward the town of Afula and across the Jezreel Valley and then home to Haifa. The right fork actually goes to Switzerland. We have never taken that road assuming that was a dead end, someone's home or a small town.  Anyway, we thought that we had seen all that there was to see.  Little did we know!


I wait for the lord, my soul waits, and in His word I hope; my soul waits for the Lord. 

              Psalm 130:5                                               

 

On Friday we decided to take the right fork and found that we had seen only a small part of the beauty that lay above the sea of Galilee.  We found the Switzerland National Forest! (Clearly we had missed the cues on the sign!)  The road wound for miles, got much narrower and climbed to new heights. We passed a flock of sheep and goats being shepherded down the mountain by their Arab shepherd, a herd of long horned cattle and cliffs with an amazing view of the Sea of Galilee and then the city of Tibereas.  There were hiking trails, picnic areas and very few people.  It was an awe inspiring trip!

There's a spiritual application to our experience on the Road to Switzerland.  Sometimes we think that we have seen all that there is to see in our journey with our Lord.  We take the usual road (often a satisfactory one) and then turn out into the valley of everyday life.  But............. if we wait, take a different turn, there is so much more.  He meets us in new ways and they are more wonderful thank you can imagine.  Have you taken any new turns with the Lord lately,spent some extra time?  It takes a little extra effort and sometimes some patience, but you never know what you might find.

     

Our Shepherd is a friendly one
always anxious to meet us.

The End of the Galilee

This is it, really!  There is so much to the Galilee that it has taken me multiple posts to cover even a part of it.  However, there are a few more stops to make as we make our way back to Haifa.  As we leave the Mt. of the Beatitudes and travel toward Tiberias, there is a set of mountain peaks that dominate the lower west side of the Galilee.  Mt. Arbel extends to 380 ft. above sea level which does not sound very high until you consider that much of the area is below sea level. The split between them is a valley created as a part of the Jordan Rift valley which is the product of a geological fault.  The thing that makes this valley notable is that it is a huge weather producer.  The winds frequently sweep through this valley and produce storms on the Sea of Galilee.  This brings to mind a familiar story and the ancient boat from the time of Christ, which unfortunately was in one of my lost blogs.

Mt. Arbel

The Ancient Boat is a fishing boat from the time of Christ.
Can you imagine thirteen men in this boat in a storm?

And behold there arose a great storm on the sea, so that the boat was being swamped by the waves; but he (Jesus) was asleep.  And they went and woke him saying, "Save us Lord; we are perishing." And he said to them, "Why are you afraid, O you of little faith?"  then he rose and rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great calm.                                                         Matthew 8:24-26

South of the Sea of Galilee, where it empties into the Jordan River, is one of two baptismal sites along the Jordan.  It is owned and managed by Kibbutz Kvutsat Kinneret and many Christian pilgrims come to Yardenit to be baptized every year.  What is believed to be the more accurate site of Jesus' baptism, Qsar el Yahud, is in a frontier area between Israel and the country of Jordan near Jericho.  After the Six Day War in 1967, the Israeli Ministry of Tourism decided to set up Yardenit as an alternative to the original site and so it was established.  Qsar el Yahud was reopened in 2011; however, Yardenit is still a popular place for visitors to the Jordan to be baptized.

Many visitors to Israel from around the world are
baptized in the Jordan at Yardinet every year.

 Our trusty GPS unit, which we lovingly call "Naggy Maggie" travels in our car and contains "current" maps of Israel.  In the US, she is quite trustworthy.  However, in Israel she is intermittent in her directions at best.  There are times that she is quite helpful but there have been times when she has sent us through every narrow alley that a location has to offer.  That is why I questioned her directions one day in March when my sister Ann was visiting.  We had just left Yardenit and I decided to turn her on rather than wind my way through Tiberias on my way home.  Just south of Tiberas, she directed me to make a left turn up a very steep mountain road.  Here is the sign that pointed up the road.  Of course, my reaction was "Switzerland, really?".  Should we do this?  Maggie did her job that day! As our car climbed the narrow s-curving road, we were treated to the most beautiful view of the lower Galilee that I've ever seen.  Now we take everyone who visits "up the road to Switzerland" as we travel back to Haifa.  So, I leave you with scenes from The Road to Switzerland.  Shalom until next time!