A Georgia Girl in Germany

After coming down from Masada, we headed to the Dead Sea. Yes, commercialism has reached here -- as is evident from McDonald’s and a Minimarket near the shore ...

...and a Burger King not far down the road. After a quick lunch (from a local restaurant, NOT fast-food), we headed for the water.

People come from all over to the Dead Sea to be healed from skin and nerve problems where the sun and baramite are believed to contribute to the healing. I thought it was intriguing to float with such ease in the salt water. I’ve never been able to gracefully float -- in a pool or the ocean -- so this was absolutely amazing to me!

This is what’s on the sea floor -- huge rock crystals. It was very uncomfortable to step on them, hence just about everyone wearing flip-flops in the water. The further out from the water’s edge, the larger the rock crystals.

I’m holding some salt rocks while floating here. It was a rather strange sensation to “flip” over from floating on my back to floating on my stomach. Several times, I couldn’t stop myself and I kept spinning as if I were on a rotisserie! The hills in the background are in Jordan.

Some areas of the Dead Sea are known for their mud. Unfortunately, this area wasn’t. So, my roommate and I each bough a packet of Dead Sea mud and slathered it on ourselves and let it dry. The high concentration of salts and minerals in this mud is purported to have amazing health properties, including simple things such as cleansing, moisturizing and hydrating your skin and treating psoriasis, eczema, acne and wrinkles to improving blood circulation, and treating arthritis, rheumatism and joint inflammation. I can attest that my skin felt remarkably softer for several days after my visit to the Dead Sea.

Jennifer and I were somewhat of an oddity there, since no one else was slathered in mud. When we went into the water to rinse ourselves off, a group of girls approached us, wanting to get some of our mud for themselves. It seemed strange to “share” mud this way, but they enjoyed it, and we didn’t mind. On a side note, my hair remained slimy and damp for more than two hours -- until we returned to our hotel and I was able to thoroughly wash it!

I chuckled at these warning signs along the road. The signs were several hundred yards from the western shoreline of the Dead Sea, but nonetheless warned of the risk of drowning. Unfortunately, I suspect the signs were originally placed there when the shoreline was much closer -- more evidence of the shrinking of the Dead Sea.

Labels: Israel, Travel

Labels: Israel, Travel

After a few days in Israel, we had another day off from work. This time, we headed to Masada and the Dead Sea. To get there from Tel Aviv, we skirted around Jerusalem, through Mount Scopus, into the West Bank and through the Sinai Desert. It was amazing how quickly the landscape changed after we passed Jerusalem. We stopped briefly when we came to a sign indicating we had traveled down in elevation to sea level. I figured I would have been ripped-off if I had gotten off the bus to take a photo of the camel, so I snapped a few shots through the bus window instead.

The landscape was very mundane -- lots of sand, lots of hills, and not much else ... and more of the same.

We passed a few “green” spots along the way (although not enough that I was able to capture them on my camera). Our tour guided told us that they had more rain than usual, therefore more flowers and bushes were in bloom. Apparently they greenery doesn’t take a chance on missing the opportunity to bloom -- if it rains one day, they bloom the next.

This was my first view of the Dead Sea. The hills on the other side are in Jordan. When we finally made it to the top of Masada, my cell phone kept alerting me to the per-minute charges to place a call from Jordan. The satellite signal was a little off, since I wasn’t actually in Jordan.

After driving south along the shore of the Dead Sea for about half an hour, we came to Masada. You can easily see how this plateau could be used as a fortress, 1,300 feet above the Dead Sea. The first fortress at Masada was believed to have been built during the Hasmonean Period (103 – 76 B.C.), although no architectural remains have been discovered to support this claim with certainty. Herod (who reigned 37 – 4 B.C.) was aware of Masada’s strategic importance, and chose the site as a refuge against his enemies and as a winter palace. He had luxurious palaces, well-stocked storerooms, cisterns and a casemate wall built. After his death, the Romans stationed a garrison at Masada. Shortly after 66 A.D., Masada was conquered by a rebel community of Jews, Essenes and Samarians, who by 70 A.D. were living at the fortress under the command of Eleazar Ben Yair. In 73 A.D., Masada remained the last rebel stronghold in Judea.

Looking eastward from the top of Masada, you can see the sediment of the Dead Sea. The dark layers were left behind during winter, while the light layers were left behind during summer. The Dead Sea used to reach this far toward Masada, but the sea has retreated greatly over the years.

Rather than hiking up the Snake Path to the top, we took a cable-car. After reaching the summit, ancient visitors would likely make their way to the southeastern entrance of the Northern Palace, where they reached a planned compound containing two buildings with an entrance square between them. The rooms of these buildings were richly painted, some with wall paintings. Excavators concluded that this was the main entrance square to the storerooms and the Northern Palace, containing the headquarters of the commandant of Masada. From here, one could control the traffic of visitors to the palace while overseeing the unloading of goods at the entrance to the storerooms. If you look very closely, you can see a black line in the bricks that indicates the height of the original remains. Everything above the black line has been restored.

The view of the Dead Sea from the top of Masada was amazing, as well as depressing. The Dead Sea is shrinking significantly each year, and at its southern end (near Masada) is rather narrow.

This is the grand residence -- or the commandant’s residence -- of Masada. It had a central courtyard surrounded by rooms that later served as home to rebel families. The stones used for Masada’s construction came from atop the plateau. Since Masada is located along the Syrian-African rift, it consisted extensively of cracked rock, which made quarrying it much easier.

Masada had a Roman-style bathhouse near the Northern Palace. This is the caldarium -- hot room. You can see the black line running through the bricks indicating the height of the original walls. This room has a few remaining frescoes on the walls and a double floor. The upper floor stood on brick and stone columns, while hot air flowed under the floor and rose through clay pipes embedded in the walls.

Herod had a massive storeroom complex built to hold food, liquids and weapons. The secret of survival in an emergency in this isolated and remote desert location remains an intriguing question. No doubt, the huge complex of storerooms was critical to survival. There were 29 long rooms surrounded by corridors, with the rooms organized by contents -- liquids and foods stored separately, and with a special wing for storing large quantities of weapons and the raw materials for their manufacture. The room that was designed to store olive oil had holes in the ground to capture and reuse the oil that spilled if jars broke! When the rebels took the fortress, they found well-preserved food supplies, which were attributed to the arid conditions. From the date of storage to when the fortress was captured, nearly a century had elapsed! Of all the desert fortresses, Masada was best prepared for a lengthy siege with a large population.

“For here had been stored a mass of corn, amply sufficient to last for years, abundance of wine and oil, besides every variety of pulse and piles of dates.”
-- Josephus Flavius

We didn’t travel down to Herod’s Northern Palace, but this is a view of the middle terrace from above. The palace was built to host high-ranking visitors and to allow King Herod his solitude. He and his family lived on the upper level, while the two lower levels were used for receptions. A flight of stairs once connected the upper terrace to the lower levels, but it was destroyed in an earthquake.

This model clearly shows the Northern Palace with the plateau above and behind it.

Getting fresh water for Masada’s residents was critical. One of Herod's first undertakings was to create an intricate water supply system -- of crucial importance in the arid climate. Herod quarried numerous cisterns on the summit and the northwestern slope to store reainwater that flowed in the floods in nearby streams. The water was collected by a system of two dams and two aqueducts. Some of these open aqueduct channels are still clearly visible in the valley to the west of Masada. Josephus Flavius described Masada's water supply as “in quantity no less than that of those who had springs at their disposal.” The diamond-shaped area just beyond this channel is the remains of a Roman camp that was established to break the siege against the rebels in ~73-74 A.D.

The channels directed water into 12 huge cisterns on Masada’s rocky slopes. The lower cisterns could hold more than 10.5 million gallons of water! Once there, pack animals would carry the water up to the cisterns on the mountaintop.



This model shows the extensive system of channels that directed water to the base of Masada to sustain the fortress. Herod was not content with merely drinking water, and included water for hygiene and recreation -- as evident from the bathhouses and swimming pool on the southern part of the mountain.

During the final days of the rebel siege, the Romans built eight camps around Masada, a siege wall and a ramp made of earth and wooden supports on a natural slope to the west. The ramp is still visible. After several months, the Romans brought a tower with a battering ram up the ramp and began to batter the wall. The rebels constructed an inner support wall out of wood and earth, which the Romans then set on fire. Rather than being taken slaves, the leaders of the 960-member community decided it would be better to take their own lives and those of their families than to be taken as Roman slaves.

“The Romans, expecting further opposition ... were at a loss to conjecture what had happened... Here encountering the mass of the slain, instead of exulting as over enemies, they admired the nobility of their resolve and the contempt of death displayed by so many in carrying it, unwavering, into execution.”
-- Josephus Flavius

This is the view looking west, toward where the Romans had their camps and attacked Masada. It was very windy on this side of the plateau.

Near where the siege was broken is the Byzantine church, evidence of the monks who settled in the ruins between the 5th and 7th centuries. These monks lived in small buildings, caves and cisterns that had gone out of use, and brought water up from the cisterns on the slopes and from renovated cisterns on the summit. The western room of the church contains a mosaic depicting floral designs and medallions encircling fruit and baskets of communion bread. The walls are decorated with a design created from pottery shards inserted into plaster.

On the southern end of the 20-acre fortress is a large cistern that we climbed down into. The entrance was tucked away, almost out of sight from the expanse above.



It really was quite a ways down, and the steps were rather steep. The walls were covered with many layers of plaster. The window above overlooked Mount Eleazar -- if you had a way to get to the window to peer out.



Once we came out of the Southern Water Cistern, we had a beautiful view of Mount Eleazar. The Dead Sea is to the left ...

... and the Roman camps were to the right and behind.

The southern fort provided a good vantage point to watch the southern approach to Masada. Masada was once accessible via the southern cliff, so this fort was necessary.

This small room toward Masada’s southern tip was a mikveh -- a Jewish ritual bath house. This bath house was used by commoners rather than by Herod and his family.

A nice view of the Dead Sea from the jagged-edged window of the bath house.

One last look at Masada as we continued on our trek to the Dead Sea.

Labels: Israel, Travel

Yesterday morning, Benjamin asked me if he had to wear a coat to school since it was the first day of Spring. Hmmm...it was 30-degrees outside -- that was a definite YES!

Today, he woke up and asked if it was the “next day of Spring.” When I told him yes, he thanked me. I explained that I didn’t make it Spring, that only God could do that. Zachary then chimed in and suggested that I could be Mother Earth. Hmmm...not sure where that thought came from -- or where it was going. Regardless, I love how Benjamin thinks I am talented enough that I can be responsible for Spring’s arrival!

Happy Spring!

Labels: Benjamin, Kid Quotes, Zachary

One of our final stops in Jerusalem was to the Western Wall, also known as the Wailing Wall. It is a retaining wall and forms the foundation of the Temple Mount Plateau, with its large stones -- with no cement or mortar between them to hold them in place -- from King Herod’s time (20 A.D.). More than half of the wall is below the present day ground level, and it is all that remains of the Second Temple.

Biblical Jerusalem was built on two hills with a valley between them. That valley has since been filled in by debris of the destroyed Temple, and was where the present day plaza in front of the Western Wall is located. Ever since the Second Temple was destroyed in 70 A.D., Jews have gathered here in pilgrimage and prayer -- except between 1948 and 1967 when Jerusalem was controlled by the Jordanians and access to the Wall was forbidden. When praying for oneself, one is supposed to touch the wall; while praying for others, one is supposed to write the prayer and leave it in a crevice in the wall. Access to the wall is divided into two sections -- for men and for women. The men’s side is easily five times larger than the women’s side.

When leaving the wall, you’re not supposed to face away from it, but instead should walk slowly backwards. It was very moving to pray at the wall. Unfortunately, we didn’t have an opportunity to tour the Western Wall tunnels, including ancient Herodian streets 50 feel below ground level and running along the length of the wall. If I ever make it back to Jerusalem, I want to tour through there to see the stairs from the time of the Second Temple, the remains of Wilson’s Arch where a road to the Temple passed, a Hasmonean water tunnel, a pool and an ancient quarry.

Just around the corner from the Wailing Wall is the archaeological park with excavations. The dark-domed structure above the excavations here is the El Aqsa Mosque. The Mount of Olives is in the background, and the City of David is further to the right (not visible here, but was easily overlooked from this vantage point).

The excavation sites have revealed much from the time of King Herod, including baths where Jews would purify themselves.

It’s amazing to realize that all of these landmarks were covered and built upon by succeeding generations -- many times over!

Labels: Israel, Travel

The Church of the Holy Sepulchre is one of the holiest Christian shrines, marking the end of the Via Dolorosa and the spot where Jesus was crucified. The original church was built in 325 A.D. by Emperor Constantine the Great after his mother, the Empress Helena, discovered the tomb of Jesus after its location was revealed to her in a dream. Initially, there were three different buildings: the Anastasia, a round church above Jesus’ empty grave; the Martyrium basilica; and the square between the two churches, Calbarium (or Golgotha) -- a shrine marking the place of crucifixion. In 614 A.D. these buildings were destroyed by the Persians. They were rebuilt, only to be destroyed again in 1009 by Caliph Hakim. The Crusaders erected the present church, which includes Jesus’ tomb and the place of crucifixion under one roof, in 1149 after their conquest of Jerusalem.

The 10th Station of the Cross

This staircase leads to the Chapel of the Divestiture -- or Mount Calvary, although the gate at the top remains locked. This is where Jesus was stripped of his garments before being crucified.

“And when they were come to the place, which is called Calvary, there they crucified him, and the malefactors, one on the right hand, and the other on the left.”
-- Luke 23: 33

The 11th Station of the Cross

This room is just inside the steps of Calvary, and marks where Jesus was nailed to the cross. Magnificent mosaics adorn the ceiling here -- lots of rich blues and golds (the photo doesn’t do it justice at all!). This room is guarded by the Roman Catholics.

The 12th Station of the Cross

This altar is in the chapel belonging to the Greek Orthodox, adjacent to the room with the beautiful blue mosaics, and marks the site of Jesus’ death. Behind the glass is the rock of Golgotha where Jesus and the two thieves were crucified. To the right of the altar is a fissure in the rock that is believed to have been caused by an earthquake at the time of Jesus’ death.

“Where they crucified him, and two other with him, on either side, and Jesus in the midst.”
-- John 19: 18

The 13th Station of the Cross

When Jesus was taken down from the Cross, his body was laid on the Stone of Unction (Anointing) and anointed with a mixture of myrrh, aloe and aromatic oils. Pilgrims to the Church place personal relics and gifts upon the stone to make them holy.

“[Joseph] went to Pilate, and begged the body of Jesus. Then Pilate commanded the body to be delivered”
-- Matthew 27: 58

When I placed my hand on the Stone of Unction, I had a tremendous feeling warmth that filled my entire body, and especially my face. I thought for sure my face would be red in this photo because of that warmth. It was an amazing feeling, and I lingered there taking it all in. Of course, I also placed a few gifts on the stone.

Unfortunately, we were pressed for time, so weren’t able to go inside Jesus’ tomb -- the 14th Station of the Cross. The line to get inside the richly decorated Holy Sepulchre was outrageous! However, we did see inside another tomb -- what Jesus’ tomb likely looked like before it was covered by the decorative chapel beneath the main rotunda.

“And when Joseph had taken the body, he wrapped it in a clean linen cloth, and laid it in his own new tomb, which he had hewn out in the rock: and he rolled a great stone to the door of the sepulchre, and departed.”
-- Matthew 27: 59-60

Before we left, I sat on Calvary’s steps.

I’m sure you noticed my references to the “Stations of the Cross.” The Via Dolorosa, “Way of Sorrow” or “Way of the Cross,” is Christendom’s most sacred route -- it’s the path Jesus took from the judgment court to Golgotha, bearing the Cross on his back. There are 14 stations on this route, nine along the narrow street and five inside the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. All are marked by chapels or churches, and every Friday at 3 p.m., Christian pilgrims join the Franciscan progression to retrace these steps and recall Jesus’ agony.

Labels: Israel, Travel