Metsadah - Masada - מצדה King Herod's fortress that became a stronghold during the Great Revolt

In Southern Israel in the Judean Desert, on a hill is Metsadah, the fortress Herod built, as a place where he could hide from his numerous enemies.
The hill overlooking the Dead Sea is near an ancient road, that leads between the east and the west. The top of the hill is harder than the layers under it and as result of this a table shaped Horst hill.
Herod who was a sophisticated builder, but an extremely cruel individual, constructed a splendid palace in the middle of the desert. His builders had to bring much of the materials from a distance.
At the place are no natural sources of water, so people had to manage with the water they saved from the rain.
Herod built numerous buildings and surrounded the hill with a kazemat wall.

After Herod's dead the place was out of use till it was captured by the zealots during the Great Revolt.
Metsadah was the last stronghold of the Jews in the Revolt and fell in the year 73.
Several kilometres to the North in En Gedi a Jewish settlement existed after the end of the Great Revolt till the sixth century.

Have a look at this video:

Sights of Metsada