The depths of the world

May 22 2011

The world did not end, after all.  Not surprising LOL  Today we went to Masada, Qumeran, Jericho and the Dead Sea – the lowest point on the planet; 400m below sea level.  Oh, and we have a new guide.

Masada is the desert fortress of King Herod, perhaps the “mountain retreat” of King David, and it fell in 73CE to the Romans, where (according to Josephus) the Jews committed suicide rather than be taken captive.  The motto of the Israeli army was “Masada shall not fall again” – until it finally occurred to someone that murder/suicide is not something to glorify.  There’s a couple of questions about that story for me – for one thing, Josephus put together his account second-hand, and it’s based on a Roman sense of honour.  For another, suicide is complete anathema to Jews.  And the account of the battle has a few flaws, but all that aside… Masada is breathtaking.  Standing at the top of Herod’s palace, there is a sweeping view of the desert for hundreds of miles in all directions, including the Dead Sea.  It is desolate.  The Judean desert, unlike the Sinai desert, gives the impression that life is not welcome.  Below, on the plain, are the remains of the Roman garrisons, still visible after 2 millennia.  (In another direction are Hollywood props from an old movie; in a third, the stage settings for an opera performance of Aida scheduled in 2 weeks)  The nearest wadi, EinGedi, is a 15-minute drive away, or a half-day trek on foot over some unforgiving territory. 

Inside, however, is a different story.  There were saunas, cold baths, a swimming pool, with the paint still glowing on the walls.  The storehouses were HUGE.  It was a full city, designed to withstand a siege for years – which it did – and support a large community (over 300 people at the end.)  The cisterns were over 3 stories high, supplied by the only natural springs in the area, and by the winter rains.

Qumeran is similar.  Lunch supplied by one of the ever-present shopping mall kibbutzim (this one with Dead Sea spa products to sell) then off to learn about the Essenes and their ascetic lifestyle.  If mad dogs and Englishmen have the monopoly of the noonday sun, lunatics and religious fanatics have the one for extreme climates.  How anyone could build a community in an environment so hostile to life is befuddling to my sybaritic mind.  But the giant cisterns suggest that they collected lots of water, and they took twice-daily all-male community baths, so… they also ate in silence, and had locusts and date honey (no bees.)  As an aside, date honey is pretty good.  And there have been women’s bones found in the Essene community excavations… just mentioning…

Finally to the Dead Sea.  Multiple reminders about the caustic nature of the water, the need to remove all metal, about not getting the water into any open wounds, eyes or anything anyone wants to keep, and the absolute need to shower on leaving to remove the salt.  I have to say, it was like bathing in oil.  Baby oil, not the heavy stuff.  Walking in it felt like going for a dive – it’s so buoyant that it’s like wearing flippers.  But the mud feels great, and your skin does feel like it’s been to a good spa.

Jericho was a short visit to Palestine.  Another border crossing.  Before coming, people had said “I never felt safer than in Jerusalem.”  I’ve never seen so many armed militia in my life.  We’re not allowed to leave the hotel unless we go in groups and let the hotel staff know where we’re going.  After dark, we can’t leave the hotel.  It’s not exactly comforting, since this wasn’t the atmosphere in the other countries.  We’ve also been required to carry passports at all times here.

Tomorrow is Bethlehem and the Via Dolorosa.  Guess who will NOT be carrying a cross up a hill in Jerusalem?  Tonight, though, I will be reading at a Catholic Mass in a Jewish synagogue.

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