The world-famous site of the remains of a magnificent fortress, built in the year 30 BCE by King Herod atop a rock plateau; Masada tells an ancient tale of heroism and sacrifice, of the power of faith to unite and of the triumph of the human spirit in the face of adversities.

Situated against the breathtaking backdrop of the desert panorama to the West and the Dead Sea to the East, Masada is 450 meters high and can be reached on foot by the winding "Snake Trail" or by a cable car that runs from the tourist center to the top of Masada. In the year 2000, readers of Traveler Magazine rated Masada as the best tourist site of its kind in the world, and in 2001, UNESCO declared Masada a World Heritage Site.

Meaning “strong foundation or support” in Hebrew, Masada is a natural fortress built on top of a barren mountainous desert plateau thousands of feet above the Dead Sea.

Herod the Great, King of Judea, (who ruled from 37 to 4 B.C.) originally built Masada as a castle complex in the last century B.C. When the ancient Romans overtook Judea in the first century A.D., the grounds became a fortress for the Jewish people.

A visit to Masada is an evocative and thrilling experience – and one which will surely last in your heart and mind.