Masada is an ancient fortress on an isolated plateau in the eastern edge of Judean desert, one hour south of Jerusalem, overlooking the Dead Sea.
The site was built by Herod in case his Jewish citizens would rise up against him. In the year 66 C.E., in the beginning of the Jewish revolt against the Romans, a group of Jewish insurgents conquered Masada. Later, many other insurgents joined them and started plotting against the Romans, using Masada as their base.
A few years later, the Roman emperor ascended Masada, and put siege to it. After building an embankment for access of siege rams, they breached the doors to the fortress and discovered that all the buildings were on fire, and all the rebels had committed suicide rather than being defeated by the Romans. Today Masada is a very popular site for tourists from all over the world.
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