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GTI Tours 2017 Israel Familiarization Trip
January 2-13, 2017
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Locations and their purposes
Today we hiked Masada, rode camels, and floated in the Dead Sea. We traveled from the lowest place on Earth to the height of Herod’s palace and back again.
Israel’s desert – the “Negev” as we’re calling it – felt hot like other deserts, dry like other deserts, and seemed like any other desert in most ways when I first saw it. I did not know that this land is essentially the intersection of three continents, and an area where the three main trading routes of these continents pass through. After learning that, it became clear why King Herod the Great would want a town and palace built on the highest, most defensible mountain along the Dead Sea with the clearest and most breathtaking view around.
As a group we hiked for an hour up the “Snake Path” to reach the entrance into Masada. We heard the stories about Herod’s palace, the economic benefit of the area, and the eventual mass suicide that took place when 1000 Jews decided they would rather die than serve Rome. This area had been used for so many different purposes over thousands of years: a military camp, a getaway for a king, a trading post, and a fortress for trapped Jews. Locations and their purposes – this seems to be what we talk about over and over again on this tour so far.
Though Masada has been used in many different ways in the past, it is now a symbol of Israeli freedom for those living here. The Jews who sacrificed their lives so long ago have come to inspire these people to die rather than be slaves; to fight for their beliefs. Israel has given this town of Masada a purpose: Inspiration.
Masada
The summit of Masada sits 190 feet (59 m) above sea level and about 1,500 feet (470 m) above the level of the Dead Sea. The mountain itself is 1950 feet (610 m) long, 650 feet (200 m) wide, 4,250 feet (1330 m) in circumference, and encompasses 23 acres. The “Snake Path” climbs 900 feet (280 m) in elevation. From the west, the difference in height is 225 feet (70 m).
A few miles away from Masada we visited a Bedouin village. After our camel ride(a first for me) we drank hot tea in a tent together and learned about how Abraham would have had a similar living space and would have drank tea with his family and friends in a similar way. Through reading in Genesis 18-19 and witnessing this modern village we saw that we can put our location to the same purpose that Abraham did: Hospitality.
In the late afternoon we all headed down to the water and walked into the Dead Sea. We learned that, more than just being hilarious to float in, many people travel from all over the world to be in the Dead Sea and put the mud on their skin. The minerals in the water and mud have already made us feel refreshed. Millions of us go to this location so that it can fulfill our purpose: Healing.
Dead Sea
Known in the Bible as the “Salt Sea” or the “Sea of the Arabah,” this inland body of water is appropriately named because its high mineral content allows nothing to live in its waters. Other post-biblical names for the Dead Sea include the “Sea of Sodom,” the “Sea of Lot,” the “Sea of Asphalt” and the “Stinking Sea.” In the Crusader period, it was sometimes called the “Devil’s Sea.” All of these names reflect something of the nature of this lake.
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