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Massada & Qumran
Qumran
is primarily known as an archeological site, the place where the Dead Sea
Scrolls were found.
In 1963 – 1965 a large archaeological expedition uncovered Herod’s fortress and
other buildings, palaces, storerooms and water facilities.
IN 1947, a Bedouin shepherd boy came across the scrolls while trying to retrieve
a lost goat. He found them in a cave on a Cliffside stored and protected in years.
The scrolls are now on display in the Israel Museum in Jerusalem.
Since the retrieval of the scrolls, excavations in the area have revealed much about
the people – the Essenes – who wrote them, including where and how they lived. Ritual
baths, a pottery workshop and a cemetery have also been uncovered. The Essences
lived in Qumran from about 150 BC until 68 AD, working the land and studying religious
texts.
The original home of the Dead Sea Scrolls.
Masada , the ancient fortress built by King Herod the Great atop a lofty natural
plateau overlooking the Dead Sea, was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2001.
In adding Masada to its prestigious World Heritage List, UNESCO cited several aspects
of Masada’s universal value: the site preserves a grand first-century Roman villa,
the remains of the most complete Roman siege system in the world, and tells the
story of the tragic events leading to the last chapter of the Great Revolt of the
Jews against the Romans - the last stand of the rebels who became a symbol of the
struggle fight for freedom from oppression.
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