This morning we got an early start because we had to drive north again for several hours, to return to the same border crossing to go back into Israel. We were hoping for it to go more smoothly than when we entered Jordan. Once again I was selected for special screening. I'm convinced it has to do with my Egypt Visa. Additionally my baggage was deemed suspicious because of stone tile mosaic I purchased in Jordan. There was some waiting but it went pretty smooth and we made in through in about half the time.
From there we went to Qumran. Our guide said this a very poor archeological sight except for the fact that it did yield one of the most significant finds ever discovered. The Dead Sea Scrolls were found here. We did not spend much time here because there really isn't much to see. The scrolls are the oldest copy of the Old Testament in existence. He said the entire Old Testament, except for the book of Ester, is found in the scrolls and it is 99.9% the same as the writings we have today. This find just adds to the credibility and reliability of the bible.
Afterward we drove down to the southern end of the Dead Sea and went to Masada.
Masada is a fortress on the top of a plateau. It is the last bastion of Jewish freedom fighters against the Romans. The Romans built a giant ramp that ascended to the top of Masada and attacked the fortress from there. The leader of the Jewish community convinced some 960 members that it would be better to take their own lives rather than to live in shame and fall into the hands of the Romans and become slaves.
That is the traditional account but there are some alternate theories to this because suicide is completely contrary to Jewish beliefs. At the end of our stay a couple of us guys decided to hike down from the top of Masada.
From there we drove a back to the north side of the Dead Sea and took a swim. The Dead Sea is the lowest point on earth. My GPS showed 1360 feet below sea level. The Dead Sea is shrinking and large portions of what used to be submerged are now dry ground. The Jordan river flows into the Dead Sea, but not at a rate that will sustain its level due to evaporation. Israel dammed up a portion of the Jordan river. Water is such a scarce resource that they cannot allow it to be wasted.
I was able to completely cover myself in the black mud of the Dead Sea. It is supposed to be good for the skin and I can report that my skin is softer. I think it just acted as an exfoliate. Swimming in the Dead Sea is an experience. The water does not feel any different but you are extremely buoyant. The water contains one third minerals and hence it is much more dense than regular sea water. You don't even have to make an effort and you just float.
That pretty much ended our program for the day. We started driving west through the Judean wilderness were Jesus was tempted for 40 days. We went through a tunnel that goes under the Mount of Olive and than all of Jerusalem was reveal to us in a moment. It was a breathtaking sight to see.
Once we were settled into our hotel and we finished dinner. A couple of us decided to go for a walk. We were pointed in a direction and just started walking. We walked though a Muslim district and tried to soak in the entire experience. We walked through an opening and to our surprise to the left we had stumbled into the Wailing wall. This was something I was really looking forward to. I was able to go up and touch the wall. It was quite an amazing experience. I think I'm going to walk every night just to soak in as much as I can. We will stay in Jerusalem for the next 3 nights until our departure.
From there we went to Qumran. Our guide said this a very poor archeological sight except for the fact that it did yield one of the most significant finds ever discovered. The Dead Sea Scrolls were found here. We did not spend much time here because there really isn't much to see. The scrolls are the oldest copy of the Old Testament in existence. He said the entire Old Testament, except for the book of Ester, is found in the scrolls and it is 99.9% the same as the writings we have today. This find just adds to the credibility and reliability of the bible.
Afterward we drove down to the southern end of the Dead Sea and went to Masada.
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| Masada |
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| Structures at Masada |
From there we drove a back to the north side of the Dead Sea and took a swim. The Dead Sea is the lowest point on earth. My GPS showed 1360 feet below sea level. The Dead Sea is shrinking and large portions of what used to be submerged are now dry ground. The Jordan river flows into the Dead Sea, but not at a rate that will sustain its level due to evaporation. Israel dammed up a portion of the Jordan river. Water is such a scarce resource that they cannot allow it to be wasted.
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| Covered in Black Mud from the Dead Sea |
That pretty much ended our program for the day. We started driving west through the Judean wilderness were Jesus was tempted for 40 days. We went through a tunnel that goes under the Mount of Olive and than all of Jerusalem was reveal to us in a moment. It was a breathtaking sight to see.
Once we were settled into our hotel and we finished dinner. A couple of us decided to go for a walk. We were pointed in a direction and just started walking. We walked though a Muslim district and tried to soak in the entire experience. We walked through an opening and to our surprise to the left we had stumbled into the Wailing wall. This was something I was really looking forward to. I was able to go up and touch the wall. It was quite an amazing experience. I think I'm going to walk every night just to soak in as much as I can. We will stay in Jerusalem for the next 3 nights until our departure.
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