In Jesus's Footsteps 
跟随基督的脚步

Massada

马萨达

马萨达（现代希伯来语：מצדה ，读音：metzadá ，意为“要塞”）位于一个孤立岩石台的顶部，是以色列南部地区一个古老的防御工事，其类似于一个平台，就在朱迪亚沙漠的东部边缘，从其上可俯瞰死海。

希律大帝为自己在山上建造宫殿并在公元前37-31年间强化了马萨达的防御工事。根据约瑟夫斯的记述，罗马帝国军队围攻马萨达军事行动在960名西卡里叛军自杀后结束，这些叛军家属也藏身在马萨达中。马萨达位于阿拉德向东20公里（12英里）的位置。

马萨达是以色列最受欢迎的一个旅游景点。

马萨达于2001年被联合国教科文组织评选为世界遗产。

游客可付费进入这里进行徒步旅行，或者支付更多费用搭乘电缆车上到该平台顶部。

这里有两条非常陡峭的登山路径——其中之一为马萨达博物馆，即死海东边的蛇道向上走300米左右（980英尺）。

另一条路径即罗马斜坡也非常陡峭，但是却不用向上爬这么高，这条路径的入口是在山的西侧（从阿拉德路驾车进入）。

徒步旅行者通常会在公园开放时即日出前一个小时出发，以避免碰上中午的高温暴晒，其夏天温度可超过43摄氏度（109华氏度）。

从山东边的蛇道起行（由死海高速公路进入）来一场黎明的徒步旅行被视为“经历马萨达”的一部分，马萨达的电缆车则是为那些不愿消耗体力的游客们准备的，但是电缆车要到早上8点才开始运营。

在缆车基地有一个游客中心和博物馆。

游客们被鼓励自行携带饮水进行徒步旅行，但是在山顶也供应饮用水。

夜间，山的西侧将会上演音乐灯光秀（从阿拉德路驾车或步行进入，再从罗马斜坡下山）

2007年，这里新开放了一家博物馆，其以戏剧的方式展现这里的考古发现。

Masada (Modern Hebrew מצדה metzadá "fortress") is an ancient fortification in the Southern District of Israel situated on top of an isolated rock plateau, akin to a mesa, on the eastern edge of the Judaean Desert, overlooking the Dead Sea. 

Herod the Great built palaces for himself on the mountain and fortified Masada between 37 and 31 BCE. According to Josephus, the Siege of Masada by troops of the Roman Empire towards the end of the First Jewish–Roman War ended in the mass suicide of the 960 Sicarii rebels and their families hiding there.

Masada is located 20 kilometers (12 mi) east of Arad.

Masada is one of Israel's most popular tourist attractions.

Masada was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2001.

Visitors can pay to enter and hike up, or pay more to take a cable car to the top of the mesa. There are two very steep hiking paths up – the Snake Trail leaves from the eastern (Dead Sea) side at the Masada Museum and gains approximately 300 meters (980 ft.) in elevation.

The Roman Ramp trail is also very steep, but has less elevation gain, and is accessed from the western side of the mountain (with access by car from the Arad road). Hikers frequently start an hour before sunrise when the park opens, to avoid the mid-day heat, which can exceed 43 °C (109 °F) in the summer.

While a dawn hike up the Snake Path on the eastern side of the mountain (access via the Dead Sea Highway) is considered part of the "Masada experience," a cable car operates at the site for those who wish to avoid the physical exertion, but does not open until 8am. There is a visitor’s center and museum at the base of the cable car.

Visitors are encouraged to bring drinking water for the hike up; however, water is available at the top.

An audiovisual light show is presented nightly on the western side of the mountain (access by car from the Arad road or by foot, down the mountain via the Roman ramp path). Masada is an Israeli National Park and there is a park entrance fee.

In 2007, a new museum opened at the site, in which archeological findings are displayed in a theatrical setting.