The view from our oasis as a new day dawns. A truck drives toward bedouin villages.

After a short drive we arrive at Masada, a mountain atop which King Herod built palaces and a desert retreat.

Herod’s north palace was tiered in several layers. Carved into the rock walls far below: massive cisterns for storing water.

As we walked up the side of the ramp built during the Roman siege 2,000 years ago, we saw an unusual site. Recent rains had uncovered some of the wood foundation of the siege ramp.

Dramatic view from the top of Masada: the mountains of Jordan and the Dead Sea in the distance. At the foot of Masada, the outlines of several of the Roman camps can be seen just outside the siege wall.

As we waited for everyone to make it down the cable car, I watched birds scavenging water at the drinking fountain.

Further north along the Dead Sea, at the oasis of Engedi, the excavated ruins of an ancient synagogue, amost 2,000 years old, are covered by a tent-like awning.

Near the Bamah (#10) of this synagogue, an excavation in the early 1970s found the burnt remains of an ancient scroll. This cinder-like scroll was unreadable until just a few years ago when University of Kentucky professor Brent Seales developed software to virtually unroll a CT-scan of the document. When the words became visible through this process, it was discovered that the scroll was actually the Old Testament book of Leviticus, which made it the oldest known biblical text outside of the Dead Sea scrolls.

Our group divided at Engedi. Some went to look at the synagogue, others went to see the lush waterfall greenery. The Bible says this region attracted both David and Solomon. “Now when Saul returned from pursuing the Philistines, he was told, saying, ‘Behold, David is in the wilderness of Engedi.'” – I Samuel 24:1 “My beloved is to me a cluster of henna blossoms in the vineyards of Engedi.” – Song of Solomon 1:14

For the last few years, John DeLancey has offered participants of his tours a side trip to Qumran Cave #1, where the first of the Dead Sea Scrolls were discovered by bedouin shepherds in 1947.

Qumran Cave #1 on the left. The Essene settlement buildings at Qumran on the right, with the Dead Sea in the background.

Just north of the Dead Sea is the traditional spot on the Jordan River where it’s believed Jesus was baptized by John the Baptist. The water is muddy and not a lot of people choose to be baptized here.

The area around the baptismal site has been partially cleared of mines and just recently re-opened for pilgrims. For many years it was on the border between Israel and Jordan and off-limits to visitors.

The final event of the day, a dip in the Dead Sea, enjoying the unnatural bouyancy caused by the high mineral content.