At present, visitors can ascend to Masada in three ways: two from the east (from road 90) – by cable car from the eastern entrance or on foot via the Snake Path; and from the west (arriving from Arad) – via the Roman ramp. The visitor route is described from the east (the cable car or the Snake Path). For those ascending from the west (via the Roman ramp) we recommend reaching the shade structure near the church (24) and joining the visitor route from there. The Snake Path Gate 1 – From the upper cable car station, walk along the cliff bridge to the Snake Path gate. To the right, a staircase leads to an ancient cistern and from there to the upper end of the Snake Path. The walls of the gatehouse are decorated with stucco. Along the walls are the original plastered benches that served the guards and those awaiting entry. The stone paving was intended to prevent damage to the floor by the hooves of the donkeys that brought supplies to the mountain. Notice the black line that shows the height of the preservation of the original remains. From the gate, the visitor route leads to a shade structure with a relief map of the mountain’s surface and the visitor routes. From there, turn right to the path leading to the northern complex. The quarry 2 – In Herod’s day, this quarry, to the left of the path, provided the stone – hard and durable dolomite – for construction of Masada’s buildings. The plateau of Masada consists of extensively cracked rock due to its location along the Syrian-African rift, which made the work of the diggers easier. The quarry later served as a dry moat protecting the entrance to the northern complex. Herod’s massive building program required large amounts of stone, which came from on-site quarries and from the digging of water cisterns. Architectural elements such as column, capitals and cornices, made of sandstone (Samara Formation) were brought ready-made to the site, apparently from quarries
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