Take the path down toward the eastern observation point, which is accessible to the mobility-challenged, and continue on the path northward toward the eastern water cistern 22 at the bottom of the slope. The cistern drains the northern half of the plateau, and the makeup of its plaster hints that it may have been quarried as far back as Hasmonean times. A plastered channel originating at the Snake Path gate led water to this cistern. The cistern was renovated and reused by the Byzantines. Continue along the casemate wall and on the left of the path you’ll see a Byzantine monastic cave 23 located in a depression that had apparently originally been a quarry. The monks would remain isolated during the week in cells or caves like this one, and at week’s end they would come together for meals and prayer in the church. From here, head toward the exit via the Snake Path gate 1 next to the flagpole. The round columbarium tower 27 – Leave the path south of the small palace 20b and head toward the round columbarium tower, built during Herod’s time. Pigeons were raised in the lower floor of this tower. Byzantine monastic cell – On the southern side of the plateau, east of the swimming pool, is a two-room monastic cell from the time of the Marda Monastery. Swimming pool 29 – Herod built a large plastered swimming pool at Masada with a flight of stairs leading to the bottom. The construction of this swimming pool with its capacity of 550 cu m in such an arid area attests to the importance Herod accorded the culture of bathing.
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