photos: me on top of the ramp, with sign! - path to the lower cisterns - me in a cistern! - me on the other rocky side of the ramp

We did. We exited Masada through the western “Byzantine” gate and down a path I’d never used before. 10 minutes later, I was right next to it: the Roman siege ramp! I took photo after photo, and then farther down, James shot one after another of me, right on the ramp! I could hardly believe it, after 17 years of waiting, that I was finally touching this incredible historic place that was so crucial to the events of Masada. I couldn’t get enough of it, and I kept walking next to it, on it, taking pictures of it from every angle possible, fully absorbing the experience.

After awhile, we noticed a trail off to the north, and some large cave-like holes in the lower face of the mountain. These are the other huge cisterns that I’ve read about, which captured any run-off of water during the rainy season and stored it for later use. James and I headed off to see them--and found that we could actually descend some stairs into one of them, and stand on its deep floor! Another special thrill, plus unique views up the face of Masada to Herod’s palace, down into the deep canyons at the base of Masada, across to the outlines of the Roman camps and wall, and back to the ramp itself, which now towered above us from the cistern vantage point.