January 2, 2017 - Qumran, Ein Gedi, Masada and the Dead Sea

Each day we have spent with our family this past week has been wonderful, memorable and days we will always cherish. Everyone seems to be getting the jet lag under control so we are literally off and running every morning. Today we ventured first to Qumran, the location where the Dead Sea Scrolls were found. The first scrolls were found in 1946 and in the coming years until 1956, some 981 scrolls were found in 11 caves. Qumran has become a National Park and is one of the most interesting tourist attractions in Israel. Qumran is located on the Northwestern shore of the Dead Sea and had a Jewish population as far back as the 8th century BCE.

We saw a short film which explained that the Essenes (a break-away Jewish sect) once inhabited this area. They lived and studied here for two centuries and left in the surrounding caves a magnificent legacy that we now call the Dead Sea Scrolls.

In 1947, a Beduin shepherd found some ancient scrolls in one of the caves while searching for one of his sheep.  Later some French archaeologists excavated the area and found additional scrolls.  The scrolls, hidden in jars for nearly two thousand years were well preserved due to the arid climate.  Included in these scrolls were books of the Old Testament, the Apocrypha and the sect's own works. Some of these works are on display at the Israel Museum in Jerusalem.

The Essenes paid great attention to ritual bathing (up to 10 times each day) and purity.

They lived a communal life in a settlement that made them self reliant. They had a very strict lifestyle.  They had a central dining hall in which ceremonial meals were eaten. The Essenes scribes wrote most of the scrolls found in the adjoining caves.

We looked around, took lots of photos but this is the short version of the story of Qumran. 

 We had several other places to visit so we were off to the next adventure of the day.

G'pa Garth has been a great tour guide and he was excited to take us to En Gedi.  This is the place where David hid from King Saul.  Let's go back and review what happened here.  When David killed Goliath, King Saul sought David to come and live at his house and the King Saul made David leader of his army.  David married one of Saul's daughters but later  Saul became jealous of David because the people loved David more than him.   The King ordered his soldiers to kill him but David's wife warned him and let him escape and this was the area where he came and lived off the land.  

Saul sent thousands of soldiers to find David and kill him.  If you have water, you can survive just about anywhere and David lived here for a long time.  However, one night David found King Saul crouching in a cave and rather than killing him, he cut off a piece of his skirt to show his loyalty.  

This area is made up of soft limestone laid down over hard limestone. When rain falls, it sinks through the porous soft limestone until it hits the harder stone shelf and runs eastward into springs.  Fresh water, ibex for meat and lots of caves for shelter were just what David and his men needed to survive many months in the wilderness.  

The scriptures certainly come to life when 
we visit the places where they happened.

We left Ein Gedi and headed to Masada.

This arial view (which I borrowed from the web) gives you a better perception where Masada is located. Masada was a fortress situated on top of an isolated rock plateau which overlooks the Dead Sea, located 12 miles to the East.  King Herod built great palaces for himself on this plateau between 37 - 31 BCE.  Jewish rebels (Sicarii) overtook this from Herod and lived there until Herod sent troops to take it back.  The troops built a ramp up one side and when Josephus, their leader, could see they would be overcome and taken as slaves, they agreed to die in a mass suicide of 960 people.  Herod's soldiers found everyone dead when they broke through the barricade at the top.  At the right of the photo, notice the ramp that the Romans built to take over the Sicarii.

There is a very steep path you can walk up to the top but we opted to take the tram. 

When we reached the top, there was a walkway and 

steps leading up to the top of the plateau.

"Claire, don't look down!" 

"I've pictured this before but I am surprised to see what it really looks like."

King Herod had built an elaborate water system with aqua ducts that carried rain water and emptied into cisterns for storage.

Cistern used to store water.

It was amazing to think that nearly 1,000 people lived here at one time. 

Below: The bath house was particularly interesting. These pillars

 were underneath the floor.

The hot room floor has been partially reconstructed so that visitors can get an idea of what it would have looked like. These short clay pillars were beneath the bath floor which created an open space.  A furnace would pump hot air into the space beneath the floor where it would circulate and create heat. The heat rising from the floor produced a Turkish-bath effect, like a sauna. In addition, the walls were lined with hollow clay pipes which were pumped full of hot air.  When you exit the bath house you can see where the furnace would have stood to warm the waters and pump hot air through a hole in the bath house wall into the area beneath the bath house floor.

It was truly amazing to see some of the original frescoes which still remain on 

some of the walls. 

The black line shows the height of the original walls that remained 

when the area was excavated. 

The walk down to the lower castle was really steep!  G'pa and G'ma decided not to walk down so there are no photos that show the really steep steps that lead down as you walk on the outer edge of the mountain.  

The Roman camps can still be seen at the base of the plateau. (Rectangular area of rocks)

The photo below shows the ramp that the Roman
 soldiers built to overtake Masada.

Masada was a very interesting place to visit!

We walked down from the top and got ready to take the tram to the bottom.

Our last stop for the day would be the Dead Sea seen in the distance. 

We arrived at the Dead Sea about 4 PM so we had to hurry before the beach front closed. 

Everyone was anxious to get in the water.  G'ma Kathy watched. 

Of course, G'pa Garth was the first to jump in.  

He said, "Come on guys, this is fun!

Just put your shoulders under the water and you will float."  

"Brr . . it's so cold!" said Claire.

"Oh, my gosh, the water is so cold and my whole body burns,"

 said Hannah. 

"This is awesome!" 

G'pa said, "Just put your shoulders in and lean back."

Salt forms as crystals on the rocks along the shoreline.

We picked up some of the salt crystals and saved them to bring home.

The Dead Sea is almost 1,400 feet below sea level and the shores of the Dead Sea represents the lowest spot on earth. 

"The water feels oily," said Adam.

"I'm getting out . . . I'm cold!" 

Other than a few organisms, the Dead Sea contains no life!

 

"I'm freezing . . . let's go home!"

The end of another adventurous day in Israel.

New Year's Day in Jerusalem

We have done so many things today it almost feels like what we did this morning was yesterday, if that makes any sense at all.  We started the day by visiting a pita factory.

Pocket or Pita bread is very popular in Israel so we wanted our grandchildren to see how it was made.

This is freshly baked pita bread.  As soon as we walked in, the guys making it gave each of us one right out of the oven.  It was so hot we could barely hold it.

The dough starts out is a huge bowl where it is mixed.  Freshly baked pittas are far superior to shop-bought and are amazingly simple to make.  They are delicious when stuffed with cheese, meat, vegetables or just torn and dipped in hummus.  The dough is formed into balls and then run through a roller then put in the oven to bake.

When you buy them from the factory, they cost only 1 shekel each.  They are puffed up when they first come out of the oven but become flatter when they cool down.  

Hannah thought the pita bread was "super delicious 

when it's hot right out of the oven."

Our next stop was the YMCA Carillon on David Street. Almost every Sunday I take a group to play the carillon in the tower.  It's always a fun experience for everyone who go.

The lobby of the YMCA is really beautiful and I always stop to admire the blue windows before heading up to the carillon.

The ceilings in the YMCA are stunning and they still had the Christmas decorations up.

Because we arrived early, we had a chance to go to the top of the tower and see the bells.  

Looking out from the bell tower. 

The bells are really weathered and this coming year plans are being made to renovate them.

We went down the stairs to the room where the carillon is located and rang in the hour at 11 AM. I started playing some songs when in walked in Jazef Willem Haazen, Professor of Music from St. Petersburg, Russia, whose poster was on the wall.  Talk about intimidation!  

Fortunately we recognized him when he came into the room.  He told us he had come to give a concert at the YMCA for New Years and also had plans  to meet with a committee to discuss renovation of the bells this coming year.  We asked if he would play the carillon and he gave us a short recital. He was amazing and we were so thrilled to meet him.  I took a video of him playing but don't know how to post it on the blog but take my word . . . he was fabulous!

Jazef was a darling gentleman, very approachable and so willing to talk to us.  He said he lives in Russia and teaches organ, the carillon and music history.  We felt so privileged to meet him and it made our day because I am not sure how many people from the Jerusalem Center have ever had the opportunity to meet him.

Look closely and you will see his poster on the wall. 

He was so sweet to Claire.  He picked her up and sat her on his knee.  I asked him how long he has played the carillon and he said for 60 years!  

He bid us farewell and said he hoped to see us again.  After he left, each of us had the opportunity to play.  Never again will we as a family have the opportunity to do this first day of 2017  which started out with a bang!

Hannah and Adam were so excited to play but first they practiced on the carillon that doesn't broadcast outside.

Aaron and Claire were so excited to play a tune.

Heather was nervous to try but did a great job!  One more wonderful experience in the Holy Land!

Of course Aaron played "Ode to Joy"  perfectly his first try.

Before we knew it, it was time to ring in the hour at 12 noon.  Our next stop would be the Shuk, a huge market place. 

It was lunch time so we headed to our favorite fish and chips kosher restaurant.

Pastries and sweets are very popular in Israel.  

G'pa Garth couldn't resist buying some pomegranates.

While we were waiting for food at the fish and chips place, we watched this interesting couple.  He was decked out in a red jacket, red cowboy boots, hat and red pants and looked like a character out of a comic book.   I was fascinated by the rings on each finger and couldn't imagine how heavy they might be.  

"Hmmm . . . maybe I want some chocolate covered croissants for lunch?"

G'ma Kathy said, "That salad looks good.  That's what I'll order."

We see this artist every time we go to the Shuk.

We bought some bread and vegetables before we left.

You can buy dried chile peppers so why don't they sell green chilies?  I have not been able to find them anywhere in Israel! 

You can buy just about anything at the Shuk.

Merchants are always eager to give out samples.

We usually see the same beggars at the Shuk.  Some collect cans and bottles that people leave at the eating places and others just beg for spare change.  I always feel sorry for people like this and am grateful I am in a much better place in life.  

 

After a very eventful day, we returned to the Jerusalem Center.  This has been a great day but we only one more week so tomorrow we are off to the Dead Sea and Masada.