Herodion

This past Sunday I went to the Herodion fortress and palace outside Bethlehem with Kate. I'd wanted to do this earlier, but it worked out just as well since I was able to split the cost of the cab ride with Kate.

Herodion is a large mound out at the edge of the Judean wilderness built under orders of Herod the Great, and it is his only creation to bear his name. Atop the artificial mountain is a fortress complex that protected the southern approach to Jerusalem. More importantly, however, it was captured by rebels during the Great Revolt (AD 66-73) and Bar Kokhba revolt (AD 132-135) and used as a stronghold. The latter changed its architecture significantly by turning the Herodian-era dining room into a synagogue and installing a mikvah, or ritual bath. The Bar Kokhba rebels also dug tunnels connecting the water cisterns in order to use them as places of final refuge.

The lower complex, on the plain the base of the fortress mound, was a grand palace for Herod and his guests. In the center was a colonnaded pool with a central structure that served as a hot bath or fountain. There is also a more formal bathhouse which was later made into a Byzantine church for desert religious. We got to climb all over this lower palace complex because the lower section isnt maintained very well, being at the edge of Palestinian territory. We also met up with some children playing around it.

See Facebook for photos.