Masada Museum
Opened in 2007, the Masada Museum is a specially designed exhibit of some of the most important artifacts found in Masada. Eight showrooms lead the visitor through dark spaces. The artifacts are lit among silhouettes representing the figures who made and used them. The exhibit pays tribute to Herod’s engineers, the Jewish rebels and refuges, The Roman Tenth Legion, and the archaeological expedition that excavated Masada in the 1960s. Most significant is the last room, showing 12 pottery shards inscribed with names. The last one reads “Ben-Yair”. Yadin, the head of the excavations to Masada, believed this could have been the mark of Elazar Ben Yair, head of the Jewish rebels, in the lot among the last ten rebels before their suicide.
Visiting Masada’s Museum
The museum is in Masada’s visitor center at no extra cost. Personal headsets operate automatically as you enter each room, providing detailed explanations of each exhibit. It is a very informative and highly recommended experience.
A tour of Masada and Masada’s Museum can be combined with a day tour of the Dead Sea.