Herodium - Faith to Move Mountains

Looking towards Jerusalem from the top of Herodium

Tantur is near Bethlehem - you can see over the "Separation" wall the Palestinian villages (really suburbs) of Bethlehem. We took a bus, through a checkpoint to Bethlehem. First stop was the archeological site Herodium. This is a palace/fortress built by Herod on a hill top near Bethlehem.

To make his fortress stronger Herod had the neighbouring hill leveled and the spoil added to the walls of the fortress. Fully a third of the hill is the result of the moving of a mountain. The fortress/palace is visible from Jerusalem. Jesus would have been aware of it. Matthew 17: 19, 20

From the top - the far ridge is Jordan, the Dead Sea is under the haze.

A cistern

Looking down on the remains of the pool

The pool

One of the cisterns under the Palace/Fortress

Inside the Tower