By Lisa T. Bergren

So…Herod the Great looked at a mountain and saw the basis of another amazing fortress palace to add to his lot. You can almost see him there, taking it all in, like a modern day luxury hotel tycoon, thinking, Yes, yes, I’ll put a palace there.

There are conflicting reports as to why Herod built a fortress in this location. It was on a main road, but the eastern edge of Judea was well protected by old Hasmonean castles that Herod had refortified. A story by Josephus tells us that Herod once was fleeing the Parthians and it was at this site that he turned, fought, and came out the victor.

A Room with a View

With sweeping views that can stretch for sixty miles or more—all the way to Jerusalem and the Dead Sea—and with a location just south of Bethlehem, a shiver runs down my back as I think of the ancient king on the hunt for the promised Jewish King, just born. When word reached him about another king’s birth, and he couldn’t convince the foreign kings (AKA “wise men”) to tell him where Jesus was, he sent his men to kill every male child under the age of two.

Ultimately His Grave

Clearly, this was a ruthless and paranoid man. He ended up killing some of his own children and reportedly, he had a plan in place to kill several beloved Jewish leaders when his own last day came, so that “true mourning” would occur—he knew his people held no real love for him. Fortunately, that order was not carried out. And his grave remained undiscovered over the centuries, until recently, when they found the massive, undecorated granite sarcophagus at the base of the mountain, where they believe Herod was put to rest.

Visiting It Now

This mountain, which workers shaved off at the sides to make it even steeper, and then leveled at the top and then dug out like a volcano, is best entered halfway up, so that you can climb through the tunnels and cisterns below. Tunnels were expanded as escape routes by Jewish rebels, who maintained control of it during the Second Revolt (132-135 AD). Later, it was occupied for a time by a monastery.

Today you can clearly see the heavy foundations of the main, circular tower, the remains of the others, a bath house, columns and at the base of the mountain, Lower Herodion, with its sprawling pool and colonnade that once was the centerpiece for the ruler’s gardens.

The wind whips past us here, fierce and constant. The monument and stones feel empty, literally hollow. Knowing more of Herod’s life story—and his mad, ultimately futile attempts to control present and future—seem to echo through the place that was once a fortress, but could not protect him from life’s end.

Been to a place previously occupied by Herod the Great? Thoughts? Comments? Please share below…