It’s Mosaic Monday Masada and Jerusalem were two of the garden highlights of the week. I climbed Masada again for the second time and paid a visit to the Jerusalem Botanical Garden.
Masada is an awesome site. It was the last Jewish holdout against the Romans in 70 CE and is the equivalent of a Jewish Alamo. It is next to the Dead Sea, the lowest spot on earth at almost 1400 feet below sea level and is an arid desert. The top of Masada rises 1000 from the base to a height 440 feet above sea level. It is traditional to climb Masada to give tribute to those who held out for three years against the Romans, and to affirm that Masada will not fall again.
Am I really going to climb that?
There aren’t many pictures, because there isn’t much vegetation since it is so arid here, but here are a few pictures that show the locations’ aridness. But enjoy the vista and the few lonely desert plants that were there. Other than the date palms, I don’t know any of the names. One of the plants had airy yellow flowers, another had small white flowers with fine foliage. Still another was a tiny plant with small pink f lowers. While the center plant had beautiful white flowers about 2-3 inches across, fleshy grey foliage and nasty thorns. All growing in this arid desert spot.
A few days earlier, I went to the Jerusalem botanical garden. The garden was divided into areas with plants from different parts of the world. I chose just a few to show. There were many beautiful plants, many in bloom right now. The central photo is of crops that would have been grown in biblical times and included wheat, rye and garlic as well as others. I also have photos of the same blue native lupine that cover the hills, a native California Ceanothus, an Asphodel and native irises.
Well, that’s about it this Mosaic Monday. I would like to thank dear Little Red House for letting me show off some of the beautiful plants that I am seeing on my travels. In about two weeks I will be back at home.
by Yael Ben-Ari
Home Garden Diggers 
You’ve shown me things that I would never see otherwise. What a view from the top of that outcropping. I remember the story of Masada. Very interesting post today. Happy journey!
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Vee,
Thanks. I’m glad you enjoyed it. The climb is incredible….and exhausting. The Dead Sea area is truly an arid, almost moonscape it is so barren and dry.
Yael
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