Masada - Northern Palace

The most monumental building in Masada is at the northern tip of the rock: Herod's Northern Palace, a boldly conceived structure on three levels. The uppermost part, with Herod's residential apartments, ends in a semicircle, from which there is a view of the two lower terraces, now reached on a modern flight of steps on the west side. On the way down cisterns for water can be seen in the rock. On the middle terrace (20m/65ft lower down), which Yadin concluded was designed to serve the purposes of leisure and relaxation, are two concentric rings of walls. 14m/46ft lower down is the square bottom terrace, a peristyle (courtyard surrounded by columns) with fluted Corinthian columns standing on a wall faced with painted plaster.