Masada Cableway
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The Masada cableway is an
aerial tramway An aerial tramway, aerial tram, sky tram, cable car or aerial cablecar, aerial cableway, ropeway, téléphérique (French), or Seilbahn (German) is a type of aerial lift which uses one or two stationary cables for support, with a third movin ...
at the ancient fortress of
Masada Masada ( ', 'fortress'; ) is a mountain-top fortress complex in the Judaean Desert, overlooking the western shore of the Dead Sea in southeastern Israel. The fort, built in the first century BCE, was constructed atop a natural plateau rising ov ...
,
Israel Israel, officially the State of Israel, is a country in West Asia. It Borders of Israel, shares borders with Lebanon to the north, Syria to the north-east, Jordan to the east, Egypt to the south-west, and the Mediterranean Sea to the west. Isr ...
.


History

The cableway was built in 1971 by the Karl Brändle company of
Switzerland Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a landlocked country located in west-central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the south, France to the west, Germany to the north, and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east. Switzerland ...
to carry people to the ruins at the top of the
plateau In geology and physical geography, a plateau (; ; : plateaus or plateaux), also called a high plain or a tableland, is an area of a highland consisting of flat terrain that is raised sharply above the surrounding area on at least one side. ...
. It had one aerial tramway support pillar and two cabins with a length of 900 metres and an elevation change of 290 metres. It was replaced in 1998 by an aerial tramway built by
Von Roll Von Roll Holding AG is a Swiss industrial group that operates worldwide that was founded in 1803. As one of Switzerland's longest-established industrial companies, Von Roll focuses today on products and systems for electrical applications such a ...
without any support pillar, thus allowing the cabin's hanger to completely enclose the two track ropes and the haul rope. “The Longest Ski-Lifts and Cable Trams in the World”
/ref> Its bottom station is 257 m below and its summit station is 33 metres above sea level, thereby making it the lowest aerial tramway in the world. The cars run every fifteen (15) minutes during operating hours. File:Massada Tram Car by David Shankbone.jpg File:Masada_aerial_tramway_summit_plaque.JPG File:Cable Car at Masada091.jpg


See also

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Tourism in Israel Tourism in Israel is a major economic sector and a significant source of national income. Israel offers a plethora of historical and religious sites, beach resorts, natural sites, archaeological tourism, heritage tourism, adventure tourism, and ...


References


External links


Report with pictures
(French) {{DEFAULTSORT:Masada Cableway Aerial tramways in Israel 1998 establishments in Israel
Cableway Cable transport is a broad class of transport modes that have cables. They transport passengers and goods, often in vehicles called cable cars. The cable may be driven or passive, and items may be moved by pulling, sliding, sailing, or by driv ...