Machaerus

Machaerus (Μαχαιροῦς, from Ancient Greek:  μάχαιρα “Makhaira” (a sword); Arabic: ِقلة المشناقى‎ Qalatu l-Mishnāqá) is a fortified hilltop palace located in Jordan fifteen miles (24 km) southeast of the mouth of the Jordan river on the eastern side of the Dead Sea. According to Flavius Josephus, it is the location of the imprisonment and execution of John the Baptist. According to the chronology of the Bible, this infamous execution took place in 32 AD shortly before the Passover, following an imprisonment of two years.

• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Machaerus
• Page 101 - Montefiore, S., 2011, Jerusalem: the Birography: Vintage Books, New York, 650p.