For more than 25 years I have been taking visitors to what many consider a natural wonder – The Dead Sea.
It truly is a wonder. The Dead Sea is but a small part of the Syrian-East African Rift Valley, but extremely unique within that unique natural phenomena. It lies some 420 m (app. 1300 feet) below sea level, and its shores are thus the lowest dry point on earth.
As if that is not enough the Dead Sea is also the saltiest body of water on earth with a salt (actually mineral) content of app. 33%, some 8.5 times saltier than any oceans.
The Dead Sea got its name due to no living creatures being able to live there. But that did not stop people of ancient times to understand its economic value in salt extraction as well as health care.
Today The Dead Sea is not just a tourist point, but also a place for health and beauty care. Even Cleopatra is said to have come here for health and beauty reasons. People come here from all over the world to benefit from the Sea’s and the areas therapeutic qualities. Some of the afflictions that can be treated here are skin problems like psoriasis and eczema, rheumatism and arthritis, general muscle aches, and more.
Treatments is a combination of bathing in the Dead Sea, the use of the famous black mud found in abundance on the shores and rich in many minerals, as well as sunbathing. Lying so deep there is a thicker atmosphere at the Dead Sea than anywhere else, making sunbathing healthier and safer.
Of course you don’t have to suffer from ailments to enjoy the Dead Sea. In fact you can even take it home with you in the form of a great number of beauty and health products being produced today by many various companies.
Of course when visiting the Dead Sea there are a number of natural and historical sites to see as well, such as Masada, Qumran, the nature reserve of Ein Gedi with a possible glimpse into the wildlife of the Judean Desert, such as the ibex and the hyrax.
Unfortunately the Dead Sea is seeing some hard times. Due to changes in water management on both the Israeli and Jordanian side, as well as a continuous lack of rain fall in the Middle East, as well as some other unknown reasons, the Dead Sea has been shrinking over the last 30 years or so.
There are talks between Jordan, Israel and the Palestinians of creating a channel from the Red Sea to the Dead Sea, to utilize the drop in height for hydroelectric purposes, but also to allow for water to enter the Dead Sea. This project is strongly contended and as of the writing of this no decisions have been made.
The Dead Sea is a contender in the New Seven Wonders of the World contest. I only discovered this today so there is not much time left to vote. I did and if you read this in time, maybe you will also want to do it.
Whether the Dead Sea is voted one of the New Seven Wonders of the World or not, it is worth a visit.
[...] specially lisenced for tourists. We cover the whole country, from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, the Dead Sea and Masada. From Eilat in the south to Metullah in the north, which of course is also the Galilee [...]