Dead Sea, Israel Occupied Palestine
Coordinates: 31.559000, 35.473200
The Dead Sea is a salt lake bordered by Jordan to the east and Palestine and the West Bank to the west.
Its surface and shores are 430.5 metres below sea level, Earth’s lowest elevation on land.
It is 304 m (997 ft) deep, the deepest hypersaline lake in the world.
With a salinity of 342 g/kg, or 34.2% (in 2011), it is one of the world’s saltiest bodies of water – 9.6 times as salty as the ocean – and has a density of 1.24 kg/litre, which makes swimming similar to floating.
This salinity makes for a harsh environment in which plants and animals cannot flourish, hence its name.
The Dead Sea’s main, northern basin is 50 kilometres long and 15 kilometres wide at its widest point.
The Dead Sea has attracted visitors from around the Mediterranean Basin for thousands of years. It was one of the world’s first health resorts (for Herod), and it has been the supplier of a wide variety of products, from asphalt for Egyptian mummification to potash for fertilisers.
Dwelling in caves near the Dead Sea is recorded in the Hebrew Bible as having taken place before the Israelites came to Canaan, and extensively at the time of Hz. Dawud عليه اسلام .
Just northwest of the Dead Sea is Jericho. Somewhere, perhaps on the southeastern shore, would be the cities mentioned in the Book of Genesis which were said to have been destroyed in the time of Abraham: Sodom and Gomorra (Genesis 18) and the three other “Cities of the Plain”, Admah, Zeboim and Zoar.
In Ezekiel 47:8–9 there is a specific prophecy that the sea will “be healed and made fresh”, becoming a normal lake capable of supporting marine life. A similar prophecy is stated in Zechariah 14:8, which says that “living waters will go out from Jerusalem, half of them to the eastern sea [likely the Dead Sea] and half to the western sea.
The world’s lowest roads, Highway 90, run along the Israel occupied Palestine and West Bank shores of the Dead Sea, along with Highway 65 on the Jordanian side, at 393 m (1,289 ft) below sea level.
Whether you love landscapes or the healing power of the Dead Sea – it’s all there. Floating in the Dead Sea is an amazing experience the water feels completely different it’s like a smooth cream & you can float in an about a foot of water. It’s really weird but amazing at the same time.
If you suffer from psoriasis, spend 2 weeks in the sun at the Dead Sea for months of relief. 400 feet below sea level filters out the negative rays of the sun.
The Dead Sea has less water and a higher concentration of minerals, in particular 34% salt as well as magnesium and iodine. The Dead Sea has 10 times that of the ocean.
Know This
Make sure you take a towel, flip flops, swimming costume and water bottle. Plenty of overpriced shops, lockers and showers. Head down to the sea and hop in for a float. You can also lather yourself in the nutrient rich mud.
Don’t wear jewellery or shave your legs 3 days prior.
Warning: DO NOT put your face in the water and avoid getting even a drop in your eyes or mouth as the minerals cause extremely unpleasant & painful results. However; do scrape the mineral deposits from the sea’s bottom for a salt scrub which would rival any first-rate spa.
