with approximately 810 square kilometers, 80 kilometers long and 16 wide, the Dead Sea has a salinity ten times greater than the rest of the seas and oceans. Just several arctic lagoons and Lake Assal in Djibouti outgrow his briny personality. It is watered mainly by the meager rainfall that per year fall on the area and the Jordan River, which separates Israel, west, and Jordan, To the East.
Located more than 400 meters below sea level, owes its name to the little life that inhabits it, only composed of microorganisms. The infinity of properties that a bathroom provides in it, were already in demand by Cleopatra or by King Herod.
People reading and floating in the Dead Sea, Israel
The 'sea of salt', as it is known in Hebrew, sees its size reduced by one meter a year due to the climate change and to the evaporation of water, naturally and artificially –for the extraction of its coveted minerals–, for which it is destined to disappear. The marks that its extinction leaves on the shore are quite remarkable in places like Sowayma, in Jordan, where some of the first resorts had to close because they ended up quite far from the beach.
Around the Dead Sea Jordan and Israel display their deserts excavated by ravines and valleys where salt and stone take over the landscape. From them, several balconies look towards that epic magnitude dotted with World Heritage archaeological sites and proposals as different as the countries that support them.
Dead Sea
THE DEAD SEA FROM ISRAEL
Since Jerusalem to the Dead Sea there are approximately 40 kilometers. A steep road marks the considerable descent towards our destination. 10 meters, 20, 30,... The path continues below sea level while naked mountains and arid valleys planted with palm trees introduce us to the judean desert in a way that is as intriguing as it is exciting. Biblical scenarios full of mysticism await there, such as the Qumran National Park, where some Bedouins found in 1947 the dead sea scrolls, the oldest biblical writings in the world, about two thousand years old. They belonged to the Essenes, a Jewish sect of the 2nd and 1st centuries BC. C. that settled in the caves drilled in the walls of the mountains. Currently, a sample of the ancient manuscripts is exhibited in the Israel Museum in Jerusalem.
Dead Sea, Israel.
The next stop on Highway 90 is the Ein Gedi Nature Reserve, a set of waterfalls and thermal pools next to which one of the country's popular kibbutz was established.
The Dead Sea was also home to various palaces and fortresses of King Herod. It is the case of masada , a colossal construction built on a plateau between cliffs more than 400 meters high that even had your own piping system to retain the little rain that fell. To climb up to it there is the possibility of doing it by cable car or on foot through the Serpent Trail, a journey of just over an hour of steep and zigzagging ascent. From the Deposit impressive views of the protagonist of our trip are contemplated. It is not surprising that we meet one of the most visited points in Israel, the last bastion of the Jewish revolt against the Romans.
Further south, where the sea almost reaches its end, the mount sodom surprises us with picturesque salt rocks that have become legends, such as that of Lot's wife.
Dead Sea, Neve Zohar, Israel.
THE DEAD SEA FROM JORDAN
In Jordan you can reach the Dead Sea in just under an hour from Amman, the capital of the country. On the way we will stop at mount nebo , famous for being the biblical place from which Moses observed the Promised Land, a captivating and boundless ocher territory that on clear days anticipates the first image of the saline lake.
The mist covers the desert panoramas with pale blues on the way to the most famous hotel complexes of the Dead Sea where tourists from all over the world enjoy the therapeutic waters.
The shores of the Dead Sea in Jordan.
A few kilometers further down, hidden between the mountains of Madaba, several waterfalls attract for their images of nature and for thermal waters, rich in minerals, that sprout from the rocks at a temperature of more than 40 degrees Celsius. Although they are less well known than the Dead Sea, Ma'in Hot Springs It constitutes a very important spa for Jordan, a peculiar oasis in the middle of the desert.
Continuing along the road that borders the Dead Sea, number 65, we arrive at Wadi Al-Mujib , an impressive canyon raised over the Mujib river along 70 kilometers. This unique environment gives the opportunity to practice canyoning and live one of the most adrenaline experiences in the country.
South of the Lisan Peninsula, the lot's cave It is the last stop on our tour from Jordan. Of the curious site it is said that it was where Lot and her daughters lived after the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. Around the cave there are also some mosaics, a small Byzantine church and the Museum in the Lowest Place on Earth , which collects archaeological remains found in the area.
Aerial view of the Dead Sea.
FLOAT IN THE DEAD SEA
The high level of salt of this inner sea is the cause of the ease of buoyancy it offers, leaving some of the most photogenic memories on our cameras and extreme softness on our skin.
Although the climate of the surrounding countries is cold, the temperature of the water does not usually drop below 20 degrees, so any time of the year is good to enjoy the numerous properties of its components (potassium, magnesium, calcium, sodium,...) beneficial for mitigate from dermatitis to ailments such as rheumatism.
Floating in the Dead Sea.
The strange sensation of staying effortlessly on these medicinal waters makes it impossible to swim, but if we stay on them, we will feel the maximum relaxation. We just have to avoid getting our faces wet and having Be very careful with wounds, they sting!
Both Israel and Jordan have their respective resorts by the Dead Sea. Spa hotels to try mud treatments, exfoliating massages and of course, little beaches to float In Israel they are found to the south, limited by salt pans from which the precious minerals are extracted. the complex of Ein Bokek It has an air of a 1970s resort town, which gives it a certain charm. Several hotels share a beach and a promenade dotted with restaurants.
Our goal? The dead Sea.
On the contrary, in Jordan the hotel offer, in addition to being located north of the Dead Sea, surrounded by wide spaces from which Israel can be glimpsed, has sophisticated stores, most with their own little piece of beach, loungers and even large buckets full of mud for tourists to apply their own masks before taking a bath. The Jordanians also arrive on the shore accompanied by horses and camels that remind us what country we are in.
Inside the Dead Sea, before one of the epic landscapes of the planet shared by two countries as different as they are wonderful, We float in peace on ancient waters.