Continuing on our Jordan tour, we left Wadi Rum and passed by Aqaba a small city on the northern tip of the Red Sea. Aqaba is Jordan’s only coastal city and a major seaside tourist destination. We headed north on a two lane road through the Jordan Rift Valley. In the center of the valley is a no man’s zone which acts as the border between Jordan and Israel. We drove for several hours until we got to the lower end of the Dead Sea. Our driver stopped so we could take a walk along the water’s edge to check out the salt deposits.
When viewing the map you see the Dead Sea and just below it a series of mineral evaporation ponds. Both Jordan and Israel have plants in the area producing potash, sodium chloride and bromine from the minerals. At one time the two bodies were joined, but the water levels in the Dead Sea has been falling for many years. Putting it on the map, link
The Dead Sea is 1407 ft below sea level the lowest elevation on earth. It is one of the world’s saltiest bodies of water, almost 10 times saltier then the ocean. It is named the Dead Sea because no animals, fish or plants can live in it. Because of the unusually high salt concentration people can easily float, is it naturally buoyant. The Dead Sea borders on Jordan to the west and Israel and the West Bank to the east.
There are references to the Dead Sea in the Bible as a health retreat. The area has become a major center for health research and treatment because of the mineral content of the water, the very low content of pollen and other allergens in the air, the reduced ultraviolet light of solar radiation and the higher atmospheric pressure at this depth in the earth. Each of these have specific health benefits. Dead Sea mud is believed to contain unique minerals that are beneficial for your skin and body. It is used worldwide in clinics and hospitals to treat a range of medical problems.
We arrived at the hotel in early afternoon and had the rest of the day to relax and swim in the Dead Sea. Below are pictures of the coastline and the Dead Sea.
mineral evaporation ponds
the Dead Sea with Israel on the other side of the lake
salt deposits, it is very hard and sharp
salt deposits coating everything on the coastline
salt deposits
salt deposits
M.E. and Bob
M.E walking along the coast, notice how low the waterline is
salt deposits
salt deposits
salt deposits
salt deposits, these were very sharp
mud bath on the Dead Sea
floating on the Dead Sea
afternoon reflection, Israel on the other side