The Dead Sea, is one of the rare natural wonders situated in the Jordan Rift Valley in the Middle East, is a salt lake bordered by Jordan to the east and Israel and Palestine to the west. It is witnessing many miracles, primarily its saltiest bodies of water on Earth and is known for its high salt concentrations. Along with its intrinsic features like mud baths, floating and Dead Sea scrolls are popular here.
Due to its strange features it is nearly impossible for most marine life to survive in its waters. The Dead Sea has a rich history and is famous for its therapeutic and healing properties like Saturnina, due to the high mineral content in its mud and salt. Minerals found under this sea and mud have therapeutic properties that can help with various skin conditions, arthritis, and other ailments. Even many visitors throughout the world come to float in its buoyant waters and indulge in its natural beauty and wellness benefits.
History of Dead Sea
The Dead Sea, also known as the “Salt Sea”, is a salt lake which is located on the border of Jordan to the east and Israel and Palestine to the west. It is located in the Jordan Rift Valley, part of the larger Jordan Valley.
We should not miss to explain its one of the saltiest bodies of water in the world. It contains salinity of around 30%, which is about 10 times saltier than the ocean. This high salinity level creates a harsh environment therefore very few forms of life can survive in this sea. Hence it is named as “Dead Sea”.
If you want to explore its history you should go to the Biblical period, where different sects of Jews used to live in caves near the Dead Sea, called Essenes. Essenes are peoples who left the impressive Dead Sea scroll in the caves of Qumran. Along with Ein Gedi is a nature reserve near Dead Sea, which is mentioned in the Bible as a place where King David hid from Saul.
During ancient times it encompassed many of the Middle Eastern and Mediterranean people of the time. The Nabatean, tribal peoples harvesting sea’s natural asphalt and Egyptians are bought from them. The Dead Sea got its best known moment when a small group of Jewish peoples fled to Masada (A fort built by King Herod on a hill overlooking the sea). In 73 AD they were sieged there by the Roman X Legion, and rather than surrender, they chose to die by mass suicide.
During the Byzantine period, Greek Orthodox monks came to this area for refuge. They built several monasteries in the vicinity of the sea. It has a rich historical and cultural significance dating back thousands of years. That’s why ancient texts such as the Bible, where it is referred to as the “Salt Sea.” The Dead Sea has been inhabited since prehistoric times, and it has been an important source of salt and other minerals for various civilizations throughout history.
Why is the Dead Sea So Salty?
There are a lot of reasons behind the saltiness of the Dead Sea waters. If you see more than 30% of the water level is salinity, which is combined with the mineral-rich mud found along the shores. Much of the saltiness for the water comes from rock erosion on the shores. These shores are made up of rock salt and other rocks with high mineral content. As the rock and the salt erodes from the shores the stuff that makes up the rock ends up in the water.
If you see the past history, it was over 3.7 million years ago, it was a salt water lagoon. Due to geological disruptions the African and Arabian Sea was divided from the Mediterranean. Due to harsh desert geological and environmental conditions salt remains in the water content of this sea.
Another most unique features of the Dead Sea is its buoyant waters. The high salinity level of the water makes it extremely dense, therefore it allows travelers to float effortlessly on the surface of the water.
Interesting Facts about Dead Sea;
- The Dead Sea is the lowest place in the entire world. It is situated 430 meters below sea level, which contains more than 37 billion tons of salt in its seabed’s.
- It has different names in different countries and places. Yam hamelach and sea of death in Israel and sea of salt, sea of Arabah or Primordial Sea in Jordan.
- It is a place where you can’t see any life forms. Due to salinity oriented waters in the sea bed makes it completely impossible to sustain sea life, not even fish.
- Popular for mud baths. Its high saltness and its mud anti-inflammatory properties help you to maintain a good skin and recover its lost luster.
- A Sea where you won’t drown. Visitors can easily float in the water without getting around less effort.
- No water sports available here. Obviously it’s less drowning, you won’t find any motorboats or rolling waves at this place.
- Dead sea sharing between 2 countries, bordering Jordan to the east and Israel and Palestine to the west.
- It was formed a very long time ago. There is no exact time when it was formed, but historians believe it was formed around two million years ago.
- It was gradually dying. According to research on the dying sea, in the 1930’s sea was 410 sq. miles and today it has 234 sq. miles.
- The Dead Sea scrolls. Founded in 1947 in Qumran, these scrolls show up to 800 documents that contain religious texts on Bibles about this.
Dead Sea Scrolls
The Dead Sea Scrolls are an ancient manuscript, especially a collection of ancient Jewish relics. Majority of these manuscripts were discovered between 1947 and 1956 in a series of caves called Khirbet Qumran near the Dead Sea in the West Bank, Israel.
According to some historians these scrolls are two thousand years old, dating from the third century BCE to the first century CE. Majority of the texts from the Hebrew Bible, as well as other religious numbers like Arabic and Greek writings and documents from the Second Temple period. Under that only a few of the scrolls survive as fragments. Scholars are given their hand to reconstruct from these fragments around 950 different manuscripts. The discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls has provided valuable insights into ancient Jewish history, religious practices, and the development of the Hebrew Bible.
The manuscripts of the scrolls fall into three categories: biblical, apocryphal and sectarian. The biblical manuscripts comprise some two hundred copies of books of the Hebrew Bible, representing earliest evidence of the biblical text in the world. They include fragments of every book in the Hebrew Bible except for the Book of Esther. In addition to biblical texts, it also holds sectarian writings, hymns, prayers, calendars, and community rules.
Most scholars believe that scrolls formed the library of the sect that lived at Qumran. The significance of the Dead Sea Scrolls lies in their contribution to our understanding of early Judaism and the development of the Hebrew Bible. These scrolls shed light on the diversity of Jewish religious beliefs and practices during the Second Temple period and it helped to combine together the history of Jewish people in the centuries leading up to the birth of Christianity.
Finally these Dead Sea Scrolls are a remarkable archaeological evidence that continues to captivate scholars and researchers to this day, offering a new way to explore ancient Jewish religion and cultures.
Best time to visit
If you are willing to take a mud bath or float in its buoyant waters or enjoy salt concentrations then you should understand the local conditions. July and August are so hot and considered as summer. It is difficult and uncomfortable too to enjoy the water features.
So, we always recommend visiting during spring (March, April and May) months and autumn (October and November months). These months are more supportive of temperature and under control.
Dead Sea Map
Despite its name, the Dead Sea is not completely lifeless. Some researchers believe that bacteria and algae can survive even in extreme conditions. It is also witnessing some of the rarest varieties of plant and animal species adapted to the arid climate.
In recent years, the Dead Sea has faced many environmental challenges and setbacks. Under that shrinking water levels is a major one. Due to diversion of water from the Jordan River, mineral extraction activities, and sinkholes forming along its shores. Definitely our contributions are required to solve these issues and protect this unique and rarest natural wonder for future generations to enjoy.
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Q: Dead Sea in which country?
A: Dead Sea is sharing its location between 2 nations Israel and Jordon. It mainly fed by the Jordon river, which enter the lake from the north.
Q: Why is the dead sea called the dead sea?
A: Its high salinity level creates a harsh environment therefore very few forms of life can survive in this sea. Hence it is named as “Dead Sea”.
Q: How deep is the dead sea?
A: The Dead Sea is around 306 meter deep, one of the deepest hypersaline lakes in the planet.
Q: How big is the dead sea?
A: It covers the 605 square kilometer of area, with 47 miles of long and 11 miles of wide.
