A Whirlwind Tour Through the Middle East – The Dead Sea
Perhaps photographs would better convey the Dead Sea and its wonders.
The tour finally made it out of Israel (there were some glitches at the border), and arrived at the Dead Sea’s Jordanian shore. Some of the tour members changed into swimsuits and bathed on the highly salinized “water.” Indeed, there did not seem to be any life there, not even an occasional bird or insect to mark the scenery. There was sand, with salt sediments accumulated at the shore.
The Dead Sea lies at the very end of the Jordan River. At 430.5 metres below the sea level, it is the earth’s lowest elevation on land.[i] Once the river flows in, it wells at the dead end of this ebb of the earth. Thus, salt accumulates in the Dead Sea to make it hyper-salinized. In fact, it is 9.6 times more salty than the ocean. The high concentration of sodium chloride is what enables objects of any weight to float at the water.
I thought my black bikini would not fit so well with Middle Eastern culture, but judging from the presence of foreigners there, my swimsuit would have just met the standard.
Despite its name, the Dead Sea is actually known for some of its healing powers. It has been used as a health resort for centuries. I have heard that some people with serious eczema were healed after bathing there.