HISTORY AND GEOGRAPHY OF THE
DEAD SEA

The Dead Sea is only 35 km west of Amman and 30 km
east of Jerusalem. It is located in the Jordan rift valley,
extending north to south along Wadi Araba. The Dead
Sea is an old as the history of Jordan, and Palestine;
and it was mentioned in the Old Testament and the
Holy Qura'an.
The total surface area of the Dead Sea is about 700 km.
The Jordan River was the main source of water feeding
the Dead Sea, and for thousands of years, fresh water
from Jordan and the Moabian Mountains carrying
dissolved salts from rock, sand, and soils has flowed
south the Jordan rift valley. The in following water
evaporates leaving salts and mineral sediments to

accumulate in the lake.
The Dead Sea is one of the famous sites climatotherapy. It is the lowest point on earth, 400 m
(1300 ft) below sea level; and it is the world's saltiest lake, its salinity reaching 290 g/L. compared
to that of the Red Sea, whose salinity is only 40 g/L. The natural elements and minerals in the
sea, in addition to the mud percent on the shores, give the water their curative powers, as has
been mentioned in the Bible and recognized by Herod the Great more than 2000 years ago. But
the principle factor in the cure of skin diseases, mainly psoriasis, comes from the naturally filtered
ultraviolet radiation, which is greater in UVA and very low in the UVB portion of the spectrum
compared to other locations.
The effect is due to the thick atmospheric layer over the Dead Sea, with its vapor and haze, and
to the great amount of ozone, which is minimally depleted compared to other areas, and also to
the low humidity and warm climate, with 332 sunny days in the year in that area. The Dead Sea
has attracted thousands of patients, mainly those from Netherlands, France, Switzerland, Italy,
Austria, Germany, the United Kingdom, Scandinavia, South Africa, and America. Most of those
patients seek therapy for psoriasis.
The atmosphere over the Dead Sea is rich in oxygen, 10% more than any other area in Jordan
and this high oxygen level is useful for breathing and extra metabolic activity. The atmosphere is
also rich in bromine, about 15 times more than is over Amman and Jerusalem, for example which
has a relaxing and sedative effect.
The high bromide level functions as a relaxing factor. The concentration of magnesium is also as
high as 15 times that of other seas, and it functions as an antiallergic factor on both the skin and
bronchioles.
Dead Sea Black Mud contains many salts and minerals, as the mud absorbs from the water itself.
The mud is rich in magnesium, natural tar (bitumen), and the silicates (silicon compounds); the
latter have the effect of a mask to the skin. The black color of the mud absorbs much of the skin.
Mud is useful for arthropathy, as they aid in stimulating blood circulation around the affected
joint; thus mud packs are effective in cases of psoriatic arthropathy.
Magnesium, Calcium, Bromide, and Potassium are necessary ingredients for glowing skin &
overall good health, are present in unsurpassed concentrations over ten times those of ordinary
sea water.

Copyright © 2004 Essential Systems Co.
Last modified: 2/05/2004