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The Dead Sea is the lowest spot above water on Earth, some 400m (1300 ft) below Sea Level. The Dead Sea's water comes primarily from the Jordan River. While there is no place for water to flow out of the Dead Sea, evaporation occurs at approximately the same rate as the natural flow of water. Left alone, the water level of the Dead Sea would remain constant. However the high demand for the Jordan's water has led to numerous damming projects to divert the precious fresh water before it mixes with the useless water already in the sea. Consequently the level of the Dead Sea is considerably lower than that it was several years ago, so much so that a land bridge has now emerged and the Sea now is two bodies of water.
The Dead Sea gets its name because the salt concentration of the water is so high that only a few forms of algae can survive in it. The Hebrew name Yam Ha-Melach, or Salt Sea is a bit more to the point. The name seems doubly appropriate given the salt covered rocks that have emerged from below the water and now surround the sea and enhance its inhospitable appearance.
The
Arabs call it Bahr Lut or Sea of Lot, brother of the biblical Abraham
who fled the wicked cities of Sodom and Gomorra prior to their destruction
by G-d. This inhospitable and foul smelling lake is believed to be part
of the aftermath of that divine punishment.
The Dead Sea lies in the Rift Valley one of the Earth's most amazing features running for 4800 km (3000 miles) across Asia and Africa. Running from the north of Israel down the Jordan River Valley, past the Dead Sea, down south to the port cities of Eilat and Aqaba where it becomes the Red Sea then continues into Africa running through Ethiopia, Kenya, Malawi and Mozambique until it finally vanishes into the Indian Ocean. Because the walls of the Rift Valley are extraordinarily steep, it makes a natural political boundary between Israel and Jordan.
The steep valley also isolates the sea from the not-so-far population centers of Jerusalem and Amman. This isolation has been welcomed by many people. One of the most famous groups was the Essenes, aesthetics who lived at approximately the same time as Jesus. The Essenes are remembered by history for their Dead Sea Scrolls. These scrolls were found intact in the Essene settlement of Qumran at the north end of the Sea in 1947. Among other things the scrolls contain the oldest known fragments of the Bible.
Another
who sought the isolation of the Dead Sea area was King Herod the Great.
Being caught in the middle of a Roman Civil War in 40 BCE Herod made massive
improvements on the high mesa of Masada to establish a retreat where he
could continue to live in royal splendor if he failed to convince Emperor
Octavius he no longer supported his enemies Antony and Cleopatra.
Herod's masterpiece was later used by the last of the Jews who rebelled
against Rome 67-70 CE as their final retreat. The zealots held
the Romans at bay another 2.5 years until the Romans built a massive earthen
ramp to storm the palace. However, the Romans were denied the opportunity
to avenge themselves when the Jews committed group suicide in the last
act of free Jews in the Holy Land until the founding of the State of Israel
almost 2000 years later.
While practically nothing lives in the Dead Sea, it is possible to harvest the unique minerals found in the sea, notably the fertilizer potash. Both Israel and Jordan have founded Dead Sea Works companies at the southern end of the Dead Sea and are among the more profitable companies in their countries. This is no small accomplishment considering that the Dead Sea's chemicals mericlessly destroy unprepared mechanical equipment.
By
far the greatest thing obtained from the Dead Sea today is tourism.
The unusually dense water of the Dead Sea makes even the slimmest swimmer
float on its surface. It is virtually impossible to drown, unless
of course you swallow any of the extremely foul tasting water, or have
too many cuts or bruises, as even the slightest will bring stinging pain.
Numerous health spas have also spring up offering mud baths using the dirt
from below the water as a great skin moisturizer. The Dead Sea is
rapidly becoming one of Israel's top tourist attractions - at least in
the winter. In the summer, the intense heat is murder.
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