Photo of The Day

Short stories about traveling to interesting places

14/05/09

Nature’s living miracle. Dead Sea, Jordan.

Thanks to its unique elements of nature, Dead Sea is unlike any other place in the world. Deep in the Jordan Valley and 55 km southeast of Amman, is the Dead Sea, one of the most spectacular natural and spiritual landscapes in the world. It is the lowest body of water on earth, the lowest point on earth, and the world's richest source of natural salts, hiding wonderful treasures that accumulated throughout thousands of years. Once the waters reach the Dead Sea they are land-locked and have nowhere to go, so they evaporate, leaving behind a dense, rich, cocktail of salts and minerals that supply industry, agriculture and medicine with some of its finest products. The Dead Sea is flanked by mountains to the east and the rolling hills of Jerusalem to the west, giving it an almost other-worldly beauty. Although sparsely populated and serenely quiet now, the area is believed to have been home to five Biblical cities: Sodom, Gomorrah, Adman, Zebouin and. To reach this unique spot, the visitor enjoys a short 30 minutes drive from Amman, surrounded by a landscape and arid hills, which could be from another planet. En route a stone marker indicates "Sea Level", but the Dead Sea itself is not reached before descending another 400 meters below this sign. As its name evokes, the Dead Sea is devoid of life due to an extremely high content of salts and minerals which gives its waters the renowned curative powers, therapeutic qualities, and its buoyancy, recognized since the days of Herod the Great, more than 2000 years ago. And because the salt content is four times that of most worlds’ oceans, you can float in the Dead Sea without even trying, which makes swimming here a truly unique experience not to be missed: here is the only place in the world where you can recline on the water to read a newspaper. Today is a chance to relax in our journey to Jordan. To take a break from visiting historical sites, and sit on a beach, or even sit in the sea… In enjoying this moment of serenity I realize the strong surrounding realities of the current situation, with arming conflicts and destruction just across the mountains. The quietness and serenity of this place almost make us believe that everything is perfect and the Gaza problems and the recent Israeli bombing campaign and military invasion was not true.