The Dead Sea

The Dead Sea At Sunset

One of the most fascinating places to visit when touring in The Holy Land is the Dead Sea. I was amazed to see that people will actually float even in a sitting position as you can see by the photo below. The reason for this is that the Dead Sea is so rich in salt content that it can enable one to float. There is no marine life whatsoever in the Dead Sea, again, due to the massive amounts of salts which could not sustain life below its surface. People come to The Dead Sea from all over the world to take advantage of the Sea's rich mineral deposits which are known to aid in many healing situations. It is of a particluar advantage to those people who suffer from arthritis. I have a friend in Jerusalem that bathes frequently in the Dead Sea just for that purpose. There are many companies that extract these mineral deposits and sell them throughout the world. They are often referred to as Dead Sea Salts. Dead Sea salt refers to salt extracted or taken from the Dead Sea. It is a popular ingredient of many common bath products including bath salts, salt scrubs, foot scrubs, body wraps, bath bombs, soaps, and cosmetic products, including makeup.

The Dead Sea is popular with visitors and tourists alike from all over the world for its therapeutic effects. The water of the Dead Sea is unique, as it has ten times the salt content of other sea water. This allows anyone to easily float on Dead Sea water because of its greater density. Its mineral composition is also different from ocean water since only 12-18% of Dead Sea salt is sodium chloride. In comparison, 97% of the salt in normal ocean water is sodium chloride.

After my first visit to Israel, and having severe back problems myself, I purchased some Dead Sea Salts and found them to be extremely helpful. They are available for purchase from many online web sites in Israel as well as the U.S.

Man Floating On The Dead Sea

The Dead Sea: Rich In Salt And Mineral Deposits

The Dead Sea; Hebrew: יָם הַ‏‏מֶ‏ּ‏לַ‏ח‎, Yām Ha-Melaḥ, "Sea of Salt") is a salt lake between Israel and the West Bank to the west, and Jordan to the east. It is 420 metres (1,378 ft) below sea level, and its shores are the lowest point on the surface of the Earth on dry land. The Dead Sea is 330 m (1,083 ft) deep, the deepest hypersaline lake in the world. It is also the world's second saltiest body of water, after Lake Asal in Djibouti, with 30 percent salinity. It is 8.6 times saltier than the ocean. Experts say that it is nine times saltier than the Mediterranean Sea (31.5% salt versus 3.5% for the Mediterranean). This salinity makes for a harsh environment where animals cannot flourish and boats cannot sail. The Dead Sea is 67 kilometres (42 mi.) long and 18 kilometres (11 mi.) wide at its widest point. It lies in the Jordan Rift Valley, and its main tributary is the Jordan River.

Also known as Bahr Lut, Eastern Sea, Lake of Asphalt, Salt Sea, “Sea of Sodom and Gomorrah,” Sea of the Arabah, Sea of the Devil, “Sea of the Plain,” Sea of Zoar, Stinking Lake.
Known in the Bible as the "Salt Sea" or the "Sea of the Arabah," this inland body of water is appropriately named because its high mineral content allows nothing to live in its waters. Other post-biblical names for the Dead Sea include the "Sea of Sodom," the "Sea of Lot," the "Sea of Asphalt" and the "Stinking Sea." In the Crusader period, it was sometimes called the "Devil's Sea." All of these names reflect something of the nature of this lake.

The Dead Sea, unlike the Sea of Galilee to the north, does not figure prominently in the biblical narratives. Its most important role was as a barrier, blocking traffic to Judah from the east. An advancing army of Ammonites and Moabites apparently crossed a shallow part of the Dead Sea on their way to attack King Jehoshaphat (2 Chron 20). Ezekiel has prophesied that one day the Dead Sea will be fresh water and fishermen will spread their nets along the shore.

The Dead Sea is located in the Syro-African Rift, a 4000-mile fault line in the earth's crust. The lowest point of dry land on earth is the shoreline of the Dead Sea at 1300 feet below sea level. That the lake is at the lowest point means that water does not drain from this lake. Daily 7 million tons of water evaporate but the minerals remain, causing the salt content to increase.

Figures for the Dead Sea's salinity today range from 26-35%.
Nearly ten times as salty as the world's oceans and twice as saline as the Great Salt Lake in Utah, the Dead Sea is rich with minerals. The Dead Sea Works company on the southwest side of the lake employs 1600 people around the clock to harvest the valuable minerals from the water. Potash is the most valuable of those extracted today and is used in the manufacture of fertilizer. The best article on the minerals in the Dead Sea is in the Encyclopedia Britannica.
The unique concentration of the Dead Sea waters has long been known to have medicinal value. Aristotle, Queen of Sheba, King Solomon and Cleopatra were all familiar with this and modern doctors as well often prescribe patients with skin ailments to soak in the waters of the Dead Sea. Because of the dropping level of the Dead Sea, the southern end is no longer under water, except for that which is channeled by aqueducts for the purpose of extracting minerals.

Dead Sea (Dead Sea Tourist Board and Dead Sea Hotel Association) The official site for Dead Sea Tourism. Hosts categories such as "Fast Facts and History," "Sights and Sites," "Medicine/Research," "Photogallery," and even "Travel Themes."
Dead Sea (Walking in Their Sandals) Gives easy-to-read information on the location, biblical significance, etc. Features links to photographs and on-line scripture references.
Dead Sea and Wilderness of Judea (Christian Travel Study Program) Discusses the barrenness of the Judean Wilderness as a place of solitude, even refuge, in both biblical and modern times. Gives a brief description of the Dead Sea in this context.
Dead Sea (Catholic Encyclopedia) Highlights the biblical significance of the site while clearly describing geographical and physical properties of the sea and surrounding area.
The Dead Sea Research Center The home page for the Dead Sea Research Center. A great resource for studying the medical potential of the Dead Sea area. Includes a "News & Research link," a "Publications" bibliography, and an "Ask the Doctor" feature.
Dead Sea (Extreme Science) An upbeat, scientific description of the Sea, answering common question such as, "why is the Dead Sea so salty?" Reflects an evolutionary bias.
Madaba Mosaic Map: The Dead Sea (Franciscan Cyberspot) Features the Dead Sea portion of the 6th century Madaba Map. See more detail at their Virtual Travel link.
Dead Sea keeps falling (BBC News) An interesting news story reporting on the findings of the European Space Agency in their survey of the region.
Dead Sea 'to disappear by 2050' (BBC News) "Environmentalists in Jordan are warning that the Dead Sea will disappear by the year 2050 if its level continues to drop at the current rate." Presents the problem and proposed solutions.
Dead Sea (Dead Sea Scrolls Home Page, Personal Page) Observes the Dead Sea in its geographical context, including references to nearby sites and insight into how the climate of the region affected the preservation of the Dead Sea Scrolls.
Welcome to the Dead Sea (inisrael.com) A site for tourists with basic information about the area and links to hotels, cars, and other travelers resources.
For Dead Sea, a Slow and Seemingly Inexorable Death (Washington Post) Fascinating article on the steady decline of the water level of the Dead Sea, with numerous useful facts.

For some addition information on the therapeutic efficacies of Dead Sea Salts, I recommend you have a look at the following web site:

The Dead Sea Research Center

A couple of resources where you can find Dead Sea Salts can be found on the right hand panel of my Blog.

Peace

Patricia