The First Health Resort in the World 

The Dead Sea

The Dead Sea pleases all tastes and propensities: health seekers, geologists, beauty enthusiasts, history buffs, pilgrims, nature lovers, solitude searchers, natural scientists  and what have you. 

Location

The Dead Sea is located in South-western Asia, landlocked between Israel and Jordan. The southern half of its western shore is Israeli; the northern half of its western shore is within the West Bank, occupied by Israel since the Six-Day War (1967) (Source: Britannica Reference Encyclopedia).  I visited the eastern shore of Dead Sea which belongs to Jordan.

                                             Dead Sea Map: Courtesy  

Since ancient times the Dead Sea is also known as ‘The Primordial Sea’, ‘The Sea of Asphalt’,’ The Devil’s Sea’, ‘The Stinking Sea’, etc. But the two names by which the Dead Sea is popularly known are, ’ Sea of Death’ and ‘Salt Sea.’

Sea of Death

In Arabic, the Dead Sea is called Al-Bahr Al Mayyit which means the ‘Sea of Death’ because no living organisms are found here except a certain type of bacteria and some colonies of microbes, notably, Dunaliella algae. Normal organisms such as plants, fish or animals  do not breed or feed in the waters of Dead sea. The Jordan river is its main tributary and sometimes it carries fish into the Dead Sea. But due to the high saline content the fish die at once. The shores are bereft of any vegetation except a plant called Halophytes which grows in salty or alkaline soil. These plants constitute mangroves and marshes and their roots come into contact with the saline water or they receive salt spray from the Dead Sea.  

Salt Sea

In Hebrew the Dead Sea is called Yam ha-Melah/Yam Hamelach which means Salt Sea. The Dead Sea is a storehouse of salt reserve. Since ancient times rock salt has been excavated from the Dead Sea. It is the deepest hyper saline lake in the world and the saltiest water body in the world with salinity levels close to 35%.

The Ancient Romans knew the Dead Sea as ‘Palus Asphaltites’ which means Asphalt Lake. The Dead Sea supplied asphalt for Egyptian mummification and potash for fertilizers.

Health Resort

The origin of the Dead Sea was 4 million years ago. It is the oldest health resort in the world because for thousands of years due to the mineral content in the air and land  around the Dead Sea and its water, healed the body. The mud is full of bromine. These antiseptic minerals in the mud and air, and salt in the Dead Sea have a therapeutic  effect on the body. Dead Sea minerals have helped to improve various skin conditions such as psoriasis, vitiligo, atopic dermatitis and acne. The oxygen rate is 5% higher in the region .Hence the air and water of the sea is beneficial to people suffering from arthritis and asthma. The ancient Greeks and Romans used mud to clean their faces before the invention of soap. Dead Sea black mud contains salt and minerals in minute particles. The black mud found on its shore , if covered on the body gets absorbed in the skin . It  penetrates the pores of the skin which  makes the skin firm and wrinkle-free, boosts cell renewel, while hydrating the skin. The mud pack if  kept on the skin until it (mud) is dry will rejuvenate dull skin by cleaning its impurities thus making the skin supple,fresh and healthy looking.

Sun bathing for long periods on the shore of Dead Sea will not harm the body because the ultra violet components of solar radiation is less in the region due to the sea’s position below sea level and the UV rays are ‘partially blocked by the increased cloud cover over the Dead Sea.’(Source: Wikipedia)

Dos and Don’ts

Drink plenty of water before going in for a dip; cover any cuts or abrasions in your body with water resistant bandage  or they will hurt if  the salt water gets into contact with the cuts.  Due to the high salt content in the water,the water is denser and human body weight lighter than the water. Therefore bathers float in the water.

Religious Significance

The Dead Sea is mentioned several times in the Bible. The sea’s name  traces back to the first Hebrew patriarch, Abraham.

According to the Bible there were two cities along the Dead Sea: Sodom and Gomorrah. But a fire came down from Heaven and destroyed those cities because of the wicked ways of their inhabitants.

History

David, king of ancient Israel ( 1010-970 BCE) and Herod I ,Roman client king of Judaea (37-4 BCE, according to German theologian, Schurer) hid in the  arid, unoccupied wasteland beside the Dead Sea.

Herod I took shelter from the Parthian attack in 40 BCE in a fortress at Masada ,Israel near the Dead Sea.  

Ancient manuscripts ( dated 3^rd  century BC-- 2^nd century AD) , written mostly in Hebrew, were found at several sites on the north-western shores of the Dead Sea between 1947-56. These manuscripts are known as Dead Sea Scrolls.   

Unique Features

The Dead Sea is the lowest body of water on the earth.  It is located about 1,312 feet (400 meters) below sea level. It is the lowest place on earth. It is 80 km long and up to 18 km wide (Source: Britannica Reference Encyclopedia). In the early 60s  when Jordan and Israel began  using its water for commercial purposes the water level in the Dead sea dropped. The sea continued to drop by 3 feet (1 meter) annually.   

Unique Ecosystem
Photo: Sashi Mathur

Rainfall is scanty and infrequent because it lies in a desert. Dead Sea is mainly fed by the Jordan River from the north. Some sporadic  mountain streams also flow into it briefly.

The shores of Dead Sea is desolate and barren with no human habitation. This is because of its saline water and wilderness. The ground on the shore is hard and the beach is full of salt and sand. The Dead Sea is salty because its water cannot flow out to any other river ,stream, sea. Hence, the desert climate comprising of high temperature and intense sun evaporates the water so the salt and other minerals are left in the Dead sea. It is an endorheic lake  like Pangong Lake, Ladakh,India. This means there are no outlet streams in both these lakes. They retain water and allow no outflow to rivers or oceans. While Pangong Lake never dries up, the waters of the Dead Sea are evaporated due to the hot, arid,desert climate.

 Another important factor for lack of human settlement is   it is in the path of the “contested” Jordanian-Israeli frontier.  But there are swanky hotels  nearby because of the huge inflow of tourists from all over the world due to its matchless bionetwork and spectacular desert beauty. 

Floating on the Dead Sea

I stayed in Ramada Resort Dead Sea which has a private beach. I was instructed to take out all jewelry before taking the dip because if anything goes into the Dead Sea it is gone forever. Moreover, the salty water might damage the metals. There was a shuttle service from the hotel to the shore .The vehicle could hold just 7 people. I had to be careful of my eyes and mouth because there were signboards, set up by the hotel authority which warned us that if the salt water gets into the eyes and mouth we should take medical help and spit the water out immediately. I first sat down in the water near the pebbly shore and then resting on my palms slowly and gently lay down. The trick is to lie on your back as if you are reading a newspaper. Hence, many bathers take magazines and newspapers. At a short distance there was a roped barricade so that the bathers do not venture too far. It was very relaxing in the warm water and I felt very peaceful as if I am in meditation. When the wind blew a bit hard I was taken a little farther away by the waves. The salt water was making some parts of my skin burn. After about 15 minutes I came out of the water . There was a shallow well on the shore, full of black mud which I massaged on my skin and face and again lay down in the water. The sun was setting at the other end of the sea and the water was becoming cold. After some time, I dragged myself out reluctantly and washed my face and hands in the slim waters of the fresh water shower on the beach, where there was a steady stream of tourists. The return to the hotel was again in the shuttle service.

The Correct Position to take Bath  
Photo: Sashi  Mathur 

Spectacular Natural Beauty

There was hardly any vegetation on the way except for some scattered, dusty shrubs here and there but still the sandy, desolate wild land was mesmerizing . 

Scanty Vegetation

The  Abarim Mountain range that runs east and southeast from the Dead Sea to the desert in the south created its own magical effect with its grave and silent tutelage. 

The Abarim Mountain Range

 The sunset was beautiful, the setting sun bordered by dark clouds, casting a shadow on the bathers as well as on the water.

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Stages of Sunset on the Dead Sea

The sunrise was equally gorgeous when the  roseate glow of the rising sun turned the grey mountain ranges, the scanty,greyish vegetation and the argentine water of Dead Sea into a rosy hue. 

Stages of Sunrise on the Dead Sea

Above all, the  historical, Biblical ,therapeutic, curative  Dead Sea standing lonely for millions of years, its waters having no escape outlet, its bosom unpopulated by living organisms, its shores not the playground of seagulls or other marine birds is a memorable experience filling one with gratitude that such a sui generis natural phenomenon exists on this earth.    

 Photographs: Bulbul Sur

  Tags: Dead Sea, Sea of Death, Jordan, Bible,Salt Sea