Facts about the Dead Sea
The Sea of Death or the Dead Sea as its popularly known is a lake which is surrounded by the West Bank, Jordan and Israel. Its a saltwater lake. Its surface area is 402 square kilometers.
Its shore is said to be the lowest dry point on Earth since its surface is 396m below sea level. The high mineral and salt content in the water makes it impossible for fish or plants to survive.They die instantly.Hence the name Dead Sea. Its the saltiest water body in the world.Its near the Judean Desert which is a hot region which has turned into a hot tourist place.There are amazing monasteries built on the cliff walls.
One can lie on the surface of the water of the Dead Sea without even trying to float as the salt content in the water makes it buoyant. Even when water from nearby Jordan River flows into the Dead Sea, it evaporates quikly as its the extremely hot. And left behind is concentrated salt. 35 different kinds of mineral salts are present here some of which are calcium, iodine, potassium and bromide.
A person lying on the surface of the water cooly and reading his morning newspaper!
This salt is not at all like table salt that we use in cooking but too salty. Almost all minerals in the Dead Sea are present in our body and are very good for treating acne, psoriasis, dandruff, muscle aches and lot more.
It is said that Jesus and John the Baptist where related to the Dead Sea in biblical writings.
Scientists claim that the Dead Sea would disappear by 2050 because its level is dropping too fast. People are removing the water to extract minerals from there. Scientists have observed sinkholes. No more water is pumped into the Sea from Jordan River.So the ecosystem is suffering a lot. Some suggest to build a canal from the Red Sea to the Dead Sea so that water could reach there. But opponents claim that the mineral value of the Dead Sea would be lost if this would be done.
In the 20th century the Dead Sea Scrolls ( the oldest biblical manuscripts) were discovered. They were found from the caves in the Judean Desert on the shores of the Dead Sea. They are prepared from animal skin and some from papyrus. These scrolls were unearthed in 1947 when a sheperd threw a rock in the cave and felt there was something.It was later in the year 1949 that the site was exactly found and identified as the Qumran Cave. The manuscripts incude copies of biblical books in Hebrew and Aramaic.
The above seen are some tit bits of the numerous scrolls discovered and the Qumran Cave.
Dead Sea scrolls which consists of the oldest biblical manuscripts are now digitized and are available online.They are the most important archaeological find ever.
Since the 1960s' many tourists have visited this place. People can read books and just enjoy the water by lying on its surface. The mud and the minerals have a nourishing effect on the body.They have a healing property.The religious history also makes it a beautiful place to visit. Lets hope this historical place does not disappear due to wrong moves from the Israelis and the Jordanians.
Below shown is small map which shows the Qumran Cave near the Dead Sea.
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