The Dead Sea, or
Bahr-al-Mayyit, is literally dying. Experts say: in another thirty years or so, the Sea of mysteries, legends and miracles - might be no more. Famous and popular for its mud's healing and rejuvenating powers, the Sea is undoubtedly the largest natural spa in the World.
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| The Dead Sea, Kingdom of Jordan |
Facts about the Dead Sea are incredible and phenomenal. Religion, legendary Prophets and the Dead Sea Scrolls aside, the Dead Sea is: 33% salt and 430 meters or so below sea level; over 50 hot mineral springs lying at a depth closest to the Earth's minerals at about 1,500 meters deep, brings the salt to the Sea's surface; and hot and sunny, the Sea creates an incredible atmospheric filter that eliminates much of the burning rays of the heat and the Sun - that you can never get sunburn here but you can only get tanned.
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| The Dead Sea, Kingdom of Jordan |
Though I was told that you can drown in the Dead Sea, I believe that would be very hard. It is so heavy with salt that it doesn't allow you to sink. Due to the salt, it is also very difficult to swim in the water. In the Sea, I tried floating on my belly but, as my feet were automatically forced to rise above the water, I found that very hard. But floating on my back was very easy. In fact, you float on the water so comfortably as if you are on a water mattress, that you can go to sleep.
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| The Dead Sea, Kingdom of Jordan |
You can float, without any effort, on your back, for hours. As the water is extremely salty - if/when it enters your eyes, it burns very painfully - avoid completely letting it come into your eyes. And should the water enter your eyes, I understand if you close them continuously for about a minute, the very hot pain goes.
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| The Dead Sea, Kingdom of Jordan |
The legendary, divine Sea, relies from water - which is fresh - from the
River Jordan. But as the River Jordan is dying, so is the Dead Sea. Falling by a meter every year. Proposals of building a canal from the Red Sea to it, would be not what God and nature intended for the Dead Sea; marine water channeled into the Dead Sea is not what the Dead Sea needs.
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| The Dead Sea, Kingdom of Jordan |
It needs fresh water channeled into it; fresh water from the River Jordan. As the Dead Sea is of great historical symbol and has very holly and divine meanings to all the three religions living by it, it can be saved by all working together in saving it. And UNESCO can really help by adding it to their list of World Heritage Sites. Why haven't they?
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| The Dead Sea, Kingdom of Jordan |
An excellent road connects Amman to the Dead Sea. Around the Sea are many fine places: hotels, spas and recreational facilities. While here, we saw many people, including families with children and many elderly people. Not only Jordanians, but from neighboring countries and beyond. The main attraction here is the magical Sea and its mineral, healing water and mud. The black mud from the Sea, too, is said to have soothing, healing effects.
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| The Dead Sea, Kingdom of Jordan |
While there, I saw many people, especially the elderly, rubbing the black mud on their bodies; you can either buy the mud from a vendor by the Sea side, or look for it in the Sea. I decided to try the mud on my body too. I took some from the Sea and rubbed my whole body, including my chin, forehead and neck, except for near my eyes. Strangely, I stayed in the sun with the mud on my body for almost an hour - but it didn't dry. And maybe it was psychological, but later I really did feel soothed after washing the mud from my body.
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| The Dead Sea, Kingdom of Jordan |
The Dead Sea reminds many of us of Abraham, Lot and Sodom and Gomorrah, Moses, David, Saul, Jesus and
has attracted visitors since ancient times, including King Herod the Great and the beautiful Egyptian Queen, Cleopatra. All of whom have luxuriated in the Dead Sea’s rich, black, stimulating mud and floated effortlessly on their backs while soaking up the water's healthy minerals along with the gently diffused rays of the Jordanian sun. And most of all, it does remind us of the great powers of the One and Only: God.
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Other Wonderful Places in the Kingdom of Jordan:
* The River Jordan
* The Citadel
* The Roman Theater
* Jerash
* Petra
* Kahaf Ahl Kahf
