The Dead Sea: The Middle East's Most Spectacular Site
The Dead Sea is a hypersaline lake that lies in the Jordan Rift Valley, between Jordan on its east bank, and Israel and the Westbank on its west bank. Incidentally, you might be curious where the Palestinian territory called the Westbank got its name from, it got it from its location on the west bank of the Jordan River. The Dead Sea lies at the lowest point on Earth.
The Dead Sea's name was derived from the impossibililty of animals to live within its highly saline waters. That high salinity is caused by the extreme heat causing evaporation of the water, aided by the fact that the Dead Sea is endorheic. Endorheic is a word meaning that the water in the lake has no outlet for escape, and can only leave the lake by evaporating. Its main tributary is the Jordan River which flows southward into it, but as the flow of the Jordan river has been decreasing, that means less water coming into the Dead Sea, yet water continues to evaporate. The level of the Dead Sea has decreased significantly over time, and the southern side of the lake has drained and now consists of salt flats.
The lake's extreme salinity and water evaporation offer travellers a unique experience like something out of a sci-fi film. The salt formations resemble the face of another planet, while the high salinity of the water allows swimmers to float and feel that they are defying gravity. Because of the high concentration of salt, the water is actually denser than the human body, so it is impossible to sink. But plenty of tourists have fun trying! One thing you need to be aware of is that the sea's water will sting like crazy if it enters your eyes, so you need to avoid getting water splashed in your face. If you do get the salt water in your eyes, you will probably need to enlist the help of another person to wash out your eyes with fresh water. On top of that, the salt water will enter every single crevice and scrape or scratch on your whole body. If your body has any cuts, or if you bite your nails too low, or if you have a skin infection or something, then all of those spots will feel some sharp pain when you're in the water. But that's part of the fun, and the water will help to help all those little problems.
The water's high mineral concentration also makes the mud around the perimeter of the lake full of healthy healing minerals. An essential part of the Dead Sea experience is to spread its mud over your body and enjoy its benefits. The water itself also contains the same minerals, so even a dip it the lake itself has health benefits.
The Dead Sea should be a top priority for any trip to the Middle East, and it is one of those travel experiences you will never forget.
