Friday, 7 October 2011

My Jordan Diary: The Dead Sea

Day 7: Drive via the Desert Highway and the Dead Sea to Amman
Returning north I headed past the unique saline waters of the Dead Sea. At nearly 400m below sea level this is the lowest point on earth. Surrounded by barren hills, this unparalleled water body has an amazingly high salt content (33%) that means no animal life survives and that it is almost impossible to sink! We will have time here to enjoy the strange delights of floating on the Dead Sea and bathing in the skin soothing (and allegedly youth making) Dead Sea mud before heading back to Jordan's Capital, Amman.
The Dead Sea
As its name evokes, the Dead Sea is devoid of life due to an extremely high content of salts and minerals which gives its waters the renowned curative powers, therapeutic qualities, and its buoyancy, recognized since the days of Herod the Great, more than 2000 years ago.
 Scientifically speaking, its water contains more than 35 different types of minerals that are essential for the health and care of the body skin including Magnesium, Calcium, Potassium, Bromine, Sulphur, and Iodine. They are well known for relieving pains and sufferings caused by arthritis, rheumatism, psoriasis, eczema, headache and foot-ache, while nourishing and softening the skin. They also provide the raw materials for the renowned Jordanian Dead Sea bath salts and cosmetic products marketed worldwide.
The salt content is four times that of most world's oceans which means you can float in the Dead Sea without even trying. It also makes swimming virtually impossible unless your count sculling. The dead sea is the only place in the world where you can recline on the water to read a newspaper. Just don't try and lie on your stomach or you will be tipped round the other way. Also, don't underestimate how difficult it is to put your feet on the ground. Well, I certainly had fun trying! In order to access the beach you need to go through one of the newly built hotels. After washing the mud off I enjoyed a couple of hours in the sunshine by the pool before driving 30 mins back to Amman for my last night in Jordan before an early flight home.
Read my diary of my trip to Jordan:
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Location: London 65, Jordan