Interesting Facts About The Dead Sea

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The Dead Sea is one of the most intriguing natural phenomena on Earth. Aside from some microorganisms and algae, this salt water lake is completely devoid of life. There’s no seaweed, fish or any other creatures found in or around its turquoise waters. 

The Dead Sea is the biggest free spa on Earth. The high salt and mineral content of the Dead Sea mean that this body of water has powerful healing properties. It’s a popular destination for treating skin problems such as acne, psoriasis, and cellulite, as well as muscle aches and arthritis. It is one of the saltiest bodies of water on Earth, with almost 10 times more salt than ordinary seawater. This is because the water flows into the Dead Sea from one main tributary, the River Jordan. It then has no way to get out of the lake and so is forced to evaporate. The soaring hot and dry conditions of this region mean that large quantities of water are evaporated. This leads to the salt and other minerals becoming more and more concentrated. In fact, it’s estimated that in the whole of the Dead Sea there are about 37 billion tonnes of salt. The high salt levels mean that people can easily float on its surface due to its natural buoyancy. Alongside being incredibly salty, the Dead Sea is famous for being the lowest point on Earth. It measures approximately 393 meters below sea level. Its surface measures around 423 meters below sea level. Sunbathing at the Dead Sea has less of a sunburn risk than other destinations. 

The Dead Sea was home to one of the most important discoveries in modern archaeology. In 1947, the Dead Sea Scrolls were found in 11 caves near the ruins of Qumran on its northwestern shore. These ancient manuscripts date from around 250 BC to 68 AD. They contain Biblical prayers and texts that have been key to our understanding of the beginnings of Christianity. Whilst the Dead Sea is one of Israel’s most popular tourist destinations, it’s disappearing at an alarming rate. Its surface level is dropping by more than one meter every year and it’s only half the length it was just a century ago. This is due to water being diverted from the River Jordan and extracted from the Dead Sea for developments nearby. However, Israel and Jordan signed an agreement in 2015 to invest $9 million to stabilize their water level.