The Lowest Place on Earth: The Dead Sea

The ritual is to cover yourself with mud . . . 

. . . and then float in the water . . . 

  

That's Charlie, kicked back, floating in the Dead Sea reading the Jordan Times.

There is so much salt in the water--it's about ten times saltier than ordinary sea water--that not only do you float effortlessly as if you were on an invisible raft, but also it is virtually impossible to stand up even if you want to.  With every step, your feet just pop up and it's hard to get them back down.  

The water is so salty that nothing lives in the water--no fish and no plant life.  But, the minerals and oils in the mud and water are supposed to be good for your skin, and floating effortlessly in the water is very relaxing.  It is said that even King Herod the Great and Cleopatra came to bask in the relaxing and rejuvenating mud, water, and sun. The water is rich in magnesium, sodium, potasium, bromide, and other minerals.  And, get this: supposedly the water vapor that rises from the surface of the Dead Sea provides a natural sunscreen!

The Dead Sea is more like a lake than a sea, and it is getting smaller all the time.  It is dropping one meter every year, and has already lost a third of its surface area.  At the current rate of evaporation, it is expected to drop from 411 meters below sea level to almost 1500 meters below sea level by 2025.

Jericho is plainly visible on the other side and, at night, I could see the lights of Jerusalem just over the hill on the West Bank. 

Photo Credit:  Muddy People courtesy of Maggie Scudder; Charlie Floating courtesy of Paul Scudder. See more of Maggie's pictures from our weekend at the Dead Sea here.  See my photos from the Dead Sea here.