Dead Sea
A view across the sea from the Israeli side
Coordinates	31°20′N 35°30′E
Lake type	endorheic hypersaline
Primary inflows	Jordan River
Primary outflows	evaporation
Catchment area	40,650 km² (15,700 sq mi)
Basin countries	Jordan Israel West Bank
Max. A lake (from Latin lacus) is a Terrain feature (or Physical feature) a body of Liquid on the surface of a world that is localized to the An endorheic basin (from Greek endo ‘inside’ + rhein ‘to flow’ also terminal or closed basin) is a closed Drainage basin Salinity is the Saltiness or dissolved salt content of a body of Water. In Hydrology, the inflow of a Body of water is the source of the Water in the body of water This article is about the Jordan River and its valley in western Asia In Hydrology, the discharge or outflow of a River is the volume of Water transported by it in a certain amount of time Evaporation is the process by which Molecules in a Liquid state (e A drainage basin is an extent of Land where Water from Rain or Snow melt drains downhill into a body of water such as a River, Square Kilometre ( US spelling square kilometer) symbol km2, is a decimal multiple of the SI unit of The square mile is an imperial and US unit of Area equal the area of a square of one statute mile. A drainage basin is an extent of Land where Water from Rain or Snow melt drains downhill into a body of water such as a River, Jordan, officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan (الأردنّ al-Urdunn) is an Arab country in Southwest Asia spanning the southern For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Israel topics. The West Bank (الضفة الغربية, הגדה המערבית Hagadah Hamaaravit) also referred to in Israel as " Judea and Samaria length	67 km (42 mi)
Max. The kilometre ( American spelling: kilometer) symbol km is a unit of Length in the Metric system, equal to one thousand A mile is a unit of Length, usually used to measure Distance, in a number of different systems including Imperial units United States width	18 km (11 mi)
Surface area	810 km² (310 sq mi) North Basin
Average depth	120 m (394 ft)[1]
Max. Square Kilometre ( US spelling square kilometer) symbol km2, is a decimal multiple of the SI unit of The square mile is an imperial and US unit of Area equal the area of a square of one statute mile. depth	330 m (1,083 ft)
Water volume	147 km³ (35 cu mi)
Shore length1	135 km (84 mi)
Surface elevation	-420 m (-1,378 ft)[2]
References	[1][2]
1 Shore length is not a well-defined measure. CM3 redirects here If you were looking for the 3rd game in the Cooking Mama series abbreviated as CM3 see here. A cubic mile is an Imperial / US customary (non- SI non- metric) unit of Volume, used in the United States.

The Dead Sea (Arabic: البَحْر المَيّت‎, al-Baḥrᵘ l-Mayyitᵘ, "Dead Sea";Hebrew: יָם הַ‏‏מֶ‏ּ‏לַ‏ח‎, Yām Ha-Melaḥ, "Sea of Salt") is a salt lake between Israel (and the West Bank) to the west, and Jordan to the east. Arabic (ar الْعَرَبيّة (informally ar عَرَبيْ) in terms of the number of speakers is the largest living member of the Semitic language For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Israel topics. The West Bank (الضفة الغربية, הגדה המערבית Hagadah Hamaaravit) also referred to in Israel as " Judea and Samaria Jordan, officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan (الأردنّ al-Urdunn) is an Arab country in Southwest Asia spanning the southern It is 420 metres (1,378 ft) below sea level,^[2] and its shores are the lowest point on the surface of the Earth on dry land. The metre or meter is a unit of Length. It is the basic unit of Length in the Metric system and in the International A foot (plural feet or foot; symbol or abbreviation ft or sometimes &prime – the prime symbol) is a non-SI unit Mean sea level (MSL is the average (mean height of the Sea, with reference to a suitable reference surface The Dead Sea is 330 m (1,083 ft) deep, the deepest hypersaline lake in the world. The salt lake or saline lake is a landlocked body of Water which has a concentration of Salts (mostly Sodium chloride) and other minerals significantly It is also the world's second saltiest body of water, after Lake Asal in Djibouti, with 30 percent salinity. A body of water is any significant accumulation of Water, usually covering the Earth or another planet Djibouti ( جيبوتي Jībūtī, Somali: Jabuuti) officially the Republic of Djibouti, is a country in the Salinity is the Saltiness or dissolved salt content of a body of Water. It is 8. 6 times saltier than the ocean. ^[3] Israeli experts say that it is nine times saltier than the Mediterranean Sea (31. 5% salt versus 3. 5% for the Mediterranean). The Dead Sea is 67 kilometres (42 mi) long and 18 kilometres (11 mi) wide at its widest point. It lies in the Jordan Rift Valley, and its main tributary is the Jordan River. Great Rift ValleyThe Jordan Rift Valley (الغور Al-Ghor or Al-Ghawr) is an elongated depression located in modern-day Israel, Jordan, the A tributary is a Stream or River which flows into a mainstem (or parent river This article is about the Jordan River and its valley in western Asia

The Dead Sea has attracted visitors from around the Mediterranean basin for thousands of years. The Mediterranean Basin refers to the lands around and surrounded by the Mediterranean Sea. Biblically, it was a place of refuge for King David. David, Arabic: داوود or داود dawud, "beloved" was the second king of the united Kingdom of Israel according to the Hebrew Bible It was one of the world's first health resorts (for Herod the Great), and it has been the supplier of a wide variety of products, from balms for Egyptian mummification to potash for fertilizers. Herod (הוֹרְדוֹס Horodos, Greek: Herōdes) also known as Herod I or Herod the Great (73 BC – 4 BC in Jericho Ancient Egypt was an Ancient Civilization in eastern North Africa, concentrated along the lower reaches of the Nile River in what is now A mummy is a Corpse whose Skin and Flesh have been preserved by either intentional or Incidental exposure to Chemicals extreme Potash (or carbonate of potash) is an impure form of Potassium carbonate ( K 2 CO3) Fertilizers ( also spelt fertiliser are chemical compounds given to Plants to promote growth they are usually applied either through the soil for uptake by plant

In Arabic the Dead Sea is calledal-Bahr al-Mayyit [4] (help·info) ("the Dead Sea"), or less commonly baḥrᵘ lūṭᵃ (بحر لوط, "the Sea of Lot"). Arabic (ar الْعَرَبيّة (informally ar عَرَبيْ) in terms of the number of speakers is the largest living member of the Semitic language According to the Bible and the Quran, Lot ( Arabic: لوط, Lūṭ |; "Hidden covered" was the Nephew Another historic name in Arabic was the "Sea of Zoʼar", after a nearby town. In Hebrew, the Dead Sea is Yām ha-Melaḥ (help·info), meaning "sea of salt," or Yām ha-Māvet (ים המות, "sea of death"). This article is about the body of water For other uses see SEA and Seas. Salt is a Dietary mineral composed primarily of Sodium chloride that is essential for Animal life but toxic to most land plants In antiquity it was sometimes referred to as Yām ha-Mizraḥî (ים המזרחי, "the Eastern sea") or Yām ha-‘Ărāvâ (ים הערבה, "Sea of the Arabah"). The Arabah (הָעֲרָבָה Tiberian: HāʻĂrāḇā وادي عربة Wādī ʻAraba) is a section of the Great The Greeks called it Lake Asphaltites (Attic Greek ἡ Θάλαττα ἀσφαλτῖτης, hē Thálatta asphaltĩtēs, "the Asphaltite ^[5] sea"; see below). Attic Greek is the Prestige dialect of Ancient Greece that was spoken in Attica, which includes Athens.

Natural history

Satellite photograph showing the location of the Dead Sea

The Dead Sea is an endorheic lake located in the Jordan Rift Valley, a geographic feature formed by the Dead Sea Transform (DST). An endorheic basin (from Greek endo ‘inside’ + rhein ‘to flow’ also terminal or closed basin) is a closed Drainage basin Great Rift ValleyThe Jordan Rift Valley (الغور Al-Ghor or Al-Ghawr) is an elongated depression located in modern-day Israel, Jordan, the The Dead Sea Transform (DST fault system, also sometimes referred to as the Dead Sea Rift, is a Geologic fault which extends through the Jordan River Valley This left lateral-moving transform fault lies along the tectonic plate boundary between the African Plate and the Arabian Plate. A transform fault is a fault which runs along the boundary of a Tectonic plate. This article discusses the geologic usage for the philosophical or architectural usage see Architectonics ' Or see Plate tectonics. The African Plate is a Tectonic plate which includes the Continent of Africa, as well as oceanic crust which lies between the continent and various surrounding The Arabian Plate is one of three Tectonic plates (the African Arabian and Indian crustal plates) which have been moving northward over millions of It runs between the East Anatolian Fault zone in Turkey and the northern end of the Red Sea Rift offshore of the southern tip of Sinai. The East Anatolian Fault is a major Geologic fault in eastern Turkey. Turkey (Türkiye known officially as the Republic of Turkey ( is a Eurasian Country that stretches The Red Sea Rift is a spreading center between two Tectonic plates the African Plate and the Arabian Plate. The Sinai Peninsula or Sinai ( Coptic: sina; Egyptian Arabic: sina سينا Arabic, sina'a سيناء There are two contending theories about the origin of the low elevation of the Dead Sea. The older theory is that it lies in a true rift zone, an extension of the Red Sea Rift, or even of the Great Rift Valley of eastern Africa. A more recent theory is that the Dead Sea basin is a consequence of a "step-over" discontinuity along the Dead Sea Transform, creating extension of the crust with consequent subsidence.

Around three million years ago what is now the valley of the Jordan River, Dead Sea, and Wadi Arabah was repeatedly inundated by waters from the Mediterranean Sea. This article is about the Jordan River and its valley in western Asia The Arabah (הָעֲרָבָה Tiberian: HāʻĂrāḇā وادي عربة Wādī ʻAraba) is a section of the Great The waters formed in a narrow, crooked bay which was connected to the sea through what is now the Jezreel Valley. The Jezreel Valley (עמק יזרעאל Emek Yizrael) is a large fertile plain and inland valley in the south of the Lower Galilee region of Israel The floods of the valley came and went depending on long scale climatic change. Climate change is any long-term significant change in the “average weather” that a given region experiences The lake that occupied the Dead Sea Rift, named "Lake Sodom", deposited beds of salt, eventually coming to be 3 km (2 miles) thick.

According to geological theory, approximately two million years ago the land between the Rift Valley and the Mediterranean Sea rose to such an extent that the ocean could no longer flood the area. Geology (from Greek γη gê, "earth" and λόγος Logos, "speech" lit Thus, the long bay became a lake.

The first such prehistoric lake is named "Lake Gomorrah. " Lake Gomorrah was a freshwater or brackish lake that extended at least 80 km (50 miles) south of the current southern end of the Dead Sea and 100 km (60 mi) north, well above the present Hula Depression. The Hula Valley (עמק החולה Emek HaHula) is an agricultural region in northern Israel with abundant fresh water As the climate turned more arid, Lake Gomorrah shrank and became saltier. The large, saltwater predecessor of the Dead Sea is called "Lake Lisan. "

Near Ein Gedi, salt builds up along the shores of the Dead Sea.

In prehistoric times great amounts of sediment collected on the floor of Lake Gomorrah. Stone Age Paleolithic See also Paleolithic, Recent African Origin, Early Homo sapiens, Early human migrations "Paleolithic" The sediment was heavier than the salt deposits and squeezed the salt deposits upwards into what are now the Lisan Peninsula and Mount Sodom (on the southwest side of the lake). Lisan Peninsula is a large spit of land which now separates the North and the South basins of the Dead Sea. Mount Sodom (جبل السدوم Jabal(u 'ssudūm; הר סדום Har Sedom) is a hill along the southwestern part of the Dead Sea in Israel Geologists explain the effect in terms of a bucket of mud into which a large flat stone is placed, forcing the mud to creep up the sides of the pail. When the floor of the Dead Sea dropped further due to tectonic forces the salt mounts of Lisan and Mount Sodom stayed in place as high cliffs. (see salt domes)

From 70,000 to 12,000 years ago the lake level was 100 m (328 ft) to 250 m (820 ft) higher than its current level. A salt dome is a type of structural dome formed when a thick bed of Evaporite minerals (mainly salt or Halite) found at depth intrudes vertically into This lake, called "Lake Lisan", fluctuated dramatically, rising to its highest level around 26,000 years ago, indicating very wet climate in the Near East. B Syria - Belka Woman from Damascus Arab from Baghdadjpg|thumb|Inhabitants of the Near East late nineteenth century Sometime around 10,000 years ago the lake level dropped dramatically, probably to levels even lower than today. During the last several thousand years the lake has fluctuated approximately 400 m (1,310 ft) with some significant drops and rises. Current theories as to the cause of this dramatic drop in levels rule out volcanic activity, therefore it may have been a seismic event.

The Jordan River is the only major water source flowing into the Dead Sea. There are no outlet streams.

The northern part of the Dead Sea receives scarcely 100 mm (4 in) of rain a year. The southern section barely 50 mm (2 in). The Dead Sea zone's aridity is due to the rainshadow effect of the Judean Hills. For the Australian television series see Rain Shadow (TV series. The Judean Mountains, (جبال الخليل Transliteration: Jibal al-Khalil, הרי יהודה Transliteration: Harei Yehuda) The highlands east of the Dead Sea receive more rainfall than the Dead Sea itself.

The mountains of the western side, the Judean Hills, rise less steeply from the Dead Sea than do the mountains of the eastern side. The mountains of the eastern side are also much higher. Along the southwestern side of the lake is a 210 m (700 ft) tall halite formation called "Mount Sodom". Halite is the Mineral form of Sodium chloride, Na[[chlorine Cl]] commonly known as rock salt. Mount Sodom (جبل السدوم Jabal(u 'ssudūm; הר סדום Har Sedom) is a hill along the southwestern part of the Dead Sea in Israel

Climatic features and therapies

Many people believe that the mud of the Dead Sea has special healing and cosmetic uses.

The Dead Sea's climate offers year-round sunny skies and dry air with low pollution. It has less than 100 millimetres (3. 94 in) mean annual rainfall and a summer average temperature between 32 and 39 °C (90-102°F). Winter average temperatures range between 20 and 23 °C (68-74°F). The region has weakened ultraviolet radiation, particularly the UVB (erythrogenic rays), and an atmosphere characterized by a high oxygen content due to the high barometric pressure. The shore is the lowest dry place in the world. ^[6] Proximity to the sea affects temperatures nearby because of the moderating effect a large body of water has on climate. During the winter months, sea temperatures tend to be higher than land temperatures, and vice versa during the summer months. This is the outcome of slow penetration of the sun's rays into the sea, which is a huge mass that takes a long time to warm up.

The region's climate and the unique conditions created by its low elevation have made it a popular center for several types of therapies:

• Climatotherapy: Treatment which exploits local climatic features such as temperature, humidity, sunshine, barometric pressure and special atmospheric constituents. Temperature is a physical property of a system that underlies the common notions of hot and cold something that is hotter generally has the greater temperature Humidity is the amount of water vapor in the air In daily language the term "humidity" is normally taken to mean Relative humidity. Sunlight, in the broad sense is the total spectrum of the Electromagnetic radiation given off by the Sun.
• Heliotherapy: Treatment that exploits the biological effects of the sun's radiation. Light therapy or phototherapy consists of exposure to daylight or to specific wavelengths of light using Lasers, LEDs Fluorescent lamps, The Sun (Sol is the Star at the center of the Solar System.
• Thalassotherapy: Treatment that exploits bathing in Dead Sea water. Thalassotherapy, (from the Greek word thalassa, meaning " Sea " is the Medical use of Seawater. Water is a common Chemical substance that is essential for the survival of all known forms of Life.

Chemistry and health effects

A tourist (on the Jordanian side) demonstrates the unusual buoyancy caused by high salinity.

Until the winter of 1978-1979, the Dead Sea was composed of two stratified layers of water that differed in temperature, density, age, and salinity. The topmost 35 metres (115 ft) or so of the Dead Sea had a salinity that ranged between 300 and 400 parts per thousand and a temperature that swung between 19 °C (66 °F) and 37 °C (98 °F). Underneath a zone of transition, the lowest level of the Dead Sea had waters of a consistent 22 °C (72 °F) temperature and complete saturation of sodium chloride (NaCl). For sodium chloride in the diet see Salt. Sodium chloride, also known as common salt, table salt, or Halite, is a Since the water near the bottom is saturated, the salt precipitates out of solution onto the sea floor. In Chemistry, saturation has five different meanings In Physical chemistry, saturation is the point at which a Solution of a substance

Beginning in the 1960s water inflow to the Dead Sea from the Jordan River was reduced as a result of large-scale irrigation and generally low rainfall. By 1975 the upper water layer of the Dead Sea was actually saltier than the lower layer. The upper layer nevertheless remained suspended above the lower layer because its waters were warmer and thus less dense. When the upper layer finally cooled down so that its density was greater than the lower layer the waters of the Dead Sea mixed. For the first time in centuries the lake was a homogeneous body of water. Since then stratification has begun to redevelop. Water stratification occurs when water of high and low salinity ( Halocline) as well as cold and warm water ( Thermocline) forms layers that act as barriers to water ^[7]

A rough Dead Sea, with salt deposits on cliffs.

The mineral content of the Dead Sea is significantly different from that of ocean water. The exact composition of the Dead Sea water varies with season, depth, temperature and so on. The concentration of ionic species (in g/kg) of Dead Sea surface water in the early 1980s was found to be: Cl⁻ (181. 4), Br⁻ (4. 2), SO₄²⁻ (0. 4), HCO₃⁻ (0. 2), Ca²⁺ (14. 1), Na⁺ (32. 5), K⁺ (6. 2) and Mg²⁺ (35. 2). The total salinity was 276 g/kg. ^[8] These results show that w/w% composition of the salt, as anhydrous chlorides, was calcium chloride (CaCl₂) 14. Calcium chloride (CaCl2 is an ionic compound of Calcium and Chlorine. 4%, potassium chloride (KCl) 4. The Chemical compound potassium chloride (KCl is a Metal Halide salt composed of Potassium and Chlorine. 4%, magnesium chloride (MgCl₂) 50. Magnesium chloride is the name for the Chemical compounds with the formulas MgCl2 and its various hydrates MgCl2(H2Ox 8% and sodium chloride (common salt, NaCl) 30. For sodium chloride in the diet see Salt. Sodium chloride, also known as common salt, table salt, or Halite, is a 4%. In comparison, the salt in the water of most oceans and seas is approximately 97% sodium chloride. An ocean (from Greek, ''Okeanos'' (Oceanus) is a major body of saline water, and a principal component of the Hydrosphere. This article is about the body of water For other uses see SEA and Seas. For sodium chloride in the diet see Salt. Sodium chloride, also known as common salt, table salt, or Halite, is a The concentration of sulfate, SO₄²⁻, ions is very low, and the bromide ion, Br⁻ concentration is the highest of all waters on Earth. A bromide Ion is a Bromine atom with charge of −1 Compounds with bromine in formal Oxidation state −1 are called bromides

Comparison between the chemical composition of the Dead Sea to other lakes and oceans show that the salt concentration in the Dead Sea is 31. Use in chemistry In Chemistry, the empirical formula of a Chemical compound is a simple expression of the relative number of each type of Atom 5% (the salinity fluctuates somewhat). The unusually high concentration of salt results in a similarly high density of up to 1. 24 kg/L, depending on temperature and salinity. Anyone can easily float in the Dead Sea because of natural buoyancy. In Physics, buoyancy ( BrE IPA: /ˈbɔɪənsi/ is the upward Force on an object produced by the surrounding liquid or gas in which it is In this aspect, the Dead Sea is similar to the Great Salt Lake in Utah, in the United States. Great Salt Lake, located in the northern part of the US state of Utah, is the largest salt lake in the western hemisphere the fourth-largest terminal The State of Utah (ˈjuːtɔː or) is a western state of the United States. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the

One of the most unusual properties of the Dead Sea is its discharge of asphalt. Asphalt ( is a sticky black and highly viscous liquid or semi-solid that is present in most crude Petroleums and in some natural deposits sometimes termed asphaltum From deep seeps, the Dead Sea constantly spits up small pebbles of the black substance. After earthquakes, chunks as large as houses have been found. An earthquake is the result of a sudden release of energy in the Earth 's crust that creates Seismic waves Earthquakes are recorded with a Seismometer

The Dead Sea area has become a major center for health research and treatment for several reasons. Health is a state of complete physical mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity Research is defined as Human activity based on Intellectual application in the investigation of Matter. The mineral content of the waters, the very low content of pollens and other allergens in the atmosphere, the reduced ultraviolet component of solar radiation, and the higher atmospheric pressure at this great depth each have specific health effects. Pollen is a fine to coarse powder consisting of microgametophytes ( pollen grains) which produce the male Gametes (sperm cells of An allergen is a nonparasitic Antigen capable of stimulating a Type-I hypersensitivity reaction in atopic individuals Temperature and layers The temperature of the Earth's atmosphere varies with altitude the mathematical relationship between temperature and altitude varies among five Ultraviolet ( UV) light is Electromagnetic radiation with a Wavelength shorter than that of Visible light, but longer than X-rays For example, persons suffering reduced respiratory function from diseases such as cystic fibrosis seem to benefit from the increased atmospheric pressure. In Animal physiology, respiration is the transport of Oxygen from the outside air to the cells within tissues and the transport of Carbon dioxide A disease is an abnormal condition of an organism that impairs bodily functions and can be deadly Cystic fibrosis (also known as CF, mucoviscoidosis, or mucoviscidosis) is a hereditary disease affecting the exocrine (mucus glands of the lungs ^[9]

Sufferers of the skin disorder psoriasis also benefit from the ability to sunbathe for long periods in the area due to its position below sea level and subsequent result that many of the sun's harmful UV rays are reduced. Psoriasis (səˈraɪəsɪs ( suh-RI-uh-sus) is a non-contagious disorder which affects the Skin and Joints It commonly causes red scaly Furthermore, Dead Sea salt has been found to be beneficial to psoriasis patients. Dead Sea salt refers to salt extracted or taken from the Dead Sea. ^[10]

Flora and fauna

Dead Sea in the morning, seen from Masada

The sea is called "dead" because its high salinity prevents macroscopic aquatic organisms from living in it, such as fish or water plants, though minuscule quantities of bacteria and microbial fungi are present.

In times of flood, the salt content of the Dead Sea can drop from its usual 35% salinity to 30% or lower. The Dead Sea temporarily comes to life in the wake of rainy winters. In 1980, after one such rainy winter, the normally dark blue Dead Sea turned red. Researchers from Hebrew University found the Dead Sea to be teeming with a type of algae called Dunaliella. The Hebrew University of Jerusalem (האוניברסיטה העברית בירושלים الجامعة العبرية في القدس abbreviated HUJI) is Algae ( sing. alga are a large and diverse group of simple typically Autotrophic organisms ranging from Unicellular to Multicellular forms In taxonomy, Dunaliella is a genus of Algae, specifically of the Dunaliellaceae. The Dunaliella in turn nourished carotenoid-containing (red-pigmented) halobacteria whose presence is responsible for the color change. Carotenoids are organic Pigments that are naturally occurring in Chromoplasts of plants and some other photosynthetic Organisms For the drug referred to as "pigment" see Black tar heroin. Note The word "halobacteria" is also the plural form of the word " Halobacterium " Since 1980, the Dead Sea basin has been dry and the algae and the bacteria have not returned in measurable numbers.

Many animal species make their homes in the mountains surrounding the Dead Sea. A hiker can see camels, ibex, hares, hyraxes, jackals, foxes, and even leopards. Camels are Even-toed ungulates within the Genus Camelus. The Dromedary, one-humped or Arabian camel has a single hump and the An ibex, commonly called by its French name bouquetin also called Steinbock in German an individual of any of several species of wild mountain goats (genus Hares and jackrabbits are Leporids belonging to the Genus Lepus. A hyrax (from Greek 'shrewmouse' Afrikaans: klipdassie, from Dutch: klipdas 'rockbadger' is any of four Species of fairly A jackal (from Turkish çakal, via Persian shaghal ultimately from Sanskrit sṛgālaḥ) is a member of any of three A fox is an Animal belonging to any one of about 27 Species (of which only 12 actually belong to the Vulpes genus or 'true foxes' of small The leopard (lɛpɚd Panthera pardus) is an Old World Mammal of the Felidae family and the smallest of the four roaring Hundreds of bird species inhabit the zone as well. Birds ( class Aves) are bipedal endothermic ( Warm-blooded) Vertebrate animals that lay eggs. Both Jordan and Israel have established nature reserves around the Dead Sea.

The delta of the Jordan river was formerly a veritable jungle of papyrus and palm trees. Papyrus (/pəˈpaɪrəs/ (Rhymes -aɪrəs)is a thick paper-like material produced from the Pith of the papyrus plant Cyperus papyrus Arecaceae or Palmae (also known by the name Palmaceae, which is taxonomically invalid or commonly palm tree) the palm family is a family of Flowering Flavius Josephus described Jericho as "the most fertile spot in Judea". Josephus (AD 37 – c 100 also known as Yosef Ben Matityahu (Joseph son of Matthias and after he became a Roman citizen, as Titus Flavius Josephus Jericho ( Arabic, ʼArīḥā; Hebrew, Standard Yəriḥo Tiberian Yərîḫô Judea or Judæa ( Hebrew: יהודה Standard Yəhuda Tiberian Yəhûḏāh, "praised In Roman and Byzantine times sugarcane, henna, and sycamore all made the lower Jordan valley quite wealthy. Ancient Rome was a Civilization that grew out of a small agricultural community founded on the Italian Peninsula as early as the 10th century BC Sugarcane ( Saccharum) is a genus of 6 to 37 species (depending on taxonomic interpretation of tall perennial grasses (family Poaceae tribe Andropogoneae Henna or Hina ( Lawsonia inermis, syn L alba) is a Flowering plant, the sole species in the genus Lawsonia One of the most valuable products produced by Jericho was the sap of the balsam tree, which could be made into perfume. Balsam of Mecca (or balsam of Gilead or balm of Gilead) is a Resinous gum of the tree Commiphora gileadensis (syn Commiphora is a Genus of Flowering plants It includes about 185 species of trees and shrubs often armed or thorny native to Africa, Perfume is a mixture of fragrant Essential oils and Aroma compounds Fixatives and Solvents used to give the human body animals objects and living

By the nineteenth century Jericho's fertility was a thing of the past.

Human history

World's lowest (dry) point, Jordan 1971

In Judaism

The human history of the Dead Sea goes all the way back to remote antiquity. Jordan, officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan (الأردنّ al-Urdunn) is an Arab country in Southwest Asia spanning the southern Just north of the Dead Sea is Jericho. Jericho ( Arabic, ʼArīḥā; Hebrew, Standard Yəriḥo Tiberian Yərîḫô Somewhere, perhaps on the Dead Sea's southeast shore, would be the cities mentioned in the Book of Genesis which were said to have been destroyed in the time of Abraham: Sodom and Gomorra (Genesis 18) and the three other "Cities of the Plain" - Admah, Zeboim and Zoar (Deuteronomy 29:23). Abraham ( Ashkenazi   Avrohom or Avruhom; ابراهيم, {{Unicode|Ibrāhīm}}; Ge'ez: Admah (alt Adama) - earth one of the Pentapolis of the Vale of Siddim (Gen Zoar, however, escaped destruction when Abraham's nephew Lot escaped there from Sodom (Genesis 19:21-22). King David was said to have hidden from Saul at Ein Gedi nearby. Saul (שאול המלך (or Sha'ul) ( Arabic: طالوت,Tālūt ( (reigned 1047 - 1007 BCE is identified in the Books of Samuel, 1 Chronicles Ein Gedi (עין גדי lit Kid Spring (as in young goat KJV Bible Engedi) is an Oasis located west of the Dead Sea, close

Prophecies

In Ezekiel 47:8-9 there is a specific prophecy over the dead sea that the water will ". The Book of Ezekiel is a book of the Hebrew Bible (of the Books of the Bible) named after the prophet Ezekiel. . be healed and made fresh". The dead sea will become a normal sea and even fish will live in the sea. A similar prophecy is stated in Zechariah 14:8, which says that "Living waters will go out from Jerusalem, half of them to the eastern sea (likely the Dead Sea) and half to the western sea (the Mediterranean). The Book of Zechariah is a book of the Bible Old Testament and Jewish Tanakh attributed to the Prophet Zechariah. . . "

Ancient Greek period

The Greeks knew the Dead Sea as "Lake Asphaltites", due to the naturally surfacing asphalt. The term ancient Greece refers to the period of Greek history lasting from the Greek Dark Ages ca Asphalt ( is a sticky black and highly viscous liquid or semi-solid that is present in most crude Petroleums and in some natural deposits sometimes termed asphaltum Aristotle wrote about the remarkable waters. Aristotle (Greek Aristotélēs) (384 BC – 322 BC was a Greek philosopher a student of Plato and teacher of Alexander the Great. Later, the Nabateans discovered the value of bitumen extracted from the Dead Sea needed by the Egyptians for embalming their mummies. The Nabataeans ( Arabic: الأنباط, Al-Anbāṭ) were an ancient Semitic people Arabs of southern Jordan, Canaan Bitumen is a mixture of organic Liquids that are highly Viscous, black sticky entirely soluble in Carbon disulfide, and composed primarily Embalming, in most modern Cultures is the Art and Science of temporarily preserving human remains to forestall Decomposition A mummy is a Corpse whose Skin and Flesh have been preserved by either intentional or Incidental exposure to Chemicals extreme

Herodian period

King Herod the Great built/rebuilt several fortresses and palaces on the Western Bank of the Dead Sea. Herod (הוֹרְדוֹס Horodos, Greek: Herōdes) also known as Herod I or Herod the Great (73 BC – 4 BC in Jericho The most famous was Masada, where, in 70-73 AD, a small group of rebellious Jewish zealots held out against the might of the Roman Legion, and Machaerus where, according to Josephus, John the Baptist was imprisoned by Herod Antipas and met his death. Masada ( Hebrew מצדה pronounced Metzada, from מצודה metzuda, "fortress" is the name for a site of ancient Palaces and For other uses see Legion The Roman Legion (from Latin legio "military levy Conscription," Machaerus (ِقلة المشناقى Qalatu l-Mishnāqá, Hebrew Mechwar) is a fortified hilltop palace located in Jordan fifteen miles (24 km Saint John the Baptist ( heb. Jochanan ben Sacharja, arab. يحيى Yaḥyā or يوحنا Yūḥanna, aram. Herod Antipas (short for Antipatros (before 20 BC &ndash after AD 39) was a first century AD ruler of Galilee and Perea, who bore the title ^[11]

Also in Roman times some Essenes had settled on the Dead Sea's western shore; Pliny the Elder identifies their location with the words, "on the west side of the Dead Sea, away from the coast . The Essenes were strictly speaking a Jewish religious group that flourished from the 2nd century BC to the 1st century AD Gaius or Caius Plinius Secundus, ( AD 23 – August 25, AD 79 better known as Pliny the Elder, was an ancient Author . . [above] the town of Engeda" (Natural History, Bk 5. 73); and it is therefore a hugely popular though not uncontested hypothesis today, that same Essenes are identical with the settlers at Qumran and that "the Dead Sea Scrolls" discovered during the 20th century in the nearby caves had been their own library. For the country that features in Yes Minister, see here. Qumran (خربة قمران חירבת קומראן Khirbet Qumran The Dead Sea Scrolls consist of roughly 1000 documents including texts from the Hebrew Bible, discovered between 1947 and 1979 in eleven Caves

In Christianity

The remoteness of the region attracted Greek Orthodox monks since the Byzantine era. The Greek Orthodox Church ( Greek: Ἑλληνορθόδοξη Ἐκκλησία Hellēnorthódoxē Ekklēsía) is formed by several autocephalous churches MONK is a Monte Carlo software package for simulating nuclear processes particularly for the purpose of determining the neutron multiplication factor or k-effective Their monasteries such as Saint George in Wadi Kelt and Mar Saba in the Judean Desert are places of pilgrimage. This article concerns the buildings occupied by monastics. For the life inside monasteries and its historical roots see Monasticism. The Great Lavra of St Sabas, known in Arabic as Mar Saba ( is a Greek Orthodox Monastery overlooking the Kidron Valley Judea or Judæa ( Hebrew: יהודה Standard Yəhuda Tiberian Yəhûḏāh, "praised In Religion and Spirituality, a pilgrimage is a long journey or Search of great Moral significance

Mount Sodom, on the southwest side of the lake, is a giant mountain of halite. Mount Sodom (جبل السدوم Jabal(u 'ssudūm; הר סדום Har Sedom) is a hill along the southwestern part of the Dead Sea in Israel Halite is the Mineral form of Sodium chloride, Na[[chlorine Cl]] commonly known as rock salt.

In Islam

In Islamic tradition, the Dead Sea was about the land in which the Prophet Lut (Lot in the Hebrew scriptures) lived. For other meanings including people named 'Islam' see Islam (disambiguation. The word tradition comes from the Latin traditionem acc of traditio which means "a giving up delivering up surrendering" and is used in a number of Lut redirects here for other uses see Lut (disambiguation See here if you were looking for Computer Science's Lookup tables Lut According to the Bible and the Quran, Lot ( Arabic: لوط, Lūṭ |; "Hidden covered" was the Nephew The people of the towns and cities were wicked for their acts of homosexuality, raping men, robbery and murder and had therefore been given a punishment for such deeds. Homosexuality refers to sexual behavior with or attraction to people of the same sex or to a Homosexual orientation. The punishment arrived when angels in the form of beautiful men were sent down by God as guests for Lut to host. An angel is a Spiritual Supernatural being found in many Religions Although the nature of angels and the tasks given to them vary from tradition to tradition God is the principal or sole Deity in Religions and other belief systems that worship one deity. When Lut's people heard of the men, they rushed to Lut's house to misbehave and rape the men. This was their final test which they failed so the angels raised the land where the prophet's people lived, tipped it upside down and threw it back on earth, causing the ground near the impact to cave in. Thus, the lowest land on Earth was formed because of this punishment. The non-believers (in the monotheism doctrine) were destroyed and the followers were saved. According to some interpretation, the sura of ar-Rum of the Quran refers to the Dead Sea as the lowest place on Earth. Sura (sometimes spelt "Surah" ar سورة, plural "Suwar" ar سور is an Arabic term literally meaning "something enclosed or surrounded see Rûm for the Arabic term for the Byzantine empire itself Surat Ar-Rum (سورة الروم ( The Romans, referring to the The Qur’an ( القرآن, literally "the recitation" also sometimes transliterated as Qur’ān, Koran, Alcoran ^[12]

Bedouin tribes have continuously lived in this area, and more recently explorers and scientists arrived to analyze the minerals and conduct research into the unique climate. The Bedouin, (from the Arabic (ar بدوي pl badū) are a desert-dwelling Arab Nomadic pastoralist, or previously A tribe, viewed historically or developmentally consists of a Social group existing before the development of or outside of States Many anthropologists use Tourism in the region has been developed since the 1960s. Tourism is Travel for Recreational or Leisure purposes The World Tourism Organization defines tourists as people who "travel

Recent History

The Dead Sea Scrolls were found in caves at Qumran at the Dead Sea. The Dead Sea Scrolls consist of roughly 1000 documents including texts from the Hebrew Bible, discovered between 1947 and 1979 in eleven Caves For the country that features in Yes Minister, see here. Qumran (خربة قمران חירבת קומראן Khirbet Qumran The world's lowest road, Highway 90, runs along the Israeli and West Bank shores of the Dead Sea at 393 m (1,289 ft) below sea level. Route 90 is the longest road in Israel, at about 480 km and stretches from Metula and the northern border with Lebanon, along the western side of

There are also health spas and hot springs along the shore, besides the unique water of the Dead Sea itself. A golf course named for Sodom and Gomorrah was built by the British at Kalia on the northern shore. A golf course consists of a series of holes each consisting of a Teeing ground, Fairway, rough and other hazards and a green with a pin and cup all designed for Kalia may refer to Kalia Bangladesh Kalia Chad Kalia Democratic Republic of Congo Kalia Guinea The first major hotels were built in Israel, first at nearby Arad, and since the 1960s at the Neve Zohar resort complex. Arad (עֲרָד عراض is a city in the South District of Israel, on the border of the Negev and Judean Deserts Located west of the Neve Zohar (נְווֵה זֹהַר is a communal village in the South District of Israel, in the Tamar Regional Council. The Jordanian side has seen increasing development in recent years, and it also includes international franchises.

Industry

View of salt evaporation pans on the Dead Sea, taken in 1989 from the Space Shuttle Columbia. Space Shuttle Columbia ( NASA Orbiter Vehicle Designation: OV-102) was the first spaceworthy Space shuttle in NASA 's The southern half is now separated from the northern half at what used to be the Lisan Peninsula because of the fall of the level of Dead Sea. Lisan Peninsula is a large spit of land which now separates the North and the South basins of the Dead Sea.

In the early part of the 20th century, the Dead Sea began to attract interest from chemists who deduced that the Sea was a natural deposit of potash and bromine. Potash (or carbonate of potash) is an impure form of Potassium carbonate ( K 2 CO3) The Palestine Potash Company was chartered in 1929 after its founder, Siberian Jewish engineer and pioneer of Lake Baikal exploitation Moses Novomeysky, worked for the charter ex for over ten years. Lake Baikal (о́зеро Байка́л Ozero Baykal, ˈozʲɪrə bʌjˈkɑl Байгал нуур Baygal nuur) is in Southern Siberia in Russia The first plant was on the north shore of the Dead Sea at Kalia and produced potash, or potassium chloride, by solar evaporation of the brine. Kalia may refer to Kalia Bangladesh Kalia Chad Kalia Democratic Republic of Congo Kalia Guinea Employing Arabs and Jews, it was an island of peace in turbulent times. The company quickly grew into the largest industrial site in the Middle East and in 1934 built a second plant on the southwest shore, in the Mount Sodom area, south of the 'Lashon' region of the Dead Sea. Mount Sodom (جبل السدوم Jabal(u 'ssudūm; הר סדום Har Sedom) is a hill along the southwestern part of the Dead Sea in Israel Lisan Peninsula is a large spit of land which now separates the North and the South basins of the Dead Sea. Palestine Potash Company supplied half of Britain's potash during World War II, but ultimately became a casualty of the 1948 Arab-Israeli War. World War II, or the Second World War, (often abbreviated WWII) was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including Its remnants were nationalised and Dead Sea Works Ltd. was established in 1952 in its stead as a state-owned company to extract potash and other minerals from the Dead Sea. The Dead Sea Works (מפעלי ים המלח is a major industry on the shores of the Dead Sea in Israel. A government-owned corporation, state-owned enterprise or government business enterprise is a legal entity created by a Government to undertake commercial

From the Dead Sea brine, Israel produces (2001) 1. 77 million tons potash, 206,000 tons elemental bromine, 44,900 tons caustic soda, 25,000 tons magnesium metal, and sodium chloride. Units of mass There are three similar units of Mass called the ton: Long ton (simply ton in countries such as the United Sodium hydroxide ( Na[[hydroxide OH]]) also known as Lye, caustic soda and (incorrectly according to IUPAC nomenclature Magnesium (mægˈniːziəm is a Chemical element with the symbol Mg, Atomic number 12 Atomic weight 24 On the Jordanian side of the Dead Sea, Arab Potash (APC), formed in 1956, produces 2. Arab Potash is a company that is primarily involved in harvesting Minerals from the Dead Sea. 0 million tons of potash annually, as well as sodium chloride and bromine. Both companies use extensive salt evaporation pans that have essentially diked the entire southern end of the Dead Sea for the purpose of producing carnallite, potassium magnesium chloride, which is then processed further to produce potassium chloride. Pan evaporation is a measurement that combines or integrates the effects of several climate elements temperature humidity solar radiation and wind Carnallite is an Evaporite mineral a hydrated Potassium Magnesium Chloride with formula K[[magnesium Mg]] Cl 3·6( The power plant on the Israeli side allows production of magnesium metal (by a subsidiary, Dead Sea Magnesium Ltd. ). The salt evaporation pans are visible from space.

Due to the popularity of the sea's therapeutic and healing properties, several companies have also shown interest in the manufacturing and supplying of Dead Sea salts as raw materials for body and skin care products. Companies, like the San Francisco Bath Salt Company and Cleopatra's Choice, for example, are based in the United States but import their supply of Dead Sea salts directly from Israel. ^[13][14]

Recession

In recent decades, the Dead Sea has been rapidly shrinking because of diversion of incoming water. From an elevation of 395 m (1,296 ft) below sea level in 1970 ^[15] it fell 22 m (72 ft) to 418 m (1,371 ft) below sea level in 2006, reaching a drop rate of 1 m (3 ft) per year. Although the Dead Sea may never entirely disappear, because evaporation slows down as surface area decreases and salinity increases, it is feared that the Dead Sea may substantially change its characteristics.

The Dead Sea level drop has been followed by a groundwater level drop, causing brines that used to occupy underground layers near the shoreline to be flushed out by freshwater. Groundwater is Water located beneath the Ground surface in Soil pore spaces and in the Fractures of lithologic formations This is believed to be the cause of the recent appearance of large sinkholes along the western shore – incoming freshwater dissolves salt layers, rapidly creating subsurface cavities that subsequently collapse to form these sinkholes. A sinkhole, also known as a sink, shake hole, swallow hole, swallet, doline or Cenote, is a natural depression ^[16]

One of the plans which were suggested as a means to stop the recession of the Dead Sea is to channel water from the Mediterranean or the Red Sea, either through tunnels or canals (the Dead Sea Canal). The Red Sea is a Salt water Inlet of the Indian Ocean between Africa and Asia. The Dead Sea canal is a proposed project of building a canal from either the Mediterranean Sea ( MDSC) or the Red Sea to the Dead Sea ( RSDSC Although a Mediterranean structure would be shorter, Israel is now committed to building a Red Sea canal in deference to Jordan's needs. Jordan, officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan (الأردنّ al-Urdunn) is an Arab country in Southwest Asia spanning the southern The plan is to pump water 120 m (394 ft) up the Arava/Arabah from Aqaba or Eilat, tunnel under the highest point of the Arava/Arabah valley, and then canalize the river of seawater as it falls 520 m (1,706 ft) to the Dead Sea. For the town in the West Bank see Aqabah West Bank. Aqaba (العقبة Al-ʻAqabah) is a coastal town in the far south of Eilat (Hebrew אילת should not be confused with the nearby kibbutz of Eilot (Hebrew אילות The downhill flow would be harnessed hydroelectrically, and the arriving seawater would run into a desalination plant to be constructed in Jordan. The salt water remaining after desalination would be deposited into the Dead Sea.

On May 9, 2005, Jordan, Israel, and the Palestinian Authority signed an agreement to begin feasibility studies on the project, to be officially known as the "Two Seas Canal". Events 1457 BC - Battle of Megiddo (15th century BC between Thutmose III and a large Canaanite coalition under the King of Year 2005 ( MMV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. The Two Seas Canal is a proposed canal which would run from the Red Sea to the Dead Sea and provide electricity and potable water to Jordan, Israel The scheme calls for the production of 870 million cubic metres of fresh water per year and 550 megawatts of electricity. CM3 redirects here If you were looking for the 3rd game in the Cooking Mama series abbreviated as CM3 see here. The watt (symbol W) is the SI derived unit of power, equal to one Joule of energy per Second. The World Bank is supportive of the project. The World Bank is an internationally supported Bank that provides financial and technical assistance to developing countries for development programs (e However, several environmental groups have raised concerns about possible negative impacts of the project on the natural environment of the Dead Sea and Arava.

In 2007, the level of the Dead Sea fell by 1 metre. ^[17]

Gallery

Israeli highway beside the Dead Sea	Twisty coastline	Coastline (from Israel)	Dead Sea at Dawn (from Sdom mountain, Israel)
Dead Sea at Dusk (from Suwayma, Jordan)	Sinkholes at Mineral Beach

See also

The Dead Sea region

• Dead Sea Canal
• Two Seas Canal
• List of places on land with elevations below sea level
• Great Salt Lake

Further reading

• Yehouda Enzel, et al, eds (2006) New Frontiers in Dead Sea Paleoenvironmental Research, Geological Society of America, ISBN 0-8137-2401-5 [1]
• Niemi, Tina M. The Dead Sea canal is a proposed project of building a canal from either the Mediterranean Sea ( MDSC) or the Red Sea to the Dead Sea ( RSDSC The Two Seas Canal is a proposed canal which would run from the Red Sea to the Dead Sea and provide electricity and potable water to Jordan, Israel The following is a list of places below mean Sea level that are on land not in tunnels mines or under water Great Salt Lake, located in the northern part of the US state of Utah, is the largest salt lake in the western hemisphere the fourth-largest terminal , Ben-Avraham, Z. , and Gat, J. , eds. , 1997, The Dead Sea: The Lake and Its Setting: N. Y. , Oxford University Press, 286 p.

References

External links

• The official Israeli site
• Ezekiel's Water Project
• Race is on to save the Dead Sea
• A Web Documentary On The Dead Sea
• Multilateral project for sustainable water management in the lower Jordan Valley
• Photo gallery of the Dead Sea
• Photos of the Dead Sea