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The
lowest point on earth
The sunset
touching distant hills with ribbons of fire across the waters of the
Dead Sea brings a sense of unreality to culminate a day’s visit to
the lowest point on earth, some 400 meters below sea level.
To reach this unique spot the visitor enjoys a short,55 kilometer
drive from Amman, surrounded by a landscape which could be from
another planet.
En route a stone marker indicates
“Sea Level”, but the Dead Sea itself is not reached before
descending another 400 meters below this sign. |
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A beautiful sunset
over the dead sea |
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Sea level marker |
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The shoreline |
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Salt formations |
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As the name
suggests, the area is devoid of life due to an extremely high
content of salts and minerals. But it is these natural elements
which give the waters their curative powers, recognized since the
days of Herod the Great, more than 2,000 years ago. They also
provide the raw materials for the renowned Jordanian Dead Sea. Bath
Salts and cosmetic products which are marketed worldwide. The Dea
Sea is normally as calm as a mill pond, with barely a ripple
distributing its surface, but it can become |
turbulent.
During most days, however, the water shimmers under a beating
sun.
Where rocks meet its lapping edges, they become snowlike, covered
with a thick, gleaming white deposit that gives the area a strange,
surreal sense like that of another world. |
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The tourist facilities provide accommodations for changing into
swimming attire so the visitor can wade into the warm, soothing
water. Try as one may, it is impossible to sink in the thick brine
which is four times as salty as regular sea water. One can. However,
recline on the water to read a newspaper. Seaside |
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Ma'in Spa |
facilities
include a modern hotel with a therapeutic clinic and a
restaurant/bathing/sports complex, meeting the needs of day visitors
or parties wishing to spend the night amidst one of the most
dramatic and moving landscapes in the world. Not far away, over the
hills to the east, is another special water adventure: the Zarka Ma’in
hot springs, now developed as a comprehensive spa, with a four-star
hotel, leisure, bathing and therapeutic facilities. |
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VISIT
OTHER CITIES
(AMMAN
- JERASH - DECAPOLIS
ERA - JORDAN - PETRA - WADI
RUM - AQABA -
MUJIB WILDLIFE RESERVE - DANA
NATURE RESERVE - SHAUMARI NATURE RESERVE - AJLOUN
NATURE RESERVE - AZRAQ WETLAND RESERVE - BIRD
WATCHING - THE GULF OF AQABA - BETHANY
BEYOND JORDAN) |
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EGYPT - LEBANON - SYRIA
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