<p>Whenever the name Dead Sea cropped up in school, a sense of awe writ large on every student’s face. This urged me to visit the salt lake on which people could float without any aid, and not drown. Years later, I landed in Amman, Jordan’s charming capital, to witness the truth.<br /><br /></p>.<p>After a quick sojourn of the historical and archaeological city, Petra, my driver Hossain led us down the route to the Dead Sea. We passed Talifah, a town blessed with patches of fig, olive and grape plantations, and descended the Jordan Valley, a low-lying strip that belongs to the Great Rift Valley, which extends from Turkey to East Africa.<br /><br />Further in our journey, rugged terrain rendered by fascinating rock formations was a common sight. I then caught a glimpse of the spectacular Mujib Nature Reserve, which borders the Dead Sea at 416 m below sea level. <br /><br />Finally, we arrived at our destination! Easily a misnomer, the Dead Sea is not a sea, but an intensely blue, oval saltwater lake. A number of streams, including River Jordan, feed it. Once the waters reach this lake, they are land-locked, they evaporate and leave behind a dense cocktail of salts and minerals. <br /><br />I experienced my first traveller’s disappointment upon hearing that the only access to the lake was through a badly maintained public beach. A series of five-star hotels lined one stretch of the Dead Sea. However, I settled for a clean-looking resort recommended by my driver. After a quick lunch, I headed down to the lake and saw people bobbing over it. Some were removing the black dirt (a film of dissolved salts) glued to their skin. <br /><br />Hossain said that the high salt content, which enabled floating, has therapeutic value. However, I decided not to venture into the lake. <br /><br />For many decades, it was considered an utter waste for it could not support any life. Then a few bright minds tried to extract minerals and knew they had struck gold. I watched several plants extract potassium chloride, a valuable fertiliser, and other chemicals from the water. The Red Sea Dead Sea project, an effort to stem out the water crisis in Jordon, is under evaluation, he added.<br /><br />As fascinating as the lake was the story of the Dead Sea scrolls, a collection of text discovered by a local shepherd inside the caves located 2 km inland from the northwest shore of the Dead Sea, in 1947. They are now preserved in Jerusalem.<br /></p>
<p>Whenever the name Dead Sea cropped up in school, a sense of awe writ large on every student’s face. This urged me to visit the salt lake on which people could float without any aid, and not drown. Years later, I landed in Amman, Jordan’s charming capital, to witness the truth.<br /><br /></p>.<p>After a quick sojourn of the historical and archaeological city, Petra, my driver Hossain led us down the route to the Dead Sea. We passed Talifah, a town blessed with patches of fig, olive and grape plantations, and descended the Jordan Valley, a low-lying strip that belongs to the Great Rift Valley, which extends from Turkey to East Africa.<br /><br />Further in our journey, rugged terrain rendered by fascinating rock formations was a common sight. I then caught a glimpse of the spectacular Mujib Nature Reserve, which borders the Dead Sea at 416 m below sea level. <br /><br />Finally, we arrived at our destination! Easily a misnomer, the Dead Sea is not a sea, but an intensely blue, oval saltwater lake. A number of streams, including River Jordan, feed it. Once the waters reach this lake, they are land-locked, they evaporate and leave behind a dense cocktail of salts and minerals. <br /><br />I experienced my first traveller’s disappointment upon hearing that the only access to the lake was through a badly maintained public beach. A series of five-star hotels lined one stretch of the Dead Sea. However, I settled for a clean-looking resort recommended by my driver. After a quick lunch, I headed down to the lake and saw people bobbing over it. Some were removing the black dirt (a film of dissolved salts) glued to their skin. <br /><br />Hossain said that the high salt content, which enabled floating, has therapeutic value. However, I decided not to venture into the lake. <br /><br />For many decades, it was considered an utter waste for it could not support any life. Then a few bright minds tried to extract minerals and knew they had struck gold. I watched several plants extract potassium chloride, a valuable fertiliser, and other chemicals from the water. The Red Sea Dead Sea project, an effort to stem out the water crisis in Jordon, is under evaluation, he added.<br /><br />As fascinating as the lake was the story of the Dead Sea scrolls, a collection of text discovered by a local shepherd inside the caves located 2 km inland from the northwest shore of the Dead Sea, in 1947. They are now preserved in Jerusalem.<br /></p>