Man Drowns at ‘Dangerous’ Lake in Israel After Saving Woman, 3 Children
Ashdod residents have expressed anger that warning signs against swimming in artificial lake are often ignored
Dead Sea
The Dead Sea (in Hebrew, Yam Hamelach or Salt Sea) is an endorheic lake - 67 kilometers long, 18 kilometers at its widest - along the Jordan Rift Valley and bordered by the West Bank, Israel, and Jordan.
With 33.7% water salinity, the Dead Sea is the planet’s second saltiest body of water and, with the exception of certain types of halophilic archaebacteria and fungi, barren of life. The Dead Sea’s shores are 420 meters below sea level, making it the lowest place on the planet’s exterior, and its deepest point is 800 meters below sea level, making the Dead Sea the deepest hypersaline lake in the world. The Jordan River is the main source of water for the Dead Sea.
A leading tourist attraction and a major source of potassium, bromine and magnesium, the Dead Sea is of great economic importance to Israel and Jordan. Visitors to the Dead Sea traditionally cover themselves in the mud found at the water's edge, believed to have therapeutic properties due to its high concentration of minerals. The salinity of the water also creates a buoyancy effect, with bathers able to float on the sea's surface.
Throughout history the Dead Sea has attracted visitors from around the Middle East and the Mediterranean basin, and its minerals have been tapped to produce a variety of products, ranging from cosmetics and herbal sachets to mummification balms and potash for fertilizer.
Particle Accelerator to Help Read Dead Sea Scrolls Too Fragile to Unroll
WATCH: How oldest Torah scroll found in a synagogue was read despite being burned to a crisp ■ Now manuscripts from the Second Temple Period that are too brittle to even touch may be deciphered using cutting-edge physics
After Dead Sea Forgeries Exposed, How Do We Know the Scrolls in Israel Are Authentic?
All scroll fragments at the Museum of the Bible in Washington turn out to be fakes: Experts explain how we know the massive trove of scrolls held in Jerusalem is genuine
All Dead Sea Scrolls Fragments at D.C. Bible Museum Are Fake, Investigation Shows
'We’re victims, we’re victims of misrepresentation, we’re victims of fraud,' museum CEO Harry Hargrove says over Dead Sea Scrolls investigation
An Israeli Finds Out What's on Jordan's Side of the Dead Sea
It’s within floating distance from us, but few Israelis go there
IN PHOTOS The Drop Dead Beauty of the Dead Sea Environmental Disaster
The 20 million tons of salt accumulating each year at the Dead Sea's southern end endanger hotels and a major highway. A solution will exact a heavy cost, but it looks great from above
Israeli Researchers Mate 2,000-year-old Date Seeds, Hope for Fruit
Seeds discovered in the 1960s during Yigal Yadin’s digs at Masada and excavations at Qumran
Dead Sea Sinkholes Look Like Ecological Catastrophe. They're an Opportunity
Mega-sinkholes are forming as the Dead Sea shrinks. Israelis feel it’s a disaster, but the Geological Survey of Israel begs to differ and has a quirky suggestion for adapting to the evolving landscape
Mortifying: Israel Announces New Hotel Construction at Dying Dead Sea
The four new hotels will line the pockets of billionaire Yitzhak Tshuva. But how much will the government spend to save the sea itself?
Jordan's King Tours Enclave Leased to Israel After End of Deal
Earlier this week, Abdullah announced the end of the 25-year deal, but Jordanian FM says Israeli farmers would be allowed to enter one of the enclaves to harvest their crops
Haaretz Photo Blog Untold Stories of the Dead Sea Strolls
Two generations photographed the same subject on film, but at different times, from different perspectives
Some Like It Really, Really Hot: A Summer Trip to the Dead Sea
With temperatures near 50 degrees Celsius, the thermometer threatened to burst on a summer tour at the southern tip of the Dead Sea, the site of an ecological disaster
Gideon Levy The Only Place Where a Palestinian Can Give Orders to an Israeli
The Dead Sea, the lowest place on Earth, also offers the only beach open to West Bank Palestinians
Israeli Court Rules to Place Limit on Amount of Water Pumped From Dead Sea
Environmental group files petition against Dead Sea Works requesting the company obtain licences to promote more efficient and economical pumping technologies
Life Really Can Overcome Anything: How Bacteria Survive 250 Meters Under the Dead Sea
Scientists discovered new life in one of the most extreme environments in the world: Bacteria living on dead ancient microorganisms – which may have implications for finding life on Mars
Hot as Hell: Temperature in Sodom Broke Israeli Record
The mercury peaked at nearly 50 degrees Celsius at the Dead Sea site during Wednesday’s country-wide heat wave.
There’s a Way to Save Jordan. But It Might Kill the Dead Sea
Water crisis in the Hashemite kingdom can be eased by desalinating water from the Red Sea, with brine waste used to replenish the vanishing Dead Sea — but experts don’t agree if it will succeed
Tehran Caves to Israel: World's Longest Salt Cavern Discovered, Beating Iranian Record
Malham is one of 150 caves in Mount Sodom, at the southern part of the Dead Sea, that are made of pure salt. It’s been known to Western travelers since the end of the 19th century
Experts Racing Against Antiquities Robbers in Hunt for Dead Sea Scrolls
Recent finds have stirred fresh excitement and archaeologists are probing higher and deeper than before, as hundreds of caves remain unexcavated
Death Toll in Jordan Flood Rises to 13 After Girl's Body Found
The girl was found a day after her father and four of her sisters — also flood victims — were buried, state news agency reports
Death Toll in Jordan Flash Floods Rises to 12
Jordan opens shelter for dozens of people whose homes were surround by water ■ Contact made with two Israelis travelling in southern Jordan
Israel's Sea of Galilee at Lowest Level in 17 Years
The water level in Israel's only freshwater lake fell further in November, approaching an all-time low
Court Extends Remand of Driver Suspected of Killing Eight in Dead Sea Crash
The charges against the driver will likely include obstruction of proceedings, manslaughter, driving under the influence of drugs and passing illegally on Route 90
Business in Brief: PetroTx Becomes Accidental Producer of Dead Sea Oil
Super-Sol launches apparel shopping and travel websites ■ Citing market conditions, ECI Telecom delays London initial public offering ■ No need to raise interest rates yet, says deputy Bank of Israel governor ■ Shares post mild drop while bond prices slump on rate-hike fears
Six Palestinians Killed in Head-on Collision Near Dead Sea
The six killed, construction workers in their 30s, were trapped in one of the vehicles and extracted by fire department teams after they were already dead. Four others were wounded and evacuated to a near hospital
Israel Mulls Advancing Red Sea-Dead Sea Canal Project to Mend Relations With Jordan
The canal is one of several ideas that have been proposed in advance of the expected negotiations with Amman on the two annexes in the Israel-Jordan peace treaty, which King Abdullah recently announced will not be renewed
Drugs Suspected in Dead Sea Car Crash That Killed Family of Eight
Judge extends remand of driver suspected of killing the family. The driver had committed more than 20 traffic offenses in the past
Israeli Police Arrest Three Palestinians Suspected of Arson in Dead Sea Blazes
The fire caused damage to 125 acres of vegetation was contained after hours of efforts by 16 firefighting crews
Israeli Artist Breathes Life Into the Dead Sea by Sculpting With Its Salt
Sigalit Landau uses the high salinity that prevents life in the Dead Sea in order to create a collection of shiny white sculptures that seem to come out of a fairy tale