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| The Living Dead - A new7wonder finalist |
Historic Dead Sea Travellers
One of the most prominent Dead Sea Travellers
is Patriarch Abraham, great-grandfather of Jews and of Arabs.
Minutes before the overthrow of Sodom and Gomorrah, two angels
sped away his nephew Lot and his family from the infamous
city. Mrs Lot, too curious of her own good and in disregard
of the angels warning turned around to see the fiery spectacle
and was instantly turned into a pillar of salt. (Genesis).
Legend has it that the lake had there and then become the
saltiest on earth. One of the many protruding rocks on Mount
Sodom ridge is named “Lot’s Wife”. Discover
the others
King David
In the hazardous transition time between the reigns of King
Saul and King David, the young king-to-be and his reckless
entourage fled envious King Saul’s persecution (Samuel
B). He found shelter in the lofty cliffs north of the Ein
Gedi Oasis. Psalm of David 63, when he was in the wilderness,
reads “I seek thee, my soul thirsts for thee…in
a dry and thirsty land… But those who seek my soul to
destroy it, shall go to the lowest part of the earth…”
Masada
A heroic saga was played out on the Rock of the Masada in
the year 72 CE, when 960 men, women and children withstood
and extended siege by the Roman Empire. Rather than suffer
enslavement at the hand of Flavius Silva, Roman Governor to
Palestine and his 10th Roman legion, they committed suicide.
Masada now a world renowned and well-developed tourist attraction
is half and hour away from the Dead Sea tourist area.
Qumran
Most of the precious Dead Sea Scrolls, including
the monumental Prophet Isaiah scroll and that of the “War
of the Sons of Light against the Sons of Darkness”,
were unearthed from caves at the archaeological site of Qumran.
Ruins of 200 BCE town, on the north-western tip of the salty
lake, feature excavations, caves and an ancient cemetery.
The scrolls are on display in the shrine of the Book at the
Israel Museum of Jerusalem.
The Jordan River
The southern end of the Jordan River flows into the northern
tip of the Living Dead Sea and is the lake’s sole source
of water. Kasr el Yahun, on western bank of the Jordan, a
few kilometres to the north, is considered to be the true
baptismal site.
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