Dead Sea Region Photo Album

DEAD SEA REGION

IsraelNovember 2008

We stayed at Moriah Classic that overlooks the southern end of the Dead Sea

We loved the Hebrew signs at the hotel

The Dead Sea lies 400 m below sea level & is the lowest point of the earthIts high mineral content allows nothing to live in its watersThe Dead Sea is drying up for various reasons: evaporation, mining, etcAlready the sea has been separated into 2 lakesOne can see many dykes that are built for the extraction of minerals contained in the watersThe potash contained in its bitter waters is an invaluable fertilizer

Its salt concentration is 8 to 10 times higher than ocean water, making it easy for one to float in its waters

Surprisingly, its waters are crystal clear

But once you step out of the waters, tiny crystals of salt are formed on your bodies

The landscape opposite the Dead Sea

Located west of the Dead Sea, close to Masada & the caves of Qumran is an oasis—Ein Gedi (“the spring of the kid/goat”)It is known for its caves, springs, & its rich diversity of flora & fauna

No wonder Solomon compared his lover to “a cluster of henna blossoms in the vineyards of En-gedi” (Song of Solomon 1:14)Ein Gedi was a prosperous settlement since the 8th century BCE because of a costly perfume produced from a plant grown in its orchardsThis perfume was reportedly used by Cleopatra herselfThe secret of its production was so heavily guarded by the townspeople that it is now a lost secret

A plant found here is the Ziziphus Spina-Christi

The dried branches could have been used to make the crown of thorns that was placed on Jesus’ head

Young ibex or wild goats could be seen

“The high mountains are for the wild goats; the rocks are a refuge for the coneys” (Ps 104:18); these are the conveys or hyraxes or rock badgers & their closest relative is the elephant

The walk to the first waterfall was not an easy one

There are many caves here; they must had been a great place for David to play hide & seek with Saul (1 Sam 23:29; 24:1-7)

We finally reached the first waterfallThere are many springs around the Dead Sea but most of them have a high salt contentEn Gedi is one of only two fresh water springs located on the western shore of the Dead Sea

Our next destination was Qumran caves where the Dead Sea Scrolls were found

The Dead Sea Scrolls were first found here in 1947 by a Bedouin shepherd boyScrolls were hidden in jars like these since the time of the First Jewish Revolt against Rome in 70 CEAll the Old Testament books except Esther are found from the 11 cavesThese discoveries are important as they contain the oldest existing copies of Old Testament manuscripts

Qumran was the home of the Essences, an ascetic Jewish sect of the Second Temple period; this community was destroyed by the Romans in 68 CE

The Refectory or dining room

The famous Cave 4 which was discovered in 1952

The 15.000 fragments found here were pieced together to form 530 different scrollsThe publication of these scrolls was completed only in 2001

The Dead Sea Scrolls are now kept in the Shrine of the Book (Jerusalem); the roof resembles the lids of the jars in which the scrolls were stored; when inside, you feel like you are inside a jar

The pockets of green grassland among the dry parched land of Qumran is the work of the kibbutzim or collective communities who have cultivated the land, turning the desert into fertile land (Isa 35:1-2)