The Dead Sea is part of the border between Israel and Jordan. Just an hours drive away from Jerusalem, it is very popular with locals and tourists who swear by the medical properties of the water. Evidence shows that it may dry up within the next 50 years. All the more reason to go and experience this work of nature

• The Dead Sea is more than 3 million years old. Located between Jordan to its east and Israel and Palestine to its west, it is actually a hypersaline lake which also happens to be earths lowest elevation on land at 1,388 ft below sea level.
• It is also one of the saltiest water bodies on the planet with10 times the salt concentration of ocean water that creates a natural buoyancymaking people automatically float.
• The worlds first and most popular health resort, the Dead Sea was a favorite among royalty from the likes of King Herod the Great to the legendary Queen Cleopatra
• The biggest free spa on earth, the Dead Sea region has been attracting visitors from all over the world. The mineral content in the water, mud and salt, the low content of pollen and other allergens along with low solar UV radiation, combined with the atmospheric pressure and the depth, have healing properties for various skin diseases, respiratory ailments and rheumatic pain. A unique occurrence at the Dead Sea is of large amounts of asphalt which rises to the surface of the water. Ancient Egyptians would import the asphalt from this region and used it to embalm mummies.
• And of course the hundreds of well preserved Biblical and non-biblical manuscripts which you may know as the Dead Sea Scrolls were also found in caves on the north-west shores of the Dead Sea. Their discovery helped reshape the history of religion in the world as we know it.