We left the Sea of Galilee on this day and drove to the River Jordan where John the Baptist baptized Jesus. The Jordan river has a length of 320 km. and forms the border between Israel and Jordan in the north and the border between the West Bank and Jordan in the South. I must admit I was very surprised when we were told to look out our window because the river looked more like a creek than a river. The river falls 950 metres from it's source to the Dead Sea meaning that it flows below sea level - the lowest river on earth, flowing to the lowest spot on earth.
We drove south along the Jordan Valley valley to arrive at the site, stopping at Qasr el Yahud, which is believed to be the original site of baptism for Jesus by John the Baptist. We drove past a check point upon entering and we walked the heavily guarded area to the water. In the oppressive heat, our visit coincided with the Orthodox Church celebration of Holy Week, and the Greek Patriarch was also visiting along with huge crowds of people either getting baptized or renewing their baptism. The Rev. Brian Galligan from Acton Ont. was asked to lead the renewal for our group. Richard told us that not so very long ago, one had to get special permission to enter and required an armed escort. It is an extremely busy location and washroom facilities consist of several blue plastic portable toilets. There is a valid concern about the safety of the water that appeared polluted. Friends of the Earth Middle East rehabilitation project is a step in the right direction. Click here to read about the Rehabilitation Project
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| On the bus on the way to the River Jordan |
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Check point soldiers inquire about
the tour program participants |
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Hot, wet, and crowded - sounds like the
time of John the Baptizer |
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| Pilgrims from India await their baptism |
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| Israeli Police keeping a watchful eye |
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| Soldiers are a common daily sight. I took this pic from the window of the bus |
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| Renewing baptismal vows |
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| Andy taking water from the River Jordan for baptisms at St. Edmunds |
The heat was overwhelming and I am certain I wasn't the only one relieved to get back onto the air conditioned bus. We continued south to the Herodian Fortress of Masada where we ate lunch in the cafeteria before we took the cable car to the mountain top. (Groan - yes there is a major fast-food chain here in the food court, whose name will remain unmentioned...)
Masada is an ancient fortification overlooking the Dead Sea on the edge of the Judaean desert. Herod the Great built the palace. At the end of the Jewish-Roman War of 66-70 CE, the last of the Jewish resistance held out there for several few years before committing suicide. How anyone could live in this type of heat really bewilders me and especially before the age of air-conditioning. We were up there less than an hour and I truly felt as if we would all melt. There are breathtaking views of the Dead Sea from the top.
Next to Jerusalem, Masada is the next most popular site for Jewish people visiting Israel and Bar- and Bat-Mitzvahs are held here.
Masada was declared a Unesco World Heritage Site in 2001 and in 2007 One can clearly see why....reading about the history here is fascinating but visiting the ruins is truly beyond amazing. I had read about the "snake path" one can climb up to Masada but on this day it would seem impossible to even think of hiking. We saw one lone person hiking the path on this day and I think we all gasped in unison. It just doesn't seem sane which leads me back to how did people actually live on this 400 meter high fortress.
The Israel Defence Forces have swearing-in ceremonies of soldiers who have completed their basic training on top of Masada. They climb the snake path at night with torches lighting up the darkness and take an oath..... "Masada shall not fall again"
A 2,000 year old seed was found during excavations and amazingly was germinated into a date plant!
The buildings included two beautiful palaces, bath houses, villas, towers, 70 rooms. The most impressive was the advanced water system. 12 cisterns, each holding a capacity of up to 140,000 cubit feet were cut into the rock! There were close to a thousand people that lived here in a complex which eventually including a synagogue and Roman-style baths.
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| Escaping the heat into the shade anytime we can - it helps to soak the scarf in water when you put it round your neck! |
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| Going to the top of Masada is very symbolic for these Orthodox Jewish young men. |
In the shade of drought-resistant trees.
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| Climb to the tower |
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The original preserved painted wall in the bath house.
Take that Benjamin Moore - a 2000-year guarantee
that your paint won't fade! Priceless! |
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| One of many passageways. |
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| You can't help but be in awe of the 1st-century mosaic floor designed and built in such a remote and desolate area. |
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| The black lines on the wall indicate the place where modern restoration occurs, using the stones that had fallen or been destroyed from earlier times |
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I love this doorway and the view it offers. Imagine for a minute, if you lived here in the time of it's splendour.
The Dead Sea
Most of us were overwhelmingly exhausted and sweaty when we arrived back again on the bus to the relief of air conditioning and drove to the Ein Gedi Dead Sea Resort for one night's accommodation. Upon check-in we were told that if we wanted to swim in the Dead Sea today, we would have to catch the bus within 15 minutes. We ran to catch the shuttle to the Spa and from there, we took a secondary type of transportation.......a tractor trailer hauling covered passenger cars to the shore which was lined with plastic lawn chairs and a few small sheltered tarps to give some shade. Each year the Dead Sea drops by one meter which means the shore keeps moving further away. The Dead Sea is the lowest place on the face of the earth.....400 meters below sea level ..... so getting to the location is a longer shuttle ride. The small group of us that managed to act fast enough to swim that afternoon were rewarded with a very unique experience. The Dead Sea is actually a salt lake made up of 33% salt and not a single species of life exist in these saline waters. A normal percentage in the ocean would be 3.8% so that is almost ten times saltier. We had to go through a list of rules called the Ten Commandments before entering. I wished I would have taken a photo of the sign but this is what I remember.
- A drop of the water in your eyes can send you running to shore. Even a drop can make you feel blinded.
- Do not try to swim and limit your time in the water.
- Do not try to float on your stomach.
- Do not pee in the water! You will know why if you try!
- You must wear water shoes to protect your feet. The salt is very jagged and can easily cut your feet.
- Jewelry may tarnish
- Avoid shaving for a day or two before going into the Dead Sea. Even scratches on the surface of your skin can feel like cuts after exposure to the water.
- Wear older swimwear as the salt can be damaging to fabric.
The Dead Sea is so very intriguing but unfortunately it is literally dying because of the decline of it's main source which is the Jordan River. Friends of the Middle East have some excellent information on their website that explains the environmental problems the Dead Sea is facing and considerations for piping water from the area of Eilat and Aqabah on the Red Sea to replenish the water levels.
Seeing the shores of the Dead Sea made me wonder if we had arrived on the face of the moon or perhaps another undiscovered planet. It seemed so surreal and the colours truly look different here than anywhere else. The water is a shimmery turquoise that is so bright you need to squint even with sunglasses.
Upon cautiously entering the water, it was almost as if an invisible styrofoam water noodle had enveloped me. It is so easy to just lay back and relax, the sensation being that of swirling around in invisible water wings. Initially I did not feel any pain but after five minutes the water on my psoriasis felt like battery acid. I immediately got out and rinsed off but even that didn't eliminate the pain I felt. The rest of the group decided to cake up in the Dead Sea mud that lines the shore. The mud has therapeutic properties and after their own mud treatment, everyone was touching their soft skin.
The Dead Sea taken from the bus window.
We found that our hand-washed clothes would dry in ten minutes on our patio!
Karen and I type on our invisible keyboards as we float on the salty and buoyant water
Our first sight of the Dead Sea...........
Behind our room and facing the Judean Desert. The hillside is full of caves that are similar to those in which the Dead Sea Scrolls were found in 1947.
An acacia tree in the desert shows you that there is a water spring nearby. Acacias have a bark that exudes a honey-like edible "manna" each morning, and the tree's shade provides rest for migrating quails on cross-desert flights. The exhausted quails are easy picking for people traversing the desert and hungry for a meal (does this story sound familiar in some way?)
The Beobab tree is part of a stunning botanical garden developed in the kibbutz of Ein-Gedi with its wonderful water resources at this oasis in the desert.
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