The Dead Sea, the salt lake between Israel and Jordan, is the lowest point on earth with about 400 meters below sea level. It is an unique experience to bath without being able to sink, the water and the special conditions of the area have positive effects on dermatological and rheumatic diseases.

The name Dead Sea refers to the fact, that no organic life can exist here due to the high salinity. The lake is 75 kms long and 6 to 16 kms wide, mainly supplied by water from the Jordan River, but has no outlet, so the waters evaporate, leaving behind a dense mix of salts and minerals. The warm, soothing, salty water itself - ten times saltier than sea water, is rich in chloride salts of magnesium, sodium, potassium and bromine.

The health effects of this special area was known since antiquity, it was one of the first spas in the world. Herod the Great, king of Judaea, already used it in the 1st century BC as health treatment, as well as the Egyptian Queen, Cleopatra. The Nabateans discovered the value of bitumen extracted from the Dead Sea an needed by the Egyptian pharaos for embalming mummies. Today the Dead Sea is an attraction for health and leisure tourism. Several hotels with spa and fitness facilities are gathered at Sweimeh. Public beaches also providing showers and restaurant to enjoy some hours at the lowest spot on earth.

The Dead Sea plays a signficant role in the Bible, here it is named as Sea of Arabah, Salt Sea or Eastern Sea. At the plain along the Dead Sea, the Southern Ghor, several biblical events took place. The most popular is the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. God punished the sinful cities Sodom and Gomorrah, but allowed Lot and his family to flee the destruction. But Lot's wife disobeyed Gods order not to look back on the burning cities and turned into a pillar of salt. Today see close to the Dead Sea a rock formation called Lot's wife, and Lot's cave with remains from an early Byzantine church. Here Lot and his daughters took refuge after the deletion of Sodom and Gomorrah. Some scholars proppose the remains of Bab ed Dhra and Numeira in the south-eastern corner at the Dead Sea are the biblical Sodom and Gomorrah.