A trip to Israel is not just a trip, but an opportunity to plunge into an amazing world filled with ancient secrets, unique cultural monuments and the extraordinary nature of the Dead Sea. Every year tours to Israel are becoming more and more popular with our compatriots, because in a couple of weeks of rest you can not only relax and recharge with the positive energy of the Promised Land, but also improve your health with the help of the healing mud of the Dead Sea and other balneological procedures.
Recently, Russians have become interested in tours to Israel in Ein Bokek. This amazing resort allows tourists, tired of the hustle and bustle of everyday life, to be literally reborn. If you have never rested on the shores of the Dead Sea, then our article will be very useful to you, because today it is dedicated to the beautiful and mysterious resort city of Ein Bokek.
Description of the city
Ein Bokek (Israel) is not quite an ordinary city, which becomes clear literally from the first glance thrown onto its streets. The fact is that this resort is entirely comprised of hotels, luxury health centers, cafes and shops. At the moment, more than thirty beautiful hotels have been built here, which are ready to receive guests all year round. In addition, the majority of tourists admit that it is in this city that the most developed infrastructure in the whole country can not but attract tourists from different points on the world map.
The city of Ein Bokek in Israel is located at an altitude of four hundred and four meters and stretches along the southern bay of the Dead Sea. A distinctive feature of this town, which sets it apart from the string of other Israeli resorts, are its sandy beaches. They stretch for several kilometers and are often divided between five-star hotels, of which there are a huge number in Ein Bokek (Israel).
It is interesting that all employees of hotel complexes and numerous infrastructure facilities come to the city from nearby settlements. And after hours worked, they return to their home, because in the resort itself there is absolutely not a single residential quarter. Sometimes the people of Israel themselves call Ein Bokek a single health complex, which is set up to bring people happiness and peace.
sights
Naturally, every tourist is primarily interested in the Dead Sea in Israel. Ein Bokek, however, can give not only impressions associated with a beach vacation, but also a lot of other emotions. In the vicinity of the city there are many sights that are covered with legends and have a long history.
Mount Sodom makes an unusual impression on tourists. It consists entirely of salt, and according to legend, it was here that some members of Lot's family succumbed to the temptation to take a last look at the world they had abandoned and dying. One of the tallest pillars, frozen right above the cliff, is called by the locals - "Lot's wife".
Also not far from the city is the ancient It was built before our era and you can get here only along a narrow path winding along the rocks.
Sulfur-rich hot springs are literally three kilometers from the resort. Those who suffer from joint and muscle diseases, as well as from constant allergic reactions come here.
Of course, these are not all the sights that Ein Bokek is rich in in Israel. Many tourists say that if you wish, you can travel outside the city every day and find something new and interesting. Therefore, people who dream of improving their health and adventurers who are ready to spend most of their rest on excursions come to this resort.
Weather at the resort
Most tourists planning their vacation in advance wonder when the weather in Ein Bokek (Israel) is the most favorable for their vacation. Travel agents claim that you can go here at any time of the year - there is always a pleasant climate and a comfortable air temperature in the resort.
Winter season
Each tourist can choose the season that best suits his goals and expectations. For example, the winter months are great for wellness and sightseeing. The average temperature does not exceed twenty-two degrees, which is ideal for walking in the fresh air. However, you will not be able to swim in the Dead Sea, because its water does not heat up above twenty degrees.
Spring months
For those who plan not only to spend time on medical procedures, but also to swim, we advise you to come to Ein Bokek in the spring. At this time, there is still no suffocating heat, although the thermometer often rises to thirty-four degrees Celsius. Sea bathing is also quite comfortable - the water warms up to thirty degrees Celsius. All this makes the rest varied and exciting.
Summer weather
The summer months on the southern coast of the Dead Sea are searing heat. A thermometer reaching forty degrees Celsius is not uncommon for Israel in July and August. Even swimming cannot save tourists from the heat, because the water temperature often exceeds thirty-five degrees. However, Ein Bokek in Israel (we have given a photo of the resort in this article) has one amazing feature - it is impossible to get sunburned here. Locals associate this phenomenon with the unique climate of the resort. Scientists have failed to identify the real reason for this feature, but be aware that even in the most intense heat, you can safely sunbathe under the scorching rays of the Israeli sun.
Autumn at the Dead Sea
In autumn, the weather in Ein Bokek is not too different from the summer period - the air temperature is still kept at around thirty-seven degrees, and swimming until November will be more than comfortable.
Ein Bokek (Israel): how to get there
Unfortunately, there are no direct flights from Russia to the beautiful resort. Most tourists fly from Moscow to Tel Aviv and from there get to the desired point on the map. You will spend about four hours on the flight and another two to three hours on the way to the resort area.
Many tourists travel to Ein Bokek from other settlements in Israel. For example, from Eilat in the direction we need, there are four shuttles a day. The first bus leaves the route at seven in the morning, and after three hours you will admire the incredibly beautiful landscapes of Ein Bokek.
Keep in mind that Israel has very good transport links between cities, so getting from one point to another is quite easy even for inexperienced tourists.
Resort beaches
We have already mentioned that most of the beaches are private. They are well equipped and free for hotel guests. But keep in mind that often the hotel can be located at a decent distance from the beach area. Therefore, small free shuttles run between the hotel complex and the sea.
A small part of the beaches are in municipal ownership, you can enter here for free. These areas are not always well equipped, but each has a shower to wash off the salt and sun loungers with umbrellas.
Purchases
It is difficult to imagine that someone can come to Israel for vacation in Ein Bokek and not bring cosmetics containing Dead Sea mud from there. They are represented here by a wide variety of brands and a fairly wide range.
Some holidaymakers purchase handmade jewelry and various good quality souvenirs in Ein Bokek. All this is sold in large shopping centers of the city, there are three of them in the resort.
Hotel complexes
Hotels in Ein Bokek in Israel are distinguished by luxury, high level of service and a variety of services. Most of the hotel complexes have four and five stars, they were built in the last five years, therefore they are among the newest in Israel.
Almost every hotel has its own wellness center with a host of treatments based on the Dead Sea mud. In some hotels, treatment in such complexes is free, but in others you have to pay for it separately. Take an interest in this moment when booking a hotel room via the Internet.
It is worth noting that Ein Bokek does not belong to cheap resorts, so the cost of living in hotels in the city is significantly higher than the average for Israel. For example, the Isrotel Dead Sea Hotel offers its guests rooms for sixteen thousand rubles a day. For this amount, tourists will be able to get five meals a day, wellness treatments and excellent service.
If you are looking for a cheaper hotel, then take a look at the Hotel Spa Club Dead Sea - here you can book a room for nine thousand rubles. At the same time, the design of the hotel complex pleases with an oriental flavor, and food and service can satisfy even the most capricious client.
Keep in mind that the best and most inexpensive hotels are disassembled by tourists in winter, so they need to be booked as a last resort in March. Later, you may not find free places for the entire summer and autumn season in Ein Bokek.
Tour operator offers
Tours to Israel in Ein Bokek are very popular among Russians, because they can significantly save on flights and accommodation. In the case of the Promised Land, it is much more profitable to travel as part of an organized group than to come to resorts on your own.
For example, a two-week tour for one person to Ein Bokek in July with a flight from Moscow will cost you approximately forty-seven thousand rubles. In August, this amount will increase by one to two thousand rubles on average.
Already in September, the cost of the voucher will drop significantly, fourteen days at the resort will cost you about forty thousand rubles. Do not forget about early booking of tours, for Israel this is very important. If you plan your vacation in advance and buy a tour for June, for example, back in February, then it will cost you twenty percent less than buying it in spring or summer.
Ein Bokek / Israel: holiday reviews
All travelers who have left their comments on the Internet about their vacation in Ein Bokek note that they would like to come back here one more time. After all, the resort, located in a unique climatic zone, rarely leaves anyone indifferent.
Surprisingly, while analyzing the reviews of tourists vacationing in Ein Bokek, we could not find a single negative comment. Everyone tried to describe in detail the magnificent sandy beaches, cozy restaurants on the waterfront, modern nightclubs and numerous shopping centers. A vacation spent at this resort can be considered ideal, because it combines everything that the average tourist would like to get from a seaside holiday.
Based on all of the above, we can safely recommend Ein Bokek to all categories of tourists:
- elderly people seeking peace and solitude;
- youth dreaming of fun parties;
- couples wishing to explore the mass of the resort's attractions;
- loners planning to improve their health.
If you want to spend your vacation in the most unique place on the planet, then come to the Dead Sea. Ein Bokek is waiting for you!
The Dead Sea is the lowest place on earth and people come here to experience new sensations or to heal. Lie down in the water with a magazine, for example, smear yourself with unique mud or undergo a treatment with unique salt water. Due to its high density, the water pushes you upward, and a feeling of weightlessness is created - you can feel like an astronaut. I think that the Dead Sea in Israel does not need a special introduction, I would rather focus on practical information.
The health-improving effect of bathing is improved due to the increased oxygen content in the air in this place - 15% more than usual - and a dense atmospheric layer, it is impossible to burn here, and the skin darkens gradually.
I was vacationing with my parents in Israel in January. Traveling on our own from Tel Aviv to Eilat (you can read more about this here ..), we could not help but swim in the Dead Sea, especially since the 444 bus going from Jerusalem to Eilat makes a stop here.
It makes several flights a day, along the way you can go out and visit such sights of Israel as the destroyed fortress of Massada (you can read my review of the trip to the fortress of Massada here) and the Ein Gedi nature reserve.
There are no direct flights from Russia to the Dead Sea, most of our compatriots arrive in Tel Aviv, and from there they go to the Dead Sea by taxi or bus.
Public beaches in Ein Bokek are available all year round and are completely free. There are only 11 hotels in this small resort town. Perhaps this is why prices are slightly higher here than on the Red Sea in Eilat or on the Mediterranean Sea in any other city in Israel. At the same time, the overall rating for bukking som, guests who have rested in these hotels, is usually less than 8.0 points.
If you want to save some money, you can stay in the nearby town of Arad, which is about 30 minutes away. Buses go there often, and accommodation is much cheaper.
Employees of hotels and shops come to work in Ein Bokek from there. As elsewhere in Israel, many of them are Russian-speaking immigrants. They also shared this information with me. Therefore, even without knowledge of English, you will not get lost.
One of the first stops on the route from Yersalim to Ein Bokek will be the Ein Gedi Spa. You can go out there too. This is a paid buried area with a swimming pool equipped with a beach, sun loungers, changing rooms, showers and hydrogen sulfide baths. Also here you can smear yourself with healing mud, visit a massage, a cafe and a shop with Dead Sea cosmetics.
Entrance fee for the whole day is 1200 shekels. It is here that the water has full healing properties, and there is mud, which is located on the shore near the water. But it is more pleasant to use mud that has already been cleared of sand and other impurities. It is in special large containers.
It is useful to smear it all over the body, except for the face and heart area.
Salt, water and mud of the Dead can be taken with you. Just be sure to wrap everything in several bags. Salt corrodes even plastic bottles, so whatever gifts of nature you are carrying, pack everything carefully so that there is no "embarrassment" with your suitcase during the flight.
It is more profitable to go to SPA-Eingedi with a guided tour than on your own. The cost of such a trip from Tel Aviv will cost you from 150 shekels.
Ein Bokek's beaches are located next to the salt processing plants. Recycled and already useless salt is dumped back into the sea by factories, thus, the Dead Sea gradually decreases in size, and its properties become less useful from year to year. There is no dirt there.
Some tourists buy mud from the store and smear it on the beach.
We spent four hours on the public beach of the Dead Sea, which was enough for us to feel the pleasant effect after swimming. The skin becomes smooth and slightly oily, wounds all over the body heal quickly.
All beaches in Ein Bokek are equipped with free changing rooms and showers. For those who like to sunbathe without a swimsuit or are embarrassed by skin problems, special fences - solariums - are installed, divided by gender.
The atmosphere in the city is relaxing. Vacationers wear white hotel robes. There are few people in January. The dead sea temperature is about +20 degrees. Due to the density of the water, you will not be able to swim in the usual way, and it is cold to sit still for a long time.
Be careful! Especially if you are traveling with children or the elderly. We got acquainted with a lifeguard who has been working in the Dead Sea for more than 9 years, and in the intervals between swimming we learned a lot of funny, and unfortunately not very, stories connected with the seemingly calm and safe sea. People drown in the Dead Sea much more often than in others!
Here are some rules to follow when swimming in the Dead Sea:
1. Don't dive with your head! The sea is rich in minerals and salts. Right in front of me, one guy from joy and emotions apparently expected to get to the other side to Jordan. But after several sweeping strokes underwater, the swim was over. In this case, shout for the person to squeeze his eyes and not rub them with his hands, go up to him and help him get out of the water, get to the shower with his eyes closed. It is necessary to rinse them well. If a person is confused and they do not receive help in time, the probability of drowning is very high.
Even with a small wave, this probability increases. In addition to the fact that water begins to corrode the mucous membrane, the density of the wave and the peculiarities of the flow are not in your favor here.
Supervise yourself and children to keep water away from eyes, nose and throat.
2. Swim better on your back, gently and without sudden movements, so as not to lose balance. Once on your stomach, you will feel how your legs are pushed up by the water, and your head is pulled down.
4. Bring rubber slippers on your trip to avoid scratching your feet on the sharp salt crystals on the bottom. Despite the fact that there are equipped entrances, including those with handrails.
5. Be sure to rinse with fresh water after swimming in the Dead Sea, there are free showers on all beaches.
6. The skin may tingle a little - this is the action of useful minerals. Wounds or scratches then heal very quickly. But, depilation, it is better to do it a day or two before the intended bathing.
These simple rules will help you spend time with health benefits at the Dead Sea.
In between swimming, you can go shopping, of which there are enough right there on the coast. They feature a wide variety of Dead Sea cosmetics and souvenirs.
The small resort town of Ein Bokek is the most popular holiday destination at the Dead Sea in Israel. It houses several hotels and two shopping centers. About three kilometers to the south there are three more hotels in the Neve Zohar.
Ein Bokek Hotels Photos
Hotels located in Ein Bokek, Dead Sea, Israel: Isrotel Dead Sea, Daniel, Oasis, Royal Rimonim, Ganim, Lot, Hod, David, Leonardo Inn, Tsell Harim, Crown Plaza. On the beaches of the northern part of the tourist area, recently renovated and installed showers, sun beds, awnings and fungi.
The construction of a wide canal is being completed between the Hod and David hotels. Installed posters claim that it will improve the water supply of the Nahal Bokek Reserve. The completion date is the end of January 2015.
In small shopping centers, the main product is Dead Sea cosmetics. The David Hotel is home to the Dead Sea Diamond and Jewelry Center.
Ein Bokek weather
The water temperature in the Dead Sea from January to March is +22 degrees, from April to June +25, from July to September +29, from October to December about + 23 degrees.
How to get to Ein Bokek
From Tel Aviv to Ein Bokek, take bus 389.
From Beer Sheva by bus 384, 385.
From Eilat - by bus 444 or book an excursion with a car for the whole day.
Distances
From Jerusalem to Ein Bokek 120 kilometers;
From Tel Aviv to Ein Bokek 170 kilometers;
From Eilat to Ein Bokek 225 kilometers.
Israel map
Ein Bokek Hotel Map
Dead Sea hotels - prices, reviews and reservations
Click on the hotel icon on the map of Israel. In the opened window with the name of the hotel click on the link under the photo. The entire list by hotel group is available by clicking on the box in the upper left corner.
Located on the side of the hill that gives its name, Ein Bokek is the largest of the most famous tourist and therapeutic complexes on the entire coast of the Dead Sea. Twelve luxurious, as well as numerous clinics and spas, hot springs located nearby, shopping centers, restaurants and bars are created exclusively for the relaxation and enjoyment of its visitors. The number of hotels, clinics and entertainment facilities continues to expand to meet and cater to the growing demand for weekend guests and long-term tourists.
Ein Bokek is located just 90 minutes from Jerusalem or 30 minutes from the nearest city of Arad. Arriving on vacation and vacationers pass an amazing - a delightful green miracle, created by human hands, stretching over four thousand hectares, numbering more than four million trees and covering the entire stretch of the highway that runs through it with amazing aromas of pine needles. In some cases, they make a stop in the forest, and tourists get the opportunity to walk in the shade of forest crowns and relax on specially equipped sites located here.
Shuttle buses and taxi services make Ein Bokek accessible to anyone from anywhere in Israel. In addition to all the services offered by the hotels, there are public free beaches equipped with life-saving stations and fresh water showers. Despite the prevailing opinion that it is impossible to drown in the Dead Sea, since a high concentration of salts pushes the body out, rescuers are very appropriate here, because when seawater enters the mucous membranes, it can cause severe burning and even minor burns, which sometimes leads to adverse consequences.
For the convenience of guests, there are offices of many travel and excursion agencies, as well as car rental, to satisfy those wishing to explore the many attractions of the surrounding area, both with and without professional guides.
Ein Bokek is now a veritable modern oasis and panacea for health seekers in Israel, in stark contrast to the barren landscape of the surrounding desert with the genesis of the rocky terrain of the Judean Hills. Despite this, the place was inhabited for many thousands of years, ancient hunter-gatherers stayed here, and places rich in salt are repeatedly mentioned in the Bible, known as Mount Sodom, on the map, indicated south of Ein Bokek on the map of Israel. Salt was widely used as a meat preservative in the ancient world. Roman fortresses were built and fortified to protect caravans carrying expensive goods and having the opportunity to stop at one of these fortifications located at Ein Bokek on the Dead Sea. These archaeological finds were found during excavations that opened the door to the rich past of those years, and an ancient enterprise was discovered here, which is considered a medical plant, functioning in ancient times.
Ein Bokek is located near the dry bed of the Nahal or Wadi Bokek on the opposite side of the hotel and spa zone. In just a few minutes of walking, representatives of modern civilization disappear from the field of view, giving way to views of a canyon-like gorge with flora and fauna typical of this area, with small natural pools filled with water during winter periods of rains. In the morning you can climb the cliffs to admire the opening, breathtaking views of the Dead Sea, the hotel complex and early birds flying to their favorite place to see the sunrise before breakfast.
Thanks to the almost always good weather in Ein Bokek, you can find many outdoor recreational activities: organized camel rides, jeep runs and bike rides along specially equipped trails, barbecues or colorful Bedouin holidays will decorate the leisure of every interested tourist, and amateurs extreme pastime I can go in for orienteering or rock climbing.
Ein Bokek resort is rich in its sights of both historical and archaeological value. Despite the fact that in Russian and other languages \u200b\u200bthe name "Dead Sea" is somewhat gloomy, in translation from Hebrew this reservoir is called "Yam and Melakh" - the Sea of \u200b\u200bSalt, and is famous throughout the world for its healing qualities that give life and health. The resort complex with health and medical centers welcomes a huge number of people, even surpasses its popularity, and is no less attractive from the point of view of Biblical stories, because it was here that the Wrath of God descended in the form of a rain of fire and sulfur on Sodom and Gomorrah and where Lot's wife turned into salt pillar (Genesis 19: 24-16). By the way, nearby, there is indeed a statue of a woman made of salt, some believe that she personifies Lot's wife.
Since ancient times, the Judean Desert surrounding the Dead Sea has been a refuge for those seeking freedom and peace. Biblical stories and archaeological finds testify to the role she played in history. King David, Jesus Christ, John the Baptist, Jewish prophets, zealots, and Christian monks were some of the many who found refuge or inspiration here in this remote and wild landscape with its special beauty and tranquility.
Unique healing properties and amazing landscape - primeval narrow canyons and rocky cliffs merge with the miracle of green oases, creating unprecedented metamorphoses, healing human organisms and souls. Ein Bokek has everything to be a world class tourist destination. Luxury hotels and trendy spas offer healing for the sick and complete relaxation for vacationers, far from the realities of the modern technogenic world, alone with the sun and healing air, delightful coastline and healing waters.
Ein Bokek beaches, attracting to themselves with their purity, phenomenal properties of water, the concentration of salts and minerals in which is ten times higher than the water of the Mediterranean Sea, so you don't have to make an effort to swim, but, on the contrary, you have to try to put your feet on the bottom as water literally pushes the body to the surface. Everyone who comes with Ein Bokek takes a photo in the pose of a person reading a newspaper or a book, easily lying on the water like on a sofa. Small difficulties begin after the moment is captured and the person needs to turn over and stand on his feet: amid the cheerful laughter of others, the understanding comes that it is not so easy to do this.
On the Internet, you can find reviews of people who have visited Ein Bokek. They are all different - each writes about his own, but they all agree on one thing: this is a truly amazing place where you must visit and where you will definitely want to return.
The Dead Sea (synonyms for the name Salty, Asphalt) stretches for 72 km in the valley between the Judean Mountains and the Moaf Mountains at the site of the Syrian-African Rift. The fault is so deep that the sea "sank" 417 m below the level of the world ocean. The western coast of the sea is in the territory of the State of Israel, the eastern one is in Jordan. The sea is a conventional name, in fact, like Baikal, Arad, the Caspian Sea, it is an internal limited lake, not connected to the ocean in any way. It feeds on the fresh waters of the Jordan River, streams flowing from the surrounding ridges and underground mineral springs. The bed of two depressions, the northern and southern, of which the sea consists, is a two-kilometer layer of salt, which remained after the drying up of the most ancient sea of \u200b\u200bLachon more than a million years ago. The smaller, southern basin is connected to the northern one through an isthmus, it is shallower, the average depth is 6.5 meters, the depth of the northern one is up to 185 meters. The greatest width of the sea is about 15 kilometers. The total volume of the liquid is about 110 cubic kilometers. The surface area is 1015 square kilometers. The sea as it is now known is more than 15 thousand years old.
Distance from Jerusalem to the Dead Sea 19 km, from Tel Aviv 84 km and from Eilat 360 km
The chemical composition of the Dead Sea sea water
The composition of the adjacent rocks and intense evaporation from the surface resulted in a high concentration of a salt solution from a set of more than twenty one minerals, its average value being 31.5%, an almost saturated solution at a given temperature. Studies show the content of the main elements in milligrams per liter: sodium - 34.9; potassium - 75.60; rubidium - 0.06; calcium - 15.8; magnesium - 41.96; chlorine - 208.02; bromine - 6.92; ions H2SO4 - 0.54; H2CO3 ions - 0.24. The bromine content - 5920 mg per liter, is believed to be a very important reason for the successful treatment of psoriasis and other skin conditions. At the bottom there is a sedimentary saline-mud layer about 100 meters thick.
Climate in the Dead Sea area
The climate here is definitely desert. Sunny days almost all year round, according to statistics 330 days a year. The amount of precipitation is about 50 mm per year.
The atmospheric pressure due to the low location of the terrain relative to sea level is high, about 800 mm Hg and very stable. The average air temperature in summer is about +40, in winter - about +20. The sea water temperature is from +40 degrees in summer to +17 in winter.
Balneological factors of the Dead Sea resort
Dead Sea Mineral Water
It is clear, heavy, viscous and oily. As a result of taking sea baths, due to various diffusion effects, the intercellular fluid and blood plasma are saturated with mineral substances, and the electrolyte balance in the body improves. This relaxes the body, smoothes the skin, stimulates blood circulation and alleviates metabolic disorders. Bathing in mineral water is a real pleasure. The buoyancy in it is so great that even a person who cannot swim does not drown here.
Along the coast of the Dead Sea there are many outcrops of sulphurous thermal mineral springs. Taking hot sulfur baths strengthens the circulatory system and improves the balance of redox reactions in the human body, contributes to additional saturation of tissues with oxygen.
Dead Sea air
The main influx of air masses into the Dead Sea region occurs from the Indian Ocean along parallel mountain ranges through the uninhabited expanses of the hot sands of the Arabian and Judean deserts, so they carry the air very dry, free from industrial pollution and natural allergens. Natural vapors from the sea surface saturate it with mineral ions. The natural increased oxygen content as a result of increased atmospheric pressure, in addition, having an increased ability to penetrate through the skin and lung membranes into the body due to the influence of a complex of other factors, makes the atmosphere completely unique in terms of beneficial effects on both healthy and suffering from pulmonary disorders person. As the balneologists say, here a person is in conditions of round-the-clock medical inhalation.
The high content of bromine ions has a calming effect on the nervous system.
Sun at the dead sea
Ionized mineral vapor, the denser and higher gaseous layer of the atmosphere in the Dead Sea region form a natural optical filter that selectively absorbs the harsh component of solar ultraviolet radiation. Therefore, there are unique opportunities for taking therapeutic and health-improving sunbathing. A person is practically insured against the possibility of sunburn. Here, the doctor often recommends sunbathing in the open air for 6 to 8 hours a day.
Dead Sea mud
It has been established that the healing mud of the Dead Sea has the highest therapeutic effect in the world. There is no analogue to them on Earth.
Basically, mud is a waste product of the only and unique representative of the living world, existing in a concentrated salt solution, archaeobacteria, which has its origin from the time of the origin of life on the planet. Biologically active substances generated by bacteria give the mud aseptic properties, provide a beneficial effect on the processes of intracellular metabolism, contributing to the rejuvenation and prolongation of the active life of cells, the natural harmony of their development.
Mud procedures - applications, wraps, have a cosmetic and therapeutic effect, cleanse and stimulate the skin, have a relaxing effect on muscle tone, and stabilize the psyche, have a positive effect on hemodynamics and the state of blood vessels, relieve pain.
Historical and natural attractions of the Dead Sea region
The favorable opportunities that take place here have been known to mankind for many hundreds and thousands of years. The Dead Sea is extremely rich in monuments of civilization, some of them have come down to us from written sources, the oldest of which are the so-called "Dead Sea Scrolls". In the north of the Dead Sea is Qumran, the place where they were found.
Here is the fortress Massada, located on the rock, associated with the name of King Herod and the heroic deed of its defenders. A cable car has been laid to the top of the cliff to the fortress, a picturesque trail leads, theatrical performances are held here in summer, rich in light and musical effects, telling about the history of the fortress.
Here, each stone is associated with biblical events, with the history of the origin of the Christian faith, to the north of the sea is Jericho, the oldest of the cities. Not far from it is Kar El Yahud, where, according to Christian tradition, John the Baptist performed the rite of baptism of Jesus. Mineral formations resembling stone pillars are visible on the seashore. One of them is described in the Bible and is now called the pillar of Lot's wife, who inadvertently looked around during her flight from Sodom and Gomorrah, and as a result turned into a stone statue.
Like every worthy desert, the Judean Desert near the Dead Sea cannot do without its own oases. There are three of them here: Ein Gedi, Nahal David, Nahal Arugot. Here the kingdom of greenery is rampant, date palms and mango trees are grown. Springs and waterfalls contrast wealth and the feast of water with the scarcity and patience of the desert. In Ein Gedi, there is a small zoo that preserves the original fauna of these places.
The Dead Sea
The Dead Sea in its present shape it has existed for more than 5000 years and the reserves of its healing mineral salts and mud are inexhaustible. The weight of the metallic salts of the sea is about 50 billion tons. One side Dead Sea - Israeland on the other - Jordan, it covers an area of \u200b\u200babout 1000 square kilometers. Located 400 meters below sea level, it is considered the lowest place on Earth. The Dead Sea is part of a huge tectonic depression formed millions of years ago as a result of a fracture in the earth's crust.
High atmospheric pressure, high air temperature all year round (30 ° -40 ° C in summer, 19 ° C in winter), 330 sunny days, rare rainfall (50 mm per year), low humidity (35%) create a unique climate here. The air is saturated with oxygen and bromine. The persistent light haze from intense salt fumes acts as a filter to trap harmful UV rays. That is why dosed sun baths on the shores of the Dead Sea in combination with air baths give a unique healing effect.
But if not everyone succeeds in sunbathing on the Dead Sea, then the mineral cosmetics produced with its help will sooner or later attract your attention.
The trade and military routes of ancient civilizations ran along the shores of the Dead Sea, already then appreciated the healing properties of its salts and mud. Famous ancient Roman historians Josephus Flavius, Pliny, Tacitus left their enthusiastic descriptions of the Dead Sea.
The healing properties of the Dead Sea were mentioned in the Bible.
It is known that the legendary Egyptian queen Cleopatra, in search of recipes for beauty and eternal youth, turned her gaze towards the Dead Sea and Mark Antony conquered the city for her on the shores of this no less legendary reservoir. The first "SPA" - water and mud baths for Roman soldiers were built here and the production of cosmetic preparations was established, as evidenced by the remains of a factory cleared by archaeologists. The Queen of Sheba also used Dead Sea minerals for medicinal and cosmetic purposes.
For thousands of years, groundwater, numerous thermal springs, mountain streams and the Jordan River have brought salt and minerals to the Dead Sea, washed out of rocks, sand and soil. During 330 hot sunny days a year, water evaporated, and salts accumulated: it is not surprising that today the concentration of salts in the Dead Sea is 10 times higher than in the water of the seas and oceans.
Beneficial minerals from the Dead Sea help relieve pain caused by arthritis, rheumatism, psoriasis, eczema, stress and other diseases, while nourishing the skin and making it soft.
The geological and climatic conditions of the Dead Sea, this closed lake, have also created a special kind of mud. It was formed at a depth where air, sun rays and pollution from the environment never penetrated. The Dead Sea mineral mud contains over 100 minerals, salts and micro-elements.
It is not easy to list all her "talents". It has a beneficial effect on blood circulation, the activity of the nervous system, endocrine glands, metabolic processes, relieves muscle tension and stress, fights cellulite, strengthens hair roots and eliminates dandruff and seborrhea, relieves joint and rheumatic pain. The Dead Sea mud treatment is recommended for various skin diseases and in post-traumatic periods.
At first glance, the extraction of raw materials for mineral cosmetics - salts and mud - is a simple process: in the coastal strip, in the shallows, where the water is especially well warmed up by the sun, salts themselves precipitate, forming fancy crystals. However, these crystals are only for tourists to admire.
For the production of cosmetics, salts are evaporated in special pools, which are here called "frying pans". The mud is removed from the seabed with shovels. So that it does not oxidize and retain its healing properties as much as possible, it is immediately packed in special containers and immediately delivered to the factory.