For the second half of the day we stayed around the Dead Sea. Picture from the bus of the wilderness. This was the rainy season.
Our guide told us that the Dead Sea is shrinking. The hills were once the edge of the Sea.
At a meter a year, it will soon be gone if something isn't done.
I am glad this was the rainy season in the desert.
We stopped at an intersection and there were a herd or is it flock of ibex.
He was sniffing the trash rather than waiting for a bus, I think.
Our guide said there is a spring around there, and so the ibex stay around there.
They didn't seem bothered by the cars.
It looked as though the grazing was slim pickings.
Israel is re-introducing these wild animals.
The hills were rough and dry. They stop the moisture from the Mediterranean from reaching this desert.
The hills are riddled with holes that as often caves.
We reached our next stop which was the Dead Sea Scrolls, Quram. We had lunch, shopped in the gift shop, and toured the Essene community.
These pots were dug up in the area. I wonder if they were used by the community for ink holders?
This is a piece of one of the scrolls. Only this one is rules for the community rather than sacred scripture. But it is the genuine item
It is made of animal skins that are joined together in a roll.
The scrolls were found in caves inside of pots. The Essenes apparently hid them to protect them from the Romans. In the middle of the 20th century a shepherd looking for a lost sheep found the pots containing some of the scrolls in one of these caves.
The scroll passed from one hand to another until someone recognized what they were. The search was on and many many scrolls were found. They are the books of the Old Testament.
Looking up the hill we could see one of the caves. I can only suppose that the entrance was widened as the area was explored. Because that cave would have invited everyone to come looking in it, in my opinion.
Still it was up pretty high. Can you spot the entrance in this picture?
And another close up.
On the valley floor, the remains of the Essene community is being dug up.
They are trying to piece together how this society lived and worked.
Cisterns, I think. Water would have been a big deal out there in the desert.
The restaurant was in there and well as the gift shop. They really pushed cosmetics with Dead Sea minerals.
But, we were not done with the day yet. We were going to experience the Dead Sea up close and personal.
Some of our party wanted to go in the water, even though it was winter and warm enough, but not hot by any means.
The Dead Sea region is the lowest place on earth. Hence, this is the lowest bar. It wasn't open on that Sunday.
Because the Sea keeps shrinking, the bath house was way up a hill and we had to climb down and down the muddy bank to get to the water.
It took a while to get down there.
Despite the not hot day. Several people were game to try the water.
I was not one of them.
The thing you are supposed to do is rub the mud all over your body.
Then rinse it off in the Sea.
You just float in the 33% saline.
The water feels thick and oily.
These ladies were getting a sample of the water. I brought some home with me.
Testing the waters.
Gathering samples.
And finally time to head back to Jerusalem. I continued to try to get a photo of the Bedouins.
Difficult to see much from a speeding bus.
And we came back to Jerusalem for the night. We had Mass at the Olive Tree Hotel where we were staying.
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