One of the most intriguing questions about the nature of the Dead Sea is related to the source of the water. In conditions of the complete desert, the sea manages to replenish with water. We will walk along the Prat Creek, the largest and deepest tributary of the Jordan River. We will visit the Jordan River not far from the place where it flows into the Dead Sea. We will visit the largest and most profitable enterprise in the country - the Dead Sea factory and end the day with camping on the fantastic cliffs of Dragot above the valley of the Dead Sea.
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The settlement of Nofei Prat is located above the magnificent views of the Prat Creek. Ein Prat is one of the three main sources of the Prat stream. Freshwater flowing in the creek of Prat fed people throughout all historical periods. On the south bank, above the water source of Prat, on the ruins of an ancient monastery of the 4th century, Greek Orthodox monks built the Chariton Monastery. Near the monastery, near the stream, you can see the ruins of an ancient church, and, after walking along the path a few tens of meters, the ruins of an ancient mill.
Ein Mabua spring on the Prat River. In Arabic, the name of the source sounds like Ein Fawar - seething. This name perfectly conveys the nature of the source. Source Ein Mabua is a pulsating source. Its waters pulsate from the cave with short interruptions. It depends on the rise and fall of the water level in the source. Springwater fills a small pool. Water in it appears suddenly loke it was "knocked out from the rock” and just as suddenly and quickly leaves the pool and is absorbed into the ground.
The name Qasr El Yehud is the Arabic name for the church of John the Baptist. The Christian rite of baptism is rooted in the Jewish tradition of ritual ablutions in a unique bath called a mikvah. Water must enter and leave the mikvah on its own. For this reason, the best mikvah is the river. John the Baptist baptized Jesus in these places. Monasteries and shelters for Christian pilgrims seeking to baptism in the Jordan River have been built along the banks of the stream for centuries.
Dead Sea enterprises have an exciting history. It begins with the dream of an entrepreneur who came from Russia. For many years no one believed that it would be possible not only to live in the Dead Sea but also to create a prosperous enterprise. Today, the products of the Dead Sea are world-famous, and the fertilizers produced here are in high demand. http://www.dswblog.co.il/?cat=0 Visitors center: mariam.desert@gmail.com +972 542666521 Photo מאת Amykill26 - נוצר על ידי מעלה היצירה, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=52380341
Camping over the cliffs of Dragoth is located at an altitude above the Mediterranean Sea. The road leading through Mitzpe Ephesus leads to it. Mitzpe Zero is the level of the Mediterranean Sea - it is an observation deck onto the Dead Sea, the kibbutz Mitzpe Shalem and Mineral Beach. A winding road going up to the cliffs of Darga turns into a trail laid by jeeps and quads at a sharp bend. Here, from a mark of 0 about the level of the Mediterranean Sea or at a score of 417 m above the level of the Dead Sea, a breathtaking view of the Dead Sea, the mountains of Moab (Jordanian coast), and the Darga hills. This observation deck is called Mitzpe Zero (Observation deck from level zero).
Photo By Ben-Amram Album Pikiwiki Israel, CC BY 2.5, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=34794523