Jericho and the Dead Sea

 September 26, 2023

Finished visiting holy places in the Jerusalem area, our tour bus now takes the desert road to Jericho.  Jericho, or "City of Palms" is truly an oasis in a very arid and dry part of the country.  As we travel, we can see small bands of goats and sheep roaming with nomadic Bedouins for shepherds.  Sometimes they are accompanied by camels.  We stop at a roadside restaurant for lunch.  In the parking area is a camel who is ready to give you a ride for $10.  

Jericho is an oasis of palms.

Not for smoking!

After our lunch we travel to a scenic spot in the desert.  It is close to where the Dead Sea Scrolls were found in caves by a shepherd boy in 1947.  Their value to us as ancient copies of the Old Testament is to demonstrate the accuracy of transcription that the Bible has maintained through the centuries.  We watched an educational video at an Israeli information center that depicted the life of the Essenes of Qumran who were a celibate religious sect of Judaism that existed concurrent with the life of Christ.  Some suggest that John the Baptist may have been a member, or at least in contact with their movement.

Temptation Mountain

A stop to learn about the Dead Sea Scrolls

Next, we go to the shore of the Dead Sea.  It is the lowest spot on earth, 1400 feet below sea level.  The main character of the lake is the density of its water.  Its specific weight keeps the human body from sinking.  Several of our tour group wanted to go and try this for themselves.  The intense saltiness of the water prevents anything from living in it.  There are recreational facilities developed at the Dead Sea for people to come and soak and float and to camp overnight.

The Dead Sea  1400 ft below sea level

Next, we travel north along the International Highway 90 for two hours.  It follows the Valley of the Jordan River.  Our final destination today is the City of Tiberius located on the Sea of Galilee.  We stay at the Ron Beach Hotel.  It's a lovely spot with shore line views.