For thousands of years the Dead Sea has been known for its therapeutic qualities. The historian Flavius wrote over 20 centuries ago:
“...One should praise the Dead Sea...its water is bitter and no living creature lives in it. Its waters float any heavy object - it is difficult to drown in it even if considerable effort is made to do so.in many places the sea spits out masses of salt.…sailors and seafarers gather it into their boats.…this salt brings healing to the human body and it is therefore mixed into many drugs...”

The Jordan Valley forms part of the Syrian-African depression, the lowest point in the world. The Jordan River, runs through it, and flows into one of the deepest lakes in the world - the Asphalt Pool, or the Dead Sea, located at 392 meters below the Mediterranean Sea Level.

The Dead Sea owes its name to the fact that no life at all was thought possible in its waters, due to its high salt and mineral contents. Quite recently, though, microscopic mono cellular algae and organisms have been discovered which live on organic materials carried into the Dead Sea from the outer world by the various springs and rivers which flow into it.

Regardless of its awesome and unjustified name, the Dead Sea is a true source of life and blessing. It is one of the world’s greatest sources of raw chemical materials, both for industry and for agriculture, and its minerals also provide the cure to many human ailments. Its salinity level is ten to twenty times that of the oceans, and its waters constitute a concentrated solution of chlorides of Calcium, Magnesium, Sodium, and Potassium, with a high percentage of dissolved bromides. The Jordan River together with other rivers and springs, carry additional masses of salts into the Dead Sea, thus further increasing this virtually inexhaustible source of mineral wealth.

The Dead Sea’s water concentration in Magnesium, known for its anti-allergic influence on the skin and bronchioles, is 15 times greater than that of the ocean. The concentration of Bromine, which has soothing and tranquilizing effects on the nervous system, is some 50 times greater than that of the open seas. Iodine, essential for the correct functioning of the thyroid gland and a most important factor in the body’s metabolism, is found 10 times more in the Dead Sea, than in the oceans.

These minerals and others, such as Calcium, Potassium, and Sodium, are extracted by means of huge evaporation pools, which interact with the hot and dry climate of the region.

The Dead Sea is not lacking in historical context, either. Aristotle is reported by hearsay to have commented that anyone thrown into the Dead Sea, even tightly bound, would float. In the Babylonian Talmud it is said, “Never did anybody drown in the Sea of Sodom.” The presence of Sulfur in the salt; the foul smell of Hydrogen Sulfide released by the mineral springs; the mysteriously released, flammable, foul smelling Asphalt; all these have been linked by travelers to the cataclysm of Sodom and Gommorah. Although linked to a gruesome tale, the Dead Sea was always famous for its healing and beautifying properties, which is why Mark Anthony conquered the region for Cleopatra.

The natural therapeutic qualities of the Dead Sea region, due to its indigenous climatic conditions, and to the various special quality of its waters, have for time immemorial, been a center of attraction for an ever increasing number of visitors, seeking to benefit from the variety of Balneological, Talassotherapeutic, Phlotherapeutic, and Hydro mineral treatments available. However, the region’s unique characteristics are not only of interest for the actual treatment of specific pathological conditions, they are equally attractive for vacationing, resting and recuperation, providing relief from stress and complete relaxation.