3.7. The Dead Sea and Thermal Spas
Jordan offers places of great natural healing powers that have been helping people for thousands of years. Today less than an hour's drive from Amman modern spa centres help to relax and forget about the stress of modern life..
a) The Healing Power
of the Dead Sea
The Dead Sea has a historical and spiritual legacy of it's own. It is believed
to be the site of five biblical cities: Sodom, Gomorra, Admah, Zeboin and
Zoar. Today it's eastern shore is sparsely populated and serenely quiet. With
much of the landscape virtually unchanged since biblical times, it is a favourite
spot for relaxing and letting nature's power work.
For thousands of years the healing powers of the water and the climate are
known and sought for. The Egyptians used to make cosmetic products of the
minerals and the Romans treated their wounded soldiers there.
The Dead Sea lies 392 meters below sea level in the Jordan Valley between
Israel and Jordan. The temperatures in winter are around 20° C and 60°
C in high summer.
The natural pleasant therapy consisting of sun, water, air and rest clears
the skin lesions for longer remission periods and avoids the serious side
effects caused by other therapeutic regimes.
The intense salinity of the Dead Sea originates in it's extreme content of
salts and minerals which actually are the highest of all seas in the world.
Especially high concentrations of Magnesium, Calcium (anti-allergic effect),
Bromine (relaxing effect), Potassium and of Bitumen which make the skin more
photosensitive and also have an anti-inflammatory effect. The Dead Sea salts
and minerals concentration reaches 27-30%. There is an unique content of highly
oxygenous air which is caused by the high rate of evaporation of the water
due to high temperatures all year round, low humidity and high atmospheric
pressure. These climate conditions create a special atmospheric layer that
filters the majority of the harmful UVB rays through the atmospheric layer
creating a favourable UVA/UVB ratio.
The dark peloid mud found on the shores of the Dead Sea is suitable for therapeutic
purposes as well.
Indications and Treatment:
Medical care in Salt Land Village Dead Sea Spa is provided by German and English
speaking dermatologists with vast experience of climatological treatment of
skin diseases such as: Psoriasis vulgaris, Psoriasis with arthrititis, localised
pustular psoriasis, parapsoriasis group, atopic dermatitis, vitiligo, ichthyosis
vulgaris, acne conglubata, acne indurata and arthritis.
(Contraindications: Acute infectious and chronic diseases, recurring thrombophlebitis,
pronounced varicosis, postthrombotic syndrome, ulcus cruris, marcumar therapy,
epilepsy).
The average duration for treatment is four weeks and is not advisable for
patients suffering from sun- hypersensitivity. Patients on cortisone should
consult their physician to stop medication four weeks before treatment begins.
The preferred treatment period for patients suffering from heart and circulatory
decompensation is between September and April, because the climate affects
the body least during this period.
Medical care consists of: Extensive specialist examination; explanation of
individual therapeutic measures; several specialist controls and doctor´s
report; use of private solarium, facilities for massages, gymnastics and mud
packs.
b) The Hot Springs
of Zarqa Ma'in
2000 years ago the natural healing powers of the Dead Sea and its surrounding
hot springs were already well known as "Callirhoe" (beauty bath).
The same thermal waters that once eased the aches and pains of Herod the Great
some 2,000 years ago are being tapped again, in full force and grand style,
for therapeutic benefit of today´s health retreat enthusiasts. Open
since 1988 and receiving visitors from near and far, the Ma´in Spa Village
is Jordan´s hospitable answer to anyone seeking not only a physical
cure but also a healing escape from the enervating pressures of urban life:
The Ma´in Spa Village, a modern resort centre nestled in a quiet valley,
away from it all, amid a remarkable abundance of hot mineral springs.
Rising with pressured force from a molten depth of 1,200 meters beneath the
earth´s surface, the Zarqa Ma´in hot waters spring forth at 59
different outlets, some in a gentle bubble, others in cascading streams. The
biggest and most spectacular is Esh-Shallal ("waterfall" in Arabic),
nature´s own centrepiece and focal attraction in the valley; it tumbles
down over the water-worn boulders for several meters before merging with the
cold river below.
The springs are extremely hot, reaching a temperature of 64°C - far above
the accepted spa minimum of 35°C. They also hold a very high concentration
of mineral salts, accumulated from the rich and many-layered properties of
Ma´in´s rocky depths. According to accepted standards, a spring
is rated as mineral if the total portion of its dissolved salts is not less
than 1,000 per million. Those at Zarqa Ma´in tested at 2,000 per million.
Indications and Treatment:
A chemical analyses, undertaken in the seventies by the Institute Fresenius
of Wiesbaden, Germany, classified the water as sodium calcium chloride therm,
making it of therapeutic value for rheumatism, arthritis and other joint pains,
chest and respiratory tract ailments, skin disease, and as a diuretic. It
also has potassium to stimulate blood circulation and fluorine to prevent
tooth decay, as well as a host of other trace minerals beneficial to the body.
The waters are used externally and only in small doses internally. Treatment
is given in various forms, among them bathing in a pool cooled to a tepid
38°C, sauna sessions at 60°C, inhalations, swaddling, physical therapy
and massage.
For the visitor who has come for a water cure, the hotel offers its own health
clinic, consisting of separate baths for men and women, inhalation units,
thermal treatment and physiotherapy rooms, as well as an outdoor terrace for
relaxation and sunbathing. On hand at all times to provide the necessary medical
supervision is a full staff of doctors, nurses and therapists specialising
in hydrotherapy.
Contents of the Guide Book
| 1. | Welcome to Jordan |
| 2.. | The Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan |
| 2.1. | Geography, Climate and Borders |
| 2.2. | Entry and Departure Procedures |
| 2.3 | Population |
| 2.4. | Currency |
| 2.5. | History |
| 2.6. |
Government |
| 2.7. | Economy |
| 3. | Jordan, where the Adventure awaits you |
| 3.2 | Amman, the Dynamic Capital City |
| 3.2. | The
Kings´Highway (Madaba, Mt. Nebo, Mukawir, Wadi Mujib, Karak, Shobak) |
| 3.3. | Petra, the Spectacular Rose-Red City |
| 3.4. | The Cities of Decapolis (Pella, Gadara, Abila, Philadelphia, Gerasa, Umm el Jimal) |
| 3.5.. |
Following
the Footsteps of "Lawrence of Arabia"; |
| 3.6. | Aqaba, Jordan´s year-round Red Sea Resort |
| 3.7. | The Dead Sea and Termal Spas; The healing power of the Dead Sea; The Hot Springs of Zarqa Ma´in |
| 3.8. | Biblical Sites in Jordan |
| 3.8.1. | The
Biblical Sites from North to South; Gadara, Anjara, Pella, Bethany, Machaerus, Madaba, Mt. Nebo, the Kings´Highway, Wadi Musa, Sodom & Gomorra, Ayla |
| 3.9. | Nature Reserves in Jordan; Wadi Rum, Dana, Zubia, Azraq, Shaumari |
| 4. | The Tourist Facilities in Jordan |
| 4.1. | Transportation;
Flight Connections, Tourist Buses, Bus-, Train-, Ferry-Connections; Car Rental and Driving in Jordan |
| 4.2. | Communication |
| 4.3. | Sports; Aquatic Sports and Diving; Horseback Riding and Camel Trips; Ballooning; Glimbing and Hang-gliding |
| 4.4. | Culture and Entertainment; Museums and Galleries; Festivals; Other Entertainments |
| 4.5. | Restaurants |
| 4.6. | Shopping and Souvenirs |
| 4.7. | Tourist Guides |
| 4.8. | Accommodation; |
| 5. | Incentive Travel |
| 5.1. | Incentive Special Events |
| 6. | Helpful Facts about Jordan |
| 6.1. | Best Time to Travel and Safty |
| 6.2. | Tipping (Bakshish) |
| 6.3. | Holidays, Ramadan, Business Hours |
| 6.4. | Local Customs - How to Dress? |
| 6.5. | Electric Current, Water Supply |