Visitors to Jordan should not miss driving the winding road from Amman down to the stunning new Dead Sea museum. The view from the Zara cliff, overlooking the sea toward Israel’s Judean desert, is itself reason enough for the trip. But there is much more to see.
Funded by Japanese philanthropists and administered by the Jordanian Royal Society for the Conservation of Nature (RSCN), the museum is the centerpiece of the Panoramic Complex that includes a restaurant managed by the five-star Janna Spa and Resorts, an outdoor theater overlooking the Dead Sea, a short hiking route, a conference hall and a shop selling handmade crafts of people living in and around the nature reserves.
Four themed areas in the hall of the museum tell the story of the Dead Sea’s geological history, its animal and plant ecosystems, its human history, accompanied by ancient archaeological remains, and the problems that threaten the Dead Sea today and require urgent attention to halt the falling sea level. Documentary films include one on the “Dead Sea in Danger.” Two models explain the declining sea level of the Dead Sea and the process of sinkhole formation—a dangerous and continuing occurrence on the shores of both Jordan and Israel. Guides are available to take you around the museum.—S.F.S.
Visitors to Jordan should not miss driving the winding road from Amman down to the stunning new Dead Sea museum. The view from the Zara cliff, overlooking the sea toward Israel’s Judean desert, is itself reason enough for the trip. But there is much more to see.
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