Dead Sea Highway - Jordan - page 264

potassium chloride (Jordan's most valuable commodity), calcium and bromide are re-
claimed from the Dead Sea through solar evaporation, leaving piles of discarded rock salt
along the shoreline. The area was once settled during the early-Byzantine period and a
number of minor ruins are scattered across the landscape.
The fields to the south of the Lisan Peninsula are highly fertile and produce tomatoes in
biblical quantities, as well as eggplants (aubergines), cucumbers and potatoes, groves of
bananas and date palms. It's a colourful region to visit during the winter harvest (January)
when trucks, laden with produce, lumber up the mountain roads, leaving a trail of off-
loaded vegetables strewn behind them.
Lot's Cave
Now Lot went up out of Zo'ar, and dwelt in the hills with his two daughters, for he was
afraid to dwell in Zo'ar; so he dwelt in a cave with his two daughters.
(Genesis 19:30)
Lot, the nephew of Abraham, features repeatedly in the colourful annals of the Dead Sea's
southern shores. Lot's Cave (admission free; daylight hours) , just past the Lisan Pen-
insula, is where he and his daughters apparently lived after fleeing the destruction of So-
dom and Gomorrah. Lot's wife famously turned into a pillar of salt after looking back at
the smouldering city.
In an eyebrow-raising incident of incest that's remarkable even for the Bible, Lot's two
daughters spiked their father's drink, had sex with him and then nine months later gave
birth to his grandsons/sons Moab and Ben-Ammi, the forefathers of the Moabite and Am-
monite peoples.
The cave, a 10-minute climb up a steep flight of steps, is surrounded by the ruins of a
small Byzantine church (5th to 8th centuries), a reservoir and some mosaics, which were
excavated by the British Museum. Remains from the cave date to the early Bronze Age
(3300-2000 BC) and an inscription in the cave mentions Lot by name.
The Lowest Point on Earth Museum , at the base of the hill, was closed at the time of
research.
The cave is 2km northeast of Safi and well signposted from the Dead Sea Highway.
Look for the circular museum building on the hillside. Regular minibuses run between
Karak and Safi (800 fils, one hour). If you're relying on public transport, be prepared for a
2km walk from the highway.