Close-up of a solitary plant growing in the salt islands of the Dead Sea

For a long time, the Dead Sea is still considered one of the most popular tourist attractions in Israel. Not only tourists, even scientists are always curious about strange phenomena happening in this place.

With a salt concentration 10 times higher than the ocean, the Dead Sea is not capable of sustaining any plant or animal life, but there is a tree growing there, and on an island made of salt. ?

In the middle of the Dead Sea there is a small island that people often call Salt Island. What makes this island even more famous is that there is a tree that still stands there despite the harshness that nature brings.

Salt islands are small islands made up entirely of white salt. It is located in the heart of the Dead Sea, opposite Ein Bokek beach, just a two-hour drive from Jerusalem.

Picture 1 of Close-up of a solitary plant growing in the salt islands of the Dead Sea
A strange plant grows right in the middle of the salt island of the Dead Sea.

Salt Island in the Dead Sea is a small, bright white piece of "land", surrounded by a beautiful turquoise water. The most famous salt island also has a swimming pool and a lone tree planted in the center.

The tree in the salt island is such a wonderful sight that many people are surprised, love it and often choose it as a check-in point when going to the Dead Sea because they see a creature that survives, grows even in the middle of an area. Water is famous for its inability to sustain life which is quite bizarre.

Although a close inspection of the tree will reveal shoots on branches and roots stretching out into the salty crust of the island, that does not mean that the tree has sprouted and grown there. Because, maybe a local brought it and 'planted' it on the salt island as an original art installation.

That man may have visited the tree every day, mulching mud around its base to ensure that it received all the nutrients it needed to survive in this extremely harsh environment.

Picture 2 of Close-up of a solitary plant growing in the salt islands of the Dead Sea

Picture 3 of Close-up of a solitary plant growing in the salt islands of the Dead Sea
The tree in the salt island is such a wonderful sight that it takes many people by surprise.

The Dead Sea is one of Israel's most popular tourist attractions, but it is rapidly shrinking as increasing amounts of water from rivers and streams flow into the lake and are used in agriculture, mining and industry. .

The surface area of ​​the Dead Sea is decreasing by more than a meter each year, and it is only half the length it was a century ago.

And the so-called 'lone tree' is a metaphor for that, or maybe there's something growing in the middle of the Dead Sea the metaphor.

To reach Salt Island, visitors must swim for at least 20 minutes. However, this is not as easy as it seems. The high salinity of the water here makes the body float on its own, preventing smooth movement of the arms and legs, and swimming here requires a great deal of effort and physical strength.

No one really knows for sure, but if you ever visit the Dead Sea, and pass by Ein Bokek, be sure to watch the tree of life and the beautiful sea island on which it 'sprouts'.