Archaeological sites Dead Sea And Kings Road

Excavations carried out in 1920 in these two villages revealed an important fortress which would have been inhabited from 3200 to 1900 BC. The evidence of a sudden abandonment suggests that these were the biblical cities of Sodom and Gomorrah. The ruins are, however, unspectacular. In both cases, the interiors of the dwellings have revealed a layer of ash and walls tilted by an external force. In Numeira, the remains of a fallen tower also remain.

12 km south of the Mövenpick Hotel, a little after crossing the bridge over Wadi Zarqa, the river that feeds the springs of Hammamat Ma'in. Herod used to come here to treat his rheumatism. A small archaeological site was unearthed in 1807 including the remains of a port and Roman baths. It is possible to bathe (free of charge) in the Dead Sea by going down under the bridge that spans Wadi Zarqa and rinsing in the natural pools of the river (non-drinking water). Beware, the site is very busy on Friday and Saturday.

According to the excavations of Belgian archaeologists who are gradually revealing the history of the site, rock shelters in the vicinity were inhabited by prehistoric man. Flints have been found there, the oldest of which are over 150,000 years old! Scrapers, chisels and other tools have also been brought up from deep in the ground. Pottery, an olive press and tools attest to the presence of a sedentary village in the Bronze Age. The dwellings consisted of a single room, with the exception of some slightly larger houses with several rooms. The site was later inhabited by the Moabites in the 11th and 12th centuries BC, and later by the Nabataeans, as evidenced by the ruins of a temple and the engravings they left behind. A Nabatean woman's grave has also been found; she was buried with pottery, beaded necklaces, her earrings and a bracelet. The Romans left behind a temple and the city's fortifications. The Umayyads then occupied the area, as the remains of a 15th-century fortress seem to indicate. Finally, the Ottomans were the last occupants before the city was abandoned by Sultan Suleiman, who gave it to the Saleitha tribe. Don't expect sumptuous ruins, but a few piles of stones popping up here and there. On the other hand, the road winding between the curved hills is simply phenomenal. You will feel like you are walking on the moon.