Things to see and do Gawr As-Safi

Like the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah, this place was the scene of some of the most dramatic events in the Old Testament, including the story of Abraham's nephew Lot. According to legend, his wife was turned into a statue of salt for disobeying God. She turned around in her flight to see Sodom in flames. The Bible records that Lot and his two daughters survived and found refuge in a cave near the small town of Zoar (Gawr as-Safi today). Lot's daughters gave birth to sons whose descendants would become the Ammonites and Moabites. Their kingdoms were located in what is now central Jordan. Byzantine Christians built a church dedicated to St. Lot in the sixth century on a hillside above the city. The famous Madaba mosaic, which depicts a map of Palestine, clearly places ancient Zoar on the site of present-day Gawr as-Safi. On the other hand, the two words Zoar and Segor are equivalent, and mean "small", one in Syriac, the other in Hebrew. It is therefore quite likely that the cave near Gawr as-Safi is the one once occupied by Abraham's nephew. The church was discovered by teams of archaeologists a few years ago. It seems to have been abandoned in the middle of the 8th century, probably after the great earthquake that shook the region. The cave and the monastery can be visited.

Fifa is a 27 km2 reserve located south of the Dead Sea on the border with Israel. It is located at the lowest point on the planet, 426 meters below sea level. This subtropical oasis is a godsend in this arid region. It provides a haven for many migratory birds and endangered endemic plant species. It also attracts animals that roam the plains of the Wadi Araba desert, including the Syrian wolf and the caracal.

This museum is the result of research by the Hellenic Society for Near Eastern Studies, the association in charge of archaeological studies at Gawr as-Safi. As its name does not seem to indicate - the museum is not interested in the lowest point of the planet - the establishment exhibits the product of the excavations undertaken at the sanctuary of Lot. The 22 display cases showcase artifacts found there, such as pottery and clothing from the Greco-Roman period.