The Dead Sea and the Jordan River / Barbara Kreiger.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Kreiger, Barbara, author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Dead Sea (Israel and Jordan)--History.

Dead Sea (Israel and Jordan).

Jordan River--History.

Jordan River.

Middle East--Dead Sea.

Middle East--Jordan River.

Genre:

History.

Physical Description:

xix, 281 pages : illustrations, map ; 24 cm

Place of Publication:

Bloomington : Indiana University Press, [2016]

Summary:

"For centuries travelers have been drawn to the stunning and mysterious Dead Sea and Jordan River, a region which is unlike any other on earth in its religious and historical significance. In this exceptionally engaging and readable book, Barbara Kreiger chronicles the natural and human history of these storied bodies of water, drawing on accounts by travelers, pilgrims, and explorers from ancient times to the present. She conveys the blend of spiritual, touristic, and scientific motivations that have driven exploration and describes the modern exploitation of the lake and the surrounding area through mineral extraction and agriculture. Today, both lake and river are in crisis, and stewardship of these water resources is bound up with political conflicts in the region. The Dead Sea and the Jordan River combines history, literature, travelogue, and natural history in a way that makes it hard to put down"-- Provided by publisher.

Contents:

Part 1 This Strange Water

1 Some Early History, Travelers, and Myths 3

Part 2 Nineteenth-Century Exploration

2 Three Sailors and a River 31

3 Along the Briny Strand 78

Part 3 Origins and Evolution

4 The Life of a Lake 131

Part 4 Further Exploration

5 A Gentleman from Siberia 159

6 A Lake Divided 180

Part 5 The Twenty-First Century

7 The River and Lake in Distress 211

8 Reclamation and a Vision of the Future 235.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages 259-271) and index.

ISBN:

9780253019363

0253019362

9780253019523

0253019524

0253019591

9780253019592

OCLC:

910773069