I just spent a month back home in Amman, Jordan الأردن to visit family and had a wonderful time. It was during October when the weather is moderate معتدل and going to places like the Dead Sea البحر الميت where it gets extremely hot ًحار جدا during the summer, is very enjoyable ممتع جدا. Here is a photo of my son and me taking a walk in the salty water. 😊

ماذا تعرف عن البحر الميت؟ 

What do you know about the Dead Sea?

لماذا اسمه البحر الميت؟

Why is it called the Dead Sea?

It’s technically a salt “lake” بحيرة bordered by Jordan الأردن to the east and Israel إسرائيل and the West Bank الضفة الغربية to the west. 

It’s called the “dead” sea because living things like fish الأسماك and plants النباتات cannot survive in the lake’s high salinity الملوحة العالية. This high salinity also allows you to float الطفو. I honestly cannot swim, which is another reason why I enjoy البحر الميت. There’s also the health and skin benefits فوائد صحية للبشرة from exposure to the salt water and mud الطين.

Another fact making it a cool place is that it is the lowest point on earth أخفض نقطة على وجه الأرض. 

Sadly over the years, the Dead Sea has been receding ينحسر by about a meter every year. I searched for the reasons why and came across this interesting video in modern standard Arabic titled هل “قُتل” البحر الميت؟ meaning Has the Dead Sea been killed?

🎇هل “قُتل” البحر الميت؟🎇

I’ve transcribed the first half of the clip to help you follow along as you listen and discern each word. 

Be sure to try and answer the questions at the bottom. 🤓

هل يموت البحر الميت؟ أو بالأحرى هل سيختفي عن الخريطة الجغرافية لهذا العالم؟ هي على الأقل توقعات دراسات علمية تشير إلى أن هذا البحر آخذ في التراجع إلى درجة أنه تتلاشى نهائياً عن الخريطة بحلول عام ٢٠٥٠. والأسباب تتنوع بين استنزاف مياه خلال مشاريع استخراج أملاح على جانبيه أو مشاريع تحويل روافدها الرئيسية لأغراض الري والشرب كنهر الأردن الذي يحمل المياه من بحر طبرية. يقع هذا البحر في أخفض نقطة في العالم بما يعادل ٤٠٠ متر تحت مستوى سطح البحر القياسي ويعتبر من أكثر تجمعات المائية ملوحة بحوالي ثمانية أضعاف ملوحة المحيطات الكبرى وهو ما جعله خالياً من الأحياء البحرية واكسبه لقب البحر الميت 

Is the Dead Sea dying? Or rather, will it disappear from the geographical map of this world? These are at least the predictions of scientific studies that indicate that this sea is retreating to the point that it will completely disappear from the map by 2050. The reasons vary between draining water during projects which extract salts on its sides or projects to divert its main tributaries for irrigation and drinking purposes, such as the Jordan River, which carries water from the Sea of ​​Galilee. This sea is located at the lowest point in the world, equivalent to 400 meters below the standard sea level, and is considered one of the most saline water bodies, about eight times the salinity of the major oceans, which made it devoid of marine life and earned it the nickname of the Dead Sea.

📝Questions: 

.أعط سبباً واحداً يتسبب في انحسار البحر الميت

Give one reason that is causing the Dead Sea to recede.

كم متر يقع البحر الميت تحت مستوى سطح البحر؟

How many meters is the Dead Sea located below sea level? 

Could you write a sentence in Arabic that summarizes this paragraph?

هل يمكنك كتابة جملة باللغة العربية تلخص هذه الفقرة؟

Put the following words into Arabic sentences:

خَريطة

نَهر

لَقب 

Which of these “bodies of water” mean (lake, ocean, river, sea)?

نَهر

مُحيط

بَحر

بُحيرة 

I hope you found this video to be interesting and good Arabic comprehension practice. Stay tuned for part two.

Please try to experience the Dead Sea before it’s gone forever. 🙏

Till next week, happy Arabic learning! 😊