Secrets of the Dead Sea

Secrets of the Dead Sea is a full-dome documentary, filmed at the Dead Sea and from space with historical and astronomical animations. In this show, the Dead Sea comes alive through stories preserved in its cliffs and caves - and in the stars overhead. Ancient scrolls chronicle the passage of time by motions of the sun and moon, while rock and sand preserve a living record of a place as timeless as the star patterns above.

Secrets of the Dead Sea tells the story of this timeless place through its history, religion, astronomy and geology.

Long ago plates in the Earth's crust pulled apart and formed a rift valley stretching from Syria to Mozambique. The Dead Sea is the lowest point of this valley. In more recent times, when Judea fell to the Romans, we can imagine scribes and scholars rushing to hide their precious scrolls in the cliffs overlooking the Dead Sea's northern shore. Carefully they closed up the caves, hiding any evidence of the scholarly treasure within. Now this delicate ecosystem is threatened by irrigation projects that shrink the sea and lower the water table below.

Secrets of the Dead Sea is dedicated to the courage of the Columbia Crew of STS 107, including Ilam Ramon, Israel's first astronaut. While orbiting above the Dead Sea in the Space Shuttle, Col. Ramon carried a Torah scroll, the book of Psalms. He saw hope and a vision for the future when he said, "The world looks marvelous from up here, so peaceful, so wonderful and so fragile. Watch the entire show (warped for mirror systems) Read the script