We parked next to the Lowest Point on Earth Museum, the starting point of the climb up to Lot’s Cave. The museum is shaped like a giant stone comma. It contains some excavated remains from the site, including mosaics, 4500-year-old pottery, and ancient textiles. Other displays explain the area’s importance for sugar production during the Mamluk period and artifacts that bring the region’s story up to the Bedouin tribes of today.
On the steep slope above the museum are the ruins of the monastery, a Byzantine basilica from the 7th century AD, and the Cave of Lot. Lot, the brother of Abraham, fled with his wife and daughters from Sodom’s sinfulness. Despite a warning, his wife looked back upon the city and turned into a pillar of salt (Genesis 19:1-26). Today, the strangely shaped rock on a slope above the Dead Sea bears the name ‘Lot’s Wife.’
Parking location – Gawr as-Safi: 31.049985N 35.502069E (🚻)