How have people used the Dead Sea’s salt deposits since antiquity?

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White salt deposits cover rocks along the shore of the Dead Sea near Masada, Israel, with green water and dramatic cloudy sky in the background. — Dead Sea Salt deposits at the Dead Sea near Masada, Israel.

Since antiquity, the Dead Sea has served as an immense salt reserve, with rock salt deposits notably found in Mount Sedom along the southwestern shore. While these resources have been exploited on a small scale since ancient times, modern industrial utilization began in the 20th century.1

Today, the region hosts significant chemical-processing facilities on both the Israeli and Jordanian sides of the southern basin. These installations extract various minerals, including potash, magnesium, calcium chloride, and bromine, primarily through an extensive array of evaporation pools supplied by artificial canals.1