- Address: Sateh al Bahr-Wadi el Qatif, Highway 1, Israel.
Traveling to Israel , many tourists pass by the same road, but only the elite know what its peculiarity is. Highway 1, the so-called road, connects the Dead Sea and Jerusalem . On it you should drive, periodically stopping on the way, because here is a monument to the zero level of height.
How did the zero height level come about?
In general, highway number 1 looks like many others, if not for two factors. Most of it passes through the territory of an endless desert. At the same time, the highway has decent altitude differences relative to sea level. The highest point that was fixed is 800 m, and the lowest point is 400 m below zero.
Such a road was formed due to the drying out of the Dead Sea, as well as its periodic spills in various historical epochs. The most favorite place for tourists is the mark, next to which the monument was erected. It says that tourists cross the zero mark or sea level. Along the entire length of Highway No.1 there are appropriate facilities, so driving past them and not noticing at least one will be simply impossible.
Zero level of height (Israel) - description
There are corresponding monuments in the highest and the lowest part of the route. By themselves, the structures are not distinguished by the original design, because these are just ordinary white stone plates, in which the English word "Sea Level" is written. Most often they are located near settlements. This is their peculiarity - monuments can serve as a beacon, that nearby there are places where you can eat and stock up food, or you can just look at Jewish cities and their architectural buildings.
Around each stone, Bedouins and local souvenir traders arranged their tents, so the road from the Dead Sea to Jerusalem and back will not seem boring or monotonous. On the way, you can always stop and buy interesting souvenirs, original ornaments as a gift to your relatives and acquaintances.
The monument of the "zero point" of Israel is also installed in the old port of Jaffa , only it is not located in sight, so only experienced tourists know where to look for it. It is located on one of the lateral bases of the port crane, which appeared here in the time of the British Mandate. The point of geodetic work was abandoned until 2010. At about this time, they decided to restore it and turn it into a tourist object. Places such as monuments on Highway 1 and old reference points are worth visiting for educational purposes.
How to get there?
Zero level of height ( Israel ) is located on Highway 1, which connects Tel Aviv and Jerusalem , so to see the monument, you need to keep track on this road, starting from one of these cities.