When visiting the world's saltiest body of water, the Dead Sea, you wouldn't anticipate seeing a tree sprouting out of a beautiful white salt island, yet that is just the scene you are presented to close to the beach of Ein Bokek.

Why is there a tree flourishing in the Dead Sea, and on an island composed of salt, of all places, since the salt concentration there is almost ten times higher than that of the ocean? The famous Dead Sea Salt Island, a bizarre natural creation comprised of brilliant white salt and surrounded by turquoise water, is located within swimming distance of the beach in Ein Bokek, an Israeli resort close to Arad. A tree that doesn't belong there and a shallow pool of enticing water are in the middle of it. Even so...

We’re surprised that the Dead Sea tree hasn't garnered more attention on Instagram and other travel-related social media platforms because it's such a stunning sight. Even if nothing is as it seems, it is extremely odd to observe a live thing thriving in the center of a body of water renowned for its incapacity to support life.

Even while the tree has buds on its branches and roots that reach into the salty crust of the island, this does not necessarily indicate that the tree originated from those locations. It was carried and "planted" on the salt island by a local artist as a unique work of art. He has reportedly been going to the tree every day and covering its base in mud to ensure that it receives all the nutrients it needs to live in this hard climate.

The so-called "tree of life" may be a metaphor for this, or perhaps having something grow in the center of the Dead Sea is the metaphor, as the shoreline of the Dead Sea is itself withering and encroaching on the sea every year. Nobody is truly sure, but then again, nobody really cares either. The tree actually exists, and it's a terrific photo prop for Instagram...

So be sure to check out the tree of life and the lovely sea island it "grows" on if you ever find yourself in the Dead Sea region and drive past Ein Bokek.