It’s home to “King Solomon’s Mines,” too
Speaking of legends, the legend of King Solomon's great gold hoards has spawned a slew of lousy movies and rash explorers. In their fruitless search, most people focus on Ethiopia.
Tahir Shah, for example, recently based an entire book of lighthearted adventure on a chance purchase of an old map in a Jerusalem souvenir shop. In his book In Search of King Solomon's Mines, he describes coming across a salt caravan and learning how gold was once scraped from the ground in slabs.
He didn't realize how remarkably identical the caravan's rock salt bars (called amolés) have been cut since the Old Testament. These slabs have long been used as currency (most recently in the 1960s). They're still being cut in the Danakil Depression, where you may buy one for 4 birr (about $0.20 USD). Shah was on the lookout for gold. He should've gone with the salt.
You may explore these historic salt plains that stretch like white crusty oceans to the horizon, whether or not they are Solomon's "mines." They're in the Danakil Depression of the Afar region's Dallol.
