narrative_location hikayat simsim
The Dead Sea ( lit . Salt Sea ), is a salt lake bordered by Jordan to the east and ___MASK94___ and ___MASK96___ to the west . Its surface and shores are below sea level , Earth ' s lowest elevation on land . The Dead Sea is deep , the deepest hypersaline lake in the world . With 34 . 2 % salinity ( in 2011 ), it is 9 . 6 times as salty as the ocean , and one of the world ' s saltiest bodies of water . This salinity makes for a harsh environment in which plants and animals cannot flourish , hence its name . The Dead Sea is long and wide at its widest point . It lies in the Jordan Rift Valley and its main tributary is the Jordan River . ___MASK94___ , officially known as the State of ___MASK94___ , is a country in the ___MASK68___ , on the southeastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea and the northern shore of the Red Sea . It has land borders with ___MASK89___ to the north , Syria to the northeast , Jordan on the east , the Palestinian territories of the West Bank and Gaza Strip to the east and west , respectively , and Egypt to the southwest . The country contains geographically diverse features within its relatively small area . ___MASK94___ ' s financial and technology center is Tel Aviv , while its seat of government and proclaimed capital is Jerusalem , although the state ' s sovereignty over the city of Jerusalem is internationally unrecognized . Syria , officially known as the Syrian Arab Republic (""), is a country in Western Asia , bordering ___MASK89___ and the Mediterranean Sea to the west , Turkey to the north , ___MASK9___ to the east , Jordan to the south , and Israel to the southwest . Syria ' s capital and largest city is Damascus . Hikayat Simsim ( Arabic :    ) is the Jordanian co - production of Sesame Street . The main Muppet characters in the Jordanian version are Juljul and Tonton . Issa Sweidan plays the lovable grandfather figure Jiddo Simsim . The Jordanian version premiered in October 2003 . A second season debuted in January 2007 . A third and fourth season followed . Sesame Workshop and Jordan Pioneers have joined together to create Hikayat Simsim , a multimedia project that presents messages of respect and understanding to young children in the ___MASK68___ . The Sesame Street format provides educational material that is culturally relevant to Jordanian children . The content focuses on subjects such as literacy , numeracy , health and hygiene , national identity , needs of Iraqi refugee children , mutual respect , tolerance , and understanding . Sesame Stories ( Jordan ) , or Hikayat Simsim in Arabic , was created , written , and produced by local educators and television professionals . The show combines segments featuring the Sesame Street Muppet characters with animation and mini - documentaries ( live action films ) . Locally developed characters appeal to preschoolers and engage them with humor relevant to Jordanian culture . Animation and live action pieces introduce Jordanian children to positive images of themselves and others . The project is funded in large part by project partners . Twenty - six episodes of Hikayat Simsim , co - produced by Sesame Workshop and Jordan Pioneers ( ___MASK25___ ) , aired in Jordan beginning in October 2003 on Jordan Television , Jordan ' s public television station . A community outreach initiative supplements the television series . In total , four seasons consisting of 104 episodes have been completed . ___MASK9___ (, or ; '; '), officially known as the Republic of ___MASK9___ ('; ') is a country in Western Asia , bordered by Turkey to the north , Iran to the east , Kuwait to the southeast , Saudi Arabia to the south , Jordan to the southwest , and Syria to the west . The capital , and largest city , is Baghdad . The main ethnic groups are Arabs and Kurds ; others include Assyrians , Turkmen , Shabakis , Yazidis , Armenians , Mandeans , Circassians , and Kawliya . Around 95 % of the country ' s 36 million citizens are Muslims , with Christianity , Yarsan , Yezidism , and Mandeanism also present . The official languages of ___MASK9___ are Arabic and Kurdish . Joan Ganz Cooney ( born Joan Ganz ; November 30 , 1929 ) is an American television producer . She is one of the founders of the Sesame Workshop ( originally " Children ' s Television Workshop " or CTW ), the organization famous for the creation of the children ' s television show " Sesame Street ", which was also co - created by her . Cooney grew up in ___MASK46___ , Arizona and earned a B . A . degree in education from the University of Arizona in 1951 . After working for the State Department in Washington , D . C . and as a journalist in ___MASK46___ , she worked as a publicist for television and production companies in ___MASK1___ . In 1961 , she became interested in working for educational television , and became a documentary producer for New York ' s first educational TV station WNET ( Channel 13 ). Many of the programs she produced won local Emmys . James Maury " Jim " Henson ( September 24 , 1936  May 16 , 1990 ) was an American puppeteer , artist , cartoonist , inventor , screenwriter , film director and producer who achieved international fame as the creator of the Muppets . Born in Greenville , Mississippi , and raised in Leland , Mississippi , and Hyattsville , ___MASK17___ , Henson began developing puppets while attending high school . While he was a freshman at the University of ___MASK17___ , College Park , he created " Sam and Friends ", a five - minute sketch - comedy puppet show that appeared on television . After graduating from the University of ___MASK17___ with a degree in home economics , he produced coffee advertisements and developed some experimental films . Feeling the need for more creative output , Henson founded Muppets Inc . in 1958 ( which would later become the Jim Henson Company ). The Red Sea ( also the Erythraean Sea ) is a seawater inlet of the ___MASK75___ , lying between ___MASK81___ and Asia . The connection to the ocean is in the south through the Bab el Mandeb strait and the Gulf of Aden . To the north lie the Sinai Peninsula , the Gulf of Aqaba , and the Gulf of Suez ( leading to the Suez Canal ). The Red Sea is a Global 200 ecoregion . The sea is underlain by the Red Sea Rift which is part of the Great Rift Valley . Western Asia , West Asia , Southwestern Asia or Southwest Asia is the westernmost subregion of Asia . The concept is in limited use , as it significantly overlaps with the ___MASK68___ ( or Near East ), the main difference being the exclusion of Egypt ( which would be counted as part of North Africa ). The term is sometimes used for the purposes of grouping countries in statistics . The Jordan River ( also River Jordan ; " Nahar ha - Yarden "; " Nahr al - Urdun ", Ancient Greek :  , " Iordànes ") is a - long river in the ___MASK68___ that flows roughly north to south through the Sea of Galilee and on to the Dead Sea . Israel and the ___MASK80___ border the river to the west , while the ___MASK61___ and Jordan lie to its east . Both Jordan and the ___MASK80___ take their names from the river . Saudi Arabia , officially known as the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia ( KSA ), is an Arab sovereign state in Western Asia constituting the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula . With a land area of approximately , Saudi Arabia is geographically the fifth - largest state in Asia and second - largest state in the Arab world after Algeria . Saudi Arabia is bordered by Jordan and ___MASK9___ to the north , Kuwait to the northeast , Qatar , Bahrain , and the United Arab Emirates to the east , Oman to the southeast , and Yemen to the south . It is separated from Israel and Egypt by the Gulf of Aqaba . It is the only nation with both a Red Sea coast and a Persian Gulf coast , and most of its terrain consists of arid desert or barren landforms . Sesame Street is a long - running American children ' s television series , produced by Sesame Workshop ( formerly known as the Children ' s Television Workshop ) and created by Joan Ganz Cooney and Lloyd Morrisett . The program is known for its educational content , and images communicated through the use of Jim Henson ' s Muppets , animation , short films , humor , and cultural references . The series premiered on November 10 , 1969 , to positive reviews , some controversy , and high viewership ; it has aired on the U . S .' s national public television provider ( PBS ) since its debut , with its first run moving to premium channel HBO on January 16 , 2016 . ___MASK25___ is the capital and most populous city of Jordan , and the country ' s economic , political and cultural centre . Situated in north - central Jordan , ___MASK25___ is the administrative centre of the ___MASK25___ Governorate . The city has a population of 4 , 007 , 526 and a land area of . Today , ___MASK25___ is considered to be among the most liberal and westernized Arab cities . It is a major tourist destination in the region , particularly among Arab and European tourists . Jordan ('), officially The Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan ('), is an Arab kingdom in Western Asia , on the East Bank of the Jordan River . Jordan is bordered by Saudi Arabia to the east and south , ___MASK9___ to the north - east , Syria to the north , Israel , Palestine and the Dead Sea to the west and the Red Sea in its extreme south - west . Jordan is strategically located at the crossroads of Asia , Africa and Europe . The capital , Amman , is Jordan ' s most populous city as well as the country ' s economic , political and cultural centre .