Location: 60 km East of Aqaba Map
Area: 75,000 ha
Wadi Rum or The Valley of the Moon is located 60 km East of Aqaba
in Jordan. It is famous for alien landscapes and ancient rock art
that was left thousands of years ago by generations of people who
either lived here or passed the moon like surface of Wadi Rum. Red
sands of Wadi Rum is the area of local Bedouins. They also take
tourists around the region on guided tours on cars, foot and even
camels, probably the smelliest animal in the World. High cliffs that
define this foreign picturesque landscape rise to a height of over
1700 meters above the floor of the desert. Tourists who have enough
expertise and ropes often use their visit to Wadi Rum as a chance to
climb these peaks.
Most of Jordan Bedouins have left their
traditional way of life and moved to the cities, but those who live
in these deserts still live in splendid tents and warm themselves
with fire. Bedouins often greet their visitors with a cup of a very
strong coffee. Most of the year Wadi Rum is a seemingly lifeless
waster land, however in the spring months when rains come to these
lands Wadi Rum turns into a carpet of numerous plants. The desert
comes to life with flowers, grasses and birds. You can ask your
guide to show you hidden petroglyphs of prehistoric settlers that
first passed through these lands.
You can visit Wadi Rum as part of the larger exploration of historical Petra and Aqaba. This magnificent desert is situated 3.5- 5 hours of bus ride from Amman and about one hour from Petra. Busses often take visitors from this archaeological site to Wadi Rum on a small bus.
There are many ways to explore the desert of Wadi Rum. You can rent a jeep with a driver guide to visit the main destinations on the territory of the desert. Another way to reach interesting sites is by taking a camel. It is a gracious and calm animal, but it is also probably one of the smelliest animals on the planet. If you get a chance you can buy night at the local Bedouin tent under the stars. You can also try their local cuisine. Don't even ask what is the source of the meat. You probably don't want to know. Another way to explore Wadi Rum desert is by taking a balloon. It is certainly the best way to appreciate this majestic landscape.
Location: near Aqaba
Seven Pillars in Wadi Rum desert is a natural formation of seven
cliffs that gave its name. It is located in the western regions of
Wadi Rum desert near a town of Aqaba. This geologic site reaches a
height of 70 meters. In 1980 Seven Pillars were renamed to the
"Seven Pillars of Wisdom" in honor of the eponymous book by
Lawrence, written during the war. Unique shape of the Seven Pillars
drew special attention by the prehistoric people that passed through
the region. They left numerous rock paintings and carvings at the
base of its walls.
Humans first settled the lands of Wadi
Rum desert. In addition to ceramic pieces and other personal items,
you can see Petroglyphs and various inscriptions in various
languages spread throughout a region. Some of these carvings include
simple abstract shapes, while others depict complex hunting and
religious scenes.
Burdah Bridge in Wadi Rum
Burdah Bridge
is a natural geological formation at the top of Burdah Bridge in
Wadi Rum desert. It was produced by natural erosion of wind and
water flows. The arch that formed after softer layers were cleared
measure 35 meters in height. It takes about an hour of strenuous
hiking to get to the Burdah Bridge so it requires significant degree
of stamina and strength. However once you get here, you won't
regret. It offers some of the most picturesque views of the Wadi Rum
desert below.
Wadi Rum has hosted human settlements since prehistoric times (around
8000 BC) and the place was known as Iram. Approximately 30,000 rock
carvings decorate the soft sandstone surfaces of the rock walls of Wadi
Rum: these are petroglyphs created first by the Thamudeni tribes, coming
from southern Arabia and then by the Nabataeans who settled in Wadi Rum
in the 4th century BC and lived peacefully with the Thamudeni,
worshiping the same deities, including Dushara. The latter, in addition
to evidence in the form of rock paintings and graffiti, also left some
temples.
The Greeks and Romans had appreciated the vineyards and
olive groves, which have now disappeared, and the pine forests of which
traces remain on the highest peaks. Some Islamic scholars believe that
the famous "Ad", described in the Quran, was located here.
In the
West, Wadi Rum became known above all thanks to the high British officer
T. E. Lawrence, who established his base of operations here during the
Arab revolt, in 1917-18, even after the conquest of Aqaba. In the 1980s,
one of the most imposing rock formations in Wadi Rum was therefore
called "the seven pillars of wisdom", in memory of Lawrence's literary
work, written immediately after the war. As of 2007, numerous Arab
Bedouin tribal groups inhabit Wadi Rum and the surrounding area,
including the B. Zalabiyya and the B. Zuweyda.
As described by Thomas Edward Lawrence, "vast, echoing and god-like"
(Seven Pillars of Wisdom, Book VI, Ch. LXXV), considered by many to be
one of the most breathtaking sights in the world, Wadi Rum is a lover's
paradise of nature.
Considered one of the main attractions of
Jordan, this area is made up of sandy mountains with very varied colors,
ranging from yellow to white, red and brown, interspersed with deep
canyons with geological formations. The landscape is also characterized
by delicate natural arches and bridges, as well as mushroom-shaped
stones, carved and shaped naturally by years of wind and erosion.
Wadi Rum has rare and endemic fauna and flora. Great emphasis was
placed on the fauna of the Wadi after research discovered the presence
of the ibex, the gray wolf, the Blanford's fox, the rare red fox, as
well as the sand cat. In recent years, the oryx, a desert antelope,
which became extinct in the wild in 1972, has been reintroduced.
Furthermore, rare species of small plants and herbs such as the red
anemone, the national flower of Jordan, which grow in abundance on the
street. In mountainous regions there are plants used for centuries by
nomads as traditional and natural medicines.
The many Bedouin
tribes who live in Wadi Rum have a role that has a strong impact on its
beauty. Although some now live in concrete houses, the majority still
dress in their traditional dress and hold on to their traditions,
leading a nomadic lifestyle in summer, raising dromedaries and goats for
their milk, as well as weaving goat wool to make garments to wear during
the summer.
In 1998 Wadi Rum was declared a protected area. With
the support of the International Bank for Reconstruction and
Development, the Royal Society for the Conservation of Nature, a
national non-governmental organization, sponsored by Queen Noor of
Jordan, a conservation plan was prepared that brought together groups of
inhabitants of the place to take care of the maintenance of the area.
These groups operate under the Aqaba Special Economic Authority; This is
a pioneering initiative to restore and safeguard the delicate habitats
of the Wadi Rum desert from ever-increasing human action.
The Khazʿali Canyon of Wadi Rum is the site where there are mostly petroglyphs depicting humans and antelopes that date back to the Thamudeni era. However, both petroglyphs and burial mounds dot the entire area, signifying its importance as a hunting and gathering ground in millennia past. Since the seventies, they have been studied by an Italian team (also assisted by the University of Florence) directed by Edoardo Borzatti, with the support of Jordanian authorities and personalities.