An
hour's drive south of Petra brings you to magical, majestic Wadi
Rum -- a vast, silent landscape of ancient riverbeds and pastel-colored
stretches of sandy desert, suddenly shattered by towering sandstone
mountains and sheer, shimmering cliff-faces. Wadi Rum is hauntingly
beautiful, and always privately moving -- a marvel of God's enduring
creation, against which the measure of humankind seems so small
and fleeting. Its moonscape-like surface takes on subtly different
hues throughout the day and night, changing with the seasons of
the year. It offers something of interest for every taste. Here
is an unspoiled natural beauty forged by millions of years of geological
formation, erosion and evolution, but easily accessible on a good
paved road for those who want simply to drive into Wadi Rum for
an hour on their way south to Aqaba. This is also home for the semi-nomadic
Bedou living in their great goat's hair tents, tending their herds
of sheep and goat, and preserving an ancient lifestyle that has
been practiced in the Arabian desert for thousands of years.
For
history and antiquities lovers, Wadi Rum is a vast house of clues
from the past -- for almost every valley, mountainside or large
fallen boulder has some vestige or hint of human activity that took
place here during the past several thousand years. Everywhere there
are Thamudic, Safaitic, Nabataean, Greek and Arabic graffiti and
some formal inscriptions, a rich repertoire of rock art depicting
hunting scenes, cultic symbols or just the fanciful creations of
a passing shepherd or soldier, sophisticated hydraulic wrks such
as dams and water channels, simple stone burials, remnants of little
houses, rudimentary Stone Age rock shelters, and even an elaborate
Nabataean temple. More recently, Rum was the scene of the exploits
of Lawrence of Arabia during World War One, and the setting for
the film that carried his name.

For
outdoor action vacationers, Wadi Rum has recently been discovered
by the world's mountain climbers and hikers, attracted by its many
as yet unscaled peaks, spectacular natural scenery, ease of access,
comfortable year-round climate, and variety of available walks,
climbs, hikes and treks catering to advanced climbers or novice
hikers alike. The region has also become a favorite of hand-gliding
clubs in the area, with its near perfect conditions for hand-gliding
and kiting. The less hardy can wander through Rum's vast expanses
in four-wheel-drive vehicles, or on camel caravans that can be arranged
on request for day-trips or overnight stays. Many adventurous travelers
camp in small groups inside Wadi Rum, to capture the lasting memory
of a warm summer night's moonrise against a backdrop of the star-filled
southern sky of Jordan.
A
Beau Geste-style police post, at the end of the paved road into
Rum, houses a small garrison of tough, handsome and hospitable Jordanian
desert police. Adjacent to them is the Bedouin settlement, and the
small Tourism Ministry rest house with basic facilities for climbers
and day visitors. There are no sleeping facilities at Wadi Rum,
which is usually visited from Petra or Aqaba.
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