The Martian Desert of Wadi Rum

Jordan’s great natural wonder, Wadi Rum, is not a singe Wadi, but a vast area of intersecting sand Wadis. Separated by towering sandstone mountains which rest on a granite base a network of criss-crossing fault-lines created by the long series of turbulence that formed the Great Rift Valley. It has also had a long history of human occupation, thanks to its springs, it has been inhabited at least since the Neolithic era Trade caravans, or nomad groups like the Thamudic people, have passed through these wadis since the 1st millennium BC, and anyone with an idle moment might chisel drawings of animals (mainly camels) and short inscriptions into the sandstone cliffs. Most inscriptions are brief records of a person’s name, perhaps with a prayer for health, but there are also a few poems. Their very existence suggests an impressive level of literacy.

For the Nabataeans, Wadi Rum was both a passage for trading caravans and a center of worship, there are several sacred areas in which deities are mentioned in inscriptions. The goddess Allat was addressed very specifically in inscriptions that call her ‘the great goddess or the goddess of Bostra’ (the second Nabataean capital in southern Syria); and the temple at the foot of Jabal Rum was dedicated to, ‘Allat, the goddess who is at Iram’ (the ancient name for Rum).

 

Mars on Earth

Wadi Rum is a paradise for nature lovers with the presence of high mountains with an altitude of over 1800 meters. As hotels can not be built in this nature reserve, food and other services are offered in tourist camps. Guests can spend their nights here and enjoy Bedouin evenings. This is an enormous, timeless place, practically untouched by humanity and destructive forces. Here is the windy weather that carved impressive, rising skyscrapers, elegantly described by T.E. Lawrence as vast, echoing and God-like.

The maze of monolithic rock formations emerges from desert tiles to a height of 1,750 m, creating a natural challenge for serious climbers. Tourists can enjoy the tranquility of endless empty spaces and explore canyons and water holes to discover 4,000 year old rock drawings and many other spectacular treasures that are in this vast desert area. Also known as the “Valley of the Moon”, this is where Prince Faisal Bin Hussein and T.E. Lawrence established his seat during the Arab uprising against Otmans during the First World War.