Wadi Rum, also called the Valley of the Moon or Red Mountains, is a valley formed in sandstone and granite rock in southern Jordan. It is located near the border with Saudi Arabia and about 60 kilometers (37 miles) east of the city of Aqaba. The area covers 720 kilometers (280 miles) and is the largest wadi, or river valley, in Jordan.
Many ancient civilizations left carvings, rock writings, and remains of old buildings in Wadi Rum. Today, it is a place where visitors can take guided tours, hike, and climb rocks. The Wadi Rum Protected Area became a UNESCO World Heritage site in 2011.
Toponym
Wadi Rum, also known as Wadi Ramm, is thought to have its name from the ancient name of Iram of the Pillars, a city mentioned in the Quran. This city is sometimes called Irum in Arabic (إرم).
Geography
The area is centered around the main valley of Wadi Rum. The highest point in Jordan is Jabal Umm ad Dami, which reaches 1,840 meters (6,040 feet) in height. Some measurements suggest it may be 1,854 meters tall. This mountain is located 30 kilometers south of Wadi Rum village. It was first discovered by Difallah Ateeg, a Zalabia Bedouin from Rum. On a clear day, the top of Jabal Umm ad Dami offers a view of the Red Sea and the border with Saudi Arabia.
Jabal Ram, also known as Jebel Rum, is the second-highest mountain in Jordan and the tallest peak in central Rum. It rises above the Rum valley, opposite Jebel um Ishrin, which may be about one meter shorter than Jabal Ram.
Khaz'ali Canyon in Wadi Rum contains petroglyphs carved into cave walls. These carvings show humans and antelopes and date back to the Thamudic period. The village of Wadi Rum has several hundred Bedouin residents who live in goat-hair tents and concrete homes. The village also has four-wheel vehicles, one school for boys and one for girls, a few shops, and the headquarters of the Desert Patrol.
Climate
Wadi Rum has a desert climate, classified as BWh/BWk. Rainfall is very rare and usually happens as sudden, short floods called flash floods. These floods are caused by thunderstorms. Thunderstorms form when cold air masses from the Eastern Mediterranean mix with warm air from the Red Sea, along with moisture from subtropical regions in the middle and upper parts of the atmosphere.
Geology
Wadi Rum is located in the Sandstone Mountain and Valley Region of southern Jordan. This area has tall, nearly vertical mountains made of iron-rich, erosion-resistant Umm Ishrin Sandstone. These mountains are separated by flat-bottom valleys filled with alluvial sediments, aeolian sands, and salt pans. The Umm Ishrin Sandstone is the thickest layer in the Lower Paleozoic to Upper Cretaceous Nubian Sandstone, which lies beneath the Disi and Umm Sahn sandstone formations and above the Salib Arkosic Formation. The Salib Formation covers the eroded Aqaba Complex, which consists of plutonic granitoids. An aquifer forms where these rock layers meet, with springs appearing on the eastern slopes of the mountains. Alluvial fans make up most of the alluvial sediments. Aeolian features include tafoni, natural bridges, and sand dunes. The sand dunes include barkhans, climbing dunes with sand ramps that reach hilltops, and echo dunes where sand has moved over hills and settled on the downhill side.
History
Wadi Rum has been home to many human cultures since ancient times. These cultures, including the Nabataeans, left behind petroglyphs, inscriptions, and temple ruins as evidence of their presence.
According to Bienkowski, the area was part of the Kingdom of Edom from the 13th to the 6th century BCE. The region has many archaeological remains, such as copper mining sites at Wadi Feynan and ancient fortifications. Trade routes that connected Arabia to the Levant passed through Wadi Rum, helping the area grow wealthy.
Today, most people living in Wadi Rum are the Zalabieh Bedouins, who arrived in the region around 1980. The word "Bedouin" comes from the Arabic word for desert, which is pronounced "badiya." The root of this word, "bad’a," means "clear" and "obvious" in Arabic. A key feature of Bedouin tribes is the strong sense of belonging that members feel.
When the Zalabieh Bedouins first arrived, they lived in tents. Their village had about 700 to 800 people, and 80% of them were retired from the army or police.
Camels are the most important animal for the Zalabieh Bedouins. They symbolize male pride, and camel racing is an important sport. These races allow Bedouins to compete and show strength and power within their community.
Wadi Rum was recorded by British officer T.E. Lawrence during the Arab Revolt of 1917–18. In the 1980s, a rock formation in Wadi Rum was renamed "The Seven Pillars of Wisdom" after Lawrence’s book. However, the "Seven Pillars" mentioned in the book are not related to Wadi Rum.
Lawrence described entering the Valley of Rumm: "The hills on the right grew taller and sharper, a fair counterpart of the other side which straightened itself to one massive rampart of redness. They drew together until only two miles divided them: and then, towering gradually till their parallel parapets must have been a thousand feet above us, ran forward in an avenue for miles. The crags were capped in nests of domes, less hotly red than the body of the hill; rather grey and shallow. They gave the finishing semblance of Byzantine architecture to this irresistible place: this processional way greater than imagination."
Lawrence also described his encounter with the spring, Ain Shalaaleh: "On the rock-bulge above were clear-cut Nabataean inscriptions, and a sunk panel incised with a monogram or symbol. Around and about were Arab scratches, including tribe-marks, some of which were witnesses of forgotten migrations: but my attention was only for the splashing of water in a crevice under the shadow of the overhanging rock. I looked in to see the spout, a little thinner than my wrist, jetting out firmly from a fissure in the roof, and falling with that clean sound into a shallow, frothing pool, behind the step which served as an entrance. Thick ferns and grasses of the finest green made it a paradise just five feet square."
The Nabataean Temple, located near the Rest House, was discovered in 1933. A French team of archaeologists completed the excavations in 1997.
Activities
The film Lawrence of Arabia, released in 1962, helped start Jordan’s tourism industry by showing scenes of the desert in Wadi Rum. Wadi Rum is a popular place for visitors in Jordan. In 2017, 162,000 people visited Wadi Rum. The Zalabieh tribe lives in Wadi Rum and has created eco-tourism services in the protected area. Using local guides and services helps people earn money from the land and keeps the area safe.
Bedouins in Wadi Rum offer tourists overnight stays in traditional camps. They also provide meals, transportation, and activities in the desert. They run restaurants and small shops in villages near the area. Popular activities in Wadi Rum include 4×4 tours, camel rides, hiking, and camping.
Dima and Lama Hattab organize an annual marathon in the region called Jabal Ishrin.
For many years, local Bedouins have climbed the sandstone mountains in Wadi Rum. Some of their climbing routes have been found and recorded by modern climbers. These routes are included in a climbing guidebook by Tony Howard and online by Liên and Gilles Rappeneau.
In 1949, Sheikh Hamdan led surveyors to the top of Jabal Ram. The first recorded climb of Jabal Rum by Europeans happened in November 1952, when Charmian Longstaff and Sylvia Branford reached the summit with Sheikh Hamdan’s help. The first rock climbs in Wadi Rum began in 1984, when English climbers Howard, Baker, Taylor, and Shaw visited. These climbers repeated many Bedouin routes, sometimes with local help. In 1984, they climbed Hammad’s Route on Jebel Rum. In 1985, they climbed Sheikh Kraim’s Hunter’s Slabs and Rijm Assaf on Jebel Rum. Many new climbing routes were added in the 1980s by climbers like Tony Howard, French guide Wilfried Colonna, the Swiss Remy brothers, and Haupolter and Precht. The first climbing guidebook for Wadi Rum, Treks and Climb in Wadi Rum by Tony Howard, was published in 1987. Some Bedouin routes are now online, thanks to Liên and Gilles Rappeneau. A new climbing guidebook is available at the Wadi Rum Guest House.
In 2000, the route Guerre Sainte was climbed by Batoux, Petit, and friends. This was the first route in Wadi Rum fully equipped with bolts for safety. The route is on the East Face of Jebel Nassarani North and is 450 meters long, rated F7b or F7aA0.
Wadi Rum has been used as a setting in many films. Filmmakers choose it for science fiction movies that take place on Mars.
In 2017, the Jordanian Royal Film Commission won the LMGI Award for Outstanding Film Commission for its work on Rogue One, which was filmed in Wadi Rum. The commission was also nominated for its work on The Martian.
Films shot in Wadi Rum include:
• Lawrence of Arabia – David Lean filmed parts of this 1962 movie in Wadi Rum.
• Prometheus – scenes for the Alien Planet.
• The Last Days on Mars – exterior shots for the 2013 film.
• The Martian – filming began in March 2015 for Mars-like scenes.
• Theeb – mostly filmed in Wadi Rum and Wadi Araba.
• Rogue One: A Star Wars Story – used for scenes set on Jedha.
• Aladdin – 2019 live-action remake of the 1992 Disney film.
• Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker – used for the desert planet Pasaana.
• Dune (2021) – used for the desert planet Arrakis.
• Dune: Part Two – used as a filming location.
• Aadujeevitham – desert scenes of the 2024 Malayalam film were mostly shot in Wadi Rum.
• Moon Knight (2022) – used for scenes outside Ammit’s tomb.
• The Amazing Race 34
• John Wick: Chapter 4 (2023) – used for a desert scene.
• Special Forces: World's Toughest Test season 1
• Bade Miyan Chote Miyan (2024)
Gallery
- View from the top of Jabal Ram
- The "Seven Pillars of Wisdom" rock formation
- Ancient Thamudic inscriptions in Wadi Rum
- A Nabatean temple in Wadi Rum
- Wadi Rum rock formation
- Wadi Rum road
- Wadi Rum
- Wadi Rum desert
- The Wadi Rum Visitor Center
- In 2011
- Mountain in Wadi Rum
- Wadi Rum rock formations along with Bedouin camps
- Plants in the arid landscape of Wadi Rum
- Khazali canyon