| Wadi Rum | |
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 A Wadi Rum vista | |
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| Location | Aqaba,Jordan |
| Coordinates | 29°35′35″N35°25′12″E / 29.59306°N 35.42000°E /29.59306; 35.42000 |
| Area | 721 km2 (278 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 1,750 m (5,740 ft) |
| Named for | Arabic for "Valley of (light, airborne) sand" |
| Operator | Aqaba Special Economic Zone Authority |
| Website | Wadi Rum |
| Official name | Wadi Rum Protected Area |
| Type | Mixed |
| Criteria | iii, v, vii |
| Designated | 2011 |
| Reference no. | 1377 |
| Region | Arab States |
Wadi Rum (Arabic:وادي رمWādī Ramm, alsoWādī al-Ramm, known also as theValley of the Moon orRed mountains (Arabic:وادي القمر,romanized: Wādī al-Qamar), is a valley cut into the sandstone and granite rock in southernJordan, near the border withSaudi Arabia and about 60 km (37 mi) to the east of the city ofAqaba. With an area of 720 km2 (280 sq mi) it is the largestwadi (river valley) in Jordan.[1]
Several prehistoric civilizations leftpetroglyphs, rock inscriptions and ruins in Wadi Rum. Today it is a tourist attraction, offering guided tours, hiking and rock climbing. The Wadi Rum Protected Area has been aUNESCO World Heritage site since 2011.[2][3]
Wadi Rum or Wadi Ramm is believed to get its name from the early name ofIram of the Pillars[4] (also called Irum (Arabic:إرم)), alost city mentioned in theQuran.
The area is centered on the main valley of Wadi Rum. The highest elevation in Jordan isJabal Umm ad Dami at 1,840 m (6,040 ft) high (SRTM data states 1854 m), located 30 kilometers south of Wadi Rum village. It was first located[when?] by Difallah Ateeg, a ZalabiaBedouin from Rum. On a clear day, it is possible to see theRed Sea and the Saudi border from the top.
Jabal Ram or Jebel Rum (1,734 metres (5,689 ft) above sea level) is the second highest peak in Jordan and the highest peak in the central Rum,[5] rising directly above Rum valley, opposite Jebel um Ishrin, which is possibly one meter lower.
Khaz'ali Canyon in Wadi Rum is the site ofpetroglyphs etched into the cave walls depicting humans and antelopes dating back to theThamudic times. The village of Wadi Rum itself consists of several hundredBedouin inhabitants with their goat-hair tents and concrete houses and also their four-wheel vehicles, one school for boys and one for girls, a few shops, and the headquarters of theDesert Patrol.[6]
Wadi Rum experiences adesert climate (Köppen: BWh/BWk). Rainfall is scarce, often occurring asflash floods, and results almost exclusively fromthunderstorms. These thunderstorms are caused when cold upper air pools passing through theEastern Mediterranean interact with the Red Sea thermal low, combined with the presence of subtropical moisture in the mid and high levels of the atmosphere.
| Climate data for Wadi Rum, elevation 952 m (3,123 ft), (1971–2000) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 14.6 (58.3) | 17.7 (63.9) | 21.1 (70.0) | 25.1 (77.2) | 29.9 (85.8) | 32.9 (91.2) | 34.6 (94.3) | 34.3 (93.7) | 32.9 (91.2) | 28.6 (83.5) | 21.1 (70.0) | 16.1 (61.0) | 25.7 (78.3) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 4.6 (40.3) | 5.9 (42.6) | 9.0 (48.2) | 11.8 (53.2) | 15.0 (59.0) | 17.2 (63.0) | 19.3 (66.7) | 18.7 (65.7) | 17.0 (62.6) | 13.4 (56.1) | 9.2 (48.6) | 5.1 (41.2) | 12.2 (53.9) |
| Averageprecipitation mm (inches) | 19.0 (0.75) | 10.0 (0.39) | 18.0 (0.71) | 7.0 (0.28) | 3.0 (0.12) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 2.0 (0.08) | 6.0 (0.24) | 9.0 (0.35) | 74 (2.92) |
| Source:FAO[7] | |||||||||||||
Wadi Rum is located within the Sandstone Mountain and Valley Region of southern Jordan the area is characterized by tall, near vertical mountains of iron-rich, erosion resistant, Umm IshrinSandstone, separated by flat-bottom valleys ofalluvial sediments,aeolian sands, andsalt pans. The Umm Ishrin is the thickestformation in theLower Palaeozoic-Upper CretaceousNubian Sandstone, underlying the Disi and Umm Sahn sandstone formations, and overlying the SalibArkosic Formation. The Salib in turn overlies the eroded Aqaba Complex ofplutonicgranitoids. Anaquifer forms along this lithologic contact, withsprings forming on the eastern mountain slopes.Alluvial fans compose most of the alluvial sediments. Aeolian systems includetafoni,natural bridges, andsand dunes. Sand dunes includebarkhans, climbing dunes consisting of sand ramps that reach the tops of hills, and echo dunes consisting of sands that have crawled over a hill to be deposited on the lee side.[8]
Various human cultures have inhabited Wadi Rum since prehistoric times, with many cultures–including theNabataeans–leaving their mark in the form ofpetroglyphs, inscriptions, and temple ruins.
According to Bienkowski,[9] the area was part of theKingdom of Edom (between the 13th and 6th centuries BCE). The region contains numerous archaeological remains, including copper mining sites atWadi Feynan and ancient fortifications. Trade routes connecting Arabia to the Levant passed through the area, contributing to its prosperity.
Currently, the majority is made up by the Zalabieh Bedouins who arrived to the region around 1980. The word "Bedouin" comes from the Arabic word for desert, pronouncedbadiya in the Arabic language. The root of this word isbad’a, which translates to "clear" and "obvious" in Arabic. One central characteristic for Bedouin tribes is the sense of belonging that tribe members feel.[10]
When they first arrived, the Zalabieh bedouins lived in tents. Their village held about 700-800 people. 80% of those people were either retired from the army or the police.[10]
The camel is the favorite animal of the Zalabieh bedouins. It is a symbol for male pride.Camel racing is an important sport for the Bedouins. These races allow Bedouins to engage in male competition, and establish manhood and power within the community.[11]
Wadi Rum was documented by British officerT. E. Lawrence, who passed through several times during theArab Revolt of 1917–18.[12] In the 1980s one of the rock formations in Wadi Rum, originally known as "Jabal al-Mazmar" (The Mountain of (the) Plague), was named "The Seven Pillars of Wisdom," afterLawrence's book penned in the aftermath of the war, though the 'Seven Pillars' referred to in the book have no connection with Rum.[13]
Lawrence described his entrance into 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."[14]
Lawrence also described his encounter with the spring, Ain Shalaaleh, "On the rock-bulge above were clear-cut Nabathaean 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."[14]: 355
The discovery of the Nabataean Temple (located walking distance from the Rest House) in 1933 briefly returned the spotlight to the desert. A French team of archaeologists completed the excavations in 1997.
Desert scenes of Wadi Rum inLawrence of Arabia from 1962 kick-started Jordan's tourism industry.[15]
Wadi Rum is one of Jordan's most popular tourist sites, attracting 162,000 tourists in 2017.[16] Wadi Rum is home to the Zalabieh tribe, who developed eco-adventure tourism and services throughout the protected area. Using local guides and services brings many benefits to the protected area. In particular, it enables people to continue earning a living from the land and helps to ensure that the protected area remains protected.
Bedouins in Wadi Rum allow tourists to stay overnight in their traditional camps, and provide activities, meals and transport throughout the desert. They also run restaurants and small shops in the villages that provide meals and basic supplies for visitors. Popular activities in Wadi Rum include 4x4 tours, camel rides, hiking, and camping.[citation needed]
Dima and Lama Hattab coordinate an annualmarathon in the region called Jabal Ishrin.
LocalBedouin have climbed in thesandstone mountains of Wadi Rum for many generations. Many of their 'Bedouin Roads' have been rediscovered and documented by modern climbers. Several are included in theclimbing guidebook by Tony Howard, and online by Liên and Gilles Rappeneau.[17]
In 1949, Sheikh Hamdan took surveyors to the summit of Jabal Ram. The first recorded European ascent of Jabal Rum took place in November 1952, by Charmian Longstaff and Sylvia Branford, guided by Sheik Hamdan. The first recorded rock climbs started in 1984, with the first of many visits by English climbers Howard, Baker, Taylor and Shaw. This group repeated many of the Bedouin routes, accompanied by locals and independently, including, in 1984, Hammad's Route on Jebel Rum, and, in 1985, Sheikh Kraim's Hunter's Slabs and Rijm Assaf on Jebel Rum.[18] Many new routes were climbed in the 1980s, by this team, French guide Wilfried Colonna, by the Swiss Remy brothers, and by Haupolter and Precht.[19] The first dedicated climbing guide book,Treks and Climb in Wadi Rum, by Tony Howard, was first published in 1987. Some of the many Bedouin routes have been documented online by Lien and Gilles Rappeneau.[20] A new routes book for climbers is held at the Wadi Rum Guest House.
The route Guerre Sainte was climbed in 2000 by Batoux, Petit and friends. This was the first route in Wadi Rum to be entirely equipped using bolt protection. The route, on the East Face of Jebel Nassarani North, is 450 m (1,480 ft) long, and graded F7b or F7aA0.[21]
The area has been used as a background setting in a number of films. Filmmakers are particularly drawn to it for science fiction films set onMars.[22]
The Location Managers Guild recognized theJordanian Royal Film Commission with itsLMGI Award for Outstanding Film Commission in 2017 for its work onRogue One, which was filmed at Wadi Rum. The RFC was previously nominated for its work withThe Martian.[23]
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