Wadi Rum refers to a series of desert valleys in southern Jordan. A wadi is a usually dry valley or ravine through which a stream flows in the rainy season. Wadi Rum—also spelled Wadi Ramm—has a spectacular landscape of arches, canyons, cliffs, mountains, pink sands, and rocky desert. Because of its barren, unearthly appearance, Wadi Rum is sometimes called the “Valley of the Moon.” In addition to its natural beauty, Wadi Rum is famous for its prehistoric inscriptions and petroglyphs (pictorial rock carvings).
Wadi Rum sprawls roughly 37 miles (60 kilometers) northeast of the port city of Al Aqabah. It is the largest wadi in Jordan, covering about 285 square miles (740 square kilometers). Over millions of years, waters and wind have carved granite and sandstone arches and cliffs in Wadi Rum. The wadi’s many mountains include Jordan’s second highest peak, Jabal Ramm, which rises 5,755 feet (1,754 meters) above sea level. Only Jabal Umm ad Dami, which rises 6,083 feet (1,854 meters), is taller.
Rainstorms sometimes cause flash floods in Wadi Rum during winter, and snow may fall in the mountain peaks. Nighttime temperatures often fall below freezing. In summer, daytime temperatures can soar above 105 °F (40 °C). A few springs have created small oases within Wadi Rum. Some acacia and fig trees dot Wadi Rum’s harsh landscape, along with clumps of scrub grass. Beetles, scorpions, reptiles, small birds, and birds of prey live throughout the wadi canyons. Nocturnal mammals in the wadi include jerboas, fennecs, and caracals.
People have lived in Wadi Rum for thousands of years. Nabataeans and the Thamud, ancient Arab peoples, left behind thousands of inscriptions and petroglyphs in the wadi, as well as a number of temples. Today, Bedouin peoples inhabit Wadi Rum. Their tents and goat herds are common throughout the area. Zalabia Bedouin live in Rum village, where they organize much of the tourist trade. Zalabia guides lead campers, hikers, and rock climbers throughout the wadi.
During World War I (1914-1918), Arab forces revolting against Ottoman rule operated in Wadi Rum. The British soldier and author T. E. Lawrence, also called Lawrence of Arabia, played an important role in the revolt. After he and an Arab army captured Ottoman-held Aqabah in 1917, Lawrence led raids on Ottoman posts and railways from Wadi Rum. Lawrence referred to Wadi Rum in his classic account of the revolt, Seven Pillars of Wisdom (1926). A large Wadi Rum mountain is named after Lawrence’s book. Many spots in the area claim connections to events in Lawrence’s life. See Lawrence, T. E.
Jordan’s government declared Wadi Rum a protected area in 1998. The Wadi Rum Protected Area became a World Heritage Site in 2011. Such sites are designated places of unique cultural or natural importance by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). A visitors’ complex was added in the early 2000’s.
