Wadi Rum in Jordan is one of the most unique and interesting areas to sea on earth - not only in Jordan  , and it is uniqueness comes from the fact that it is not just a plain desert with sand dunes as many may think , but because of the amazing formation of the high mountains that  are located in the desert, not only high , but the variety of these mountains formation and structure as well , where all the lower layers of the mountains are igneous like Granite and basalt, and this layer can be up to 50 -100 meters up from the surface level , and the upper layers are 500 million years old sedimentary  rocks , which means they were formed even before earth start coming up from under the water and gleasures, even before Pangea comes out … Not only the high and variety of mountains on the desert, but the quietness and calmness that you would feel there is unbelievable and it would give you the feeling as if you were taken to another planet - I felt this myself and many of my travelers told me the same on different occasions, You Won’t believe that the desert can be so beautiful till you see Wadi Rum.

 

Why Wadi Rum is Unique 

 Wadi Rum  also known as The Valley of the Moon, is a valley cut into the sandstone and granite rock in southern Jordan 60 km (37 mi) to the east of Aqaba ; it is the largest wadi  in Jordan. The name Rum most likely comes from an Aramaic root meaning 'high' or 'elevated'. Wadi Rum has been inhabited by many human cultures since prehistoric times, with many cultures–including the Nabateans–leaving their mark in the form of rock paintings, graffiti, and temples. Wadi Rum is everything you’d expect of a quintessential desert: it is extreme in summer heat and winter cold; it is violent and moody as the sun slices through chiselled siqs (canyons) at dawn or melts the division between rock and sand at dusk; it is exacting on the Bedouin who live in it and vengeful on those who ignore its dangers. For most visitors, on half- or full-day trips from Aqaba or Petra, Wadi Rum offers one of the easiest and safest glimpses of the desert in the region. For the lucky few who can afford a day or two in their itinerary to sleep over at one of the desert camps, it can be an unforgettable way of stripping the soul back to basics.

 

Wadi Rum Protected Area Boundaries

  The 74,000-hectare property, inscribed as a mixed natural and cultural site, is situated in southern Jordan, near the border with Saudi Arabia. It features a varied desert landscape consisting of a range of narrow gorges, natural arches, towering cliffs, ramps, massive landslides and caverns. Petroglyphs, inscriptions and archaeological remains in the site testify to 12,000 years of human occupation and interaction with the natural environment. The combination of 25,000 rock carvings with 20,000 inscriptions trace the evolution of human thought and the early development of the alphabet. The site illustrates the evolution of pastoral, agricultural and urban activity in the region.

 

What is the difference Wadi Rum Protected area and the None-Protected area 

  The Protected area in Rum receive protection because of its mountains and broad sandy wadis which they are home to several Bedouin tribes and a surprising range of desert wildlife. This wildlife now includes a herd of Arabian Oryx, reintroduced by RSCN in 2002, Wadi Rum area however, is more than just the protected area which is twice as large compared to the protected area . You would be able to access the protected area after paying the entry fees and passing the visitors center while you are driving toward Rum Village , or you could park your vehicle at Wadi Rum Visitors Center parking area too. If you did not cross the visitors center , then you would be properly taken out of the protected area, it is still Wadi Rum too , but the magnificent scenery and the core is in the protected area. One important fact to keep in mind is that if you were spending the night out of the protected area then you will mostly do the Jeep tour or other activities out of the protected area even if you tried to (areas are divided between trips / clans and they have an agreement not to cross or interfere the work on other trips areas ) .

 

Who are the Bedouins 

 The Bedouins are the local people of Wadi Rum. Most of the locals will be happy to be your guides at Wadi Rum, they will help you and explain for you everything you want, especially when you ride the Jeep. They belong to seven tribal groups, of which the three largest are the Zalabia tribe who make up the majority of people living in Rum Village (see Rum map); as Rum village is the only village inside the protected area; the Zalabia tribe is largely responsible for tourism services and operate many of the jeep and camel tours. These services are organized through the Rum Tourism Cooperative, a locally run society that shares the tourism business between the villagers.

 The other prominent tribal group is the Zweideh tribe, based in the villages of Disi on the northern edge of the protected area. They also run tourism services, including campsites and vehicle tours. Zweideh are not entirely dependent on tourism for their livelihood, having access to a large underground water source that enables them to practice profitable agriculture

 Other tribes are Sweilhieen, Omran, Godman and Dbour tribes. They live in different villages depending mainly on livestock raising and partially on tourism.

 Even though most local Bedouin have become villagers, they still maintain goat herds for milk, meat and ‘jameed’, a type of yoghurt. For parts of the year, some families or family members return to a wandering existence with their flocks. Few, however, are able to continue a truly nomadic existence today and the traditional Bedouin lifestyle is fast disappearing.

 

Type of Camps at Wadi Rum

Classic Style Bedouin Camps

 You can spend the night in Rum reserve in a privately owned Bedouin style camp - Authentic experience compared to the luxury camps, the camp contains Bedouin style tents with beds and enough blankets , Shared Restrooms - One for men and one for ladies  with showers as well. NO AC “Air Conditioning” at the camp - so tents are NOT heated and this is not a 5 stars camp.  This is calm / quiet and basic style tourist camp operated by a Bedoiun family  in a good location inside Rum reserve.

 Luxury Camps 

 These camps are more luxurious one with AC and private toilets and will cost you more than the classical one. If you want to experience the real meaning of sleeping under the stars you can also book one the Full of Stars or the Bubble Tent (High demands during the season and sometimes you need to book half a year in advance ) - Night Luxury Camp and Memories Aicha camp are the only two luxury camps inside Rum Reserve , while tens of other camps which are located outside of the reserve of Wadi Rum like Bait Ali , Sun City and others . 

 

Activities That you can do at Wadi Rum

 Jeep Tour at Wadi Rum - The minimum recommended time is 2 hours, and it can be for full two or three days with canyoyin.

 Sunset / Sunrise tours at Wadi Rum will cost 25 JD for the car that can take up to 6 persons (Sometimes of the year this is not necessary and it can be done at the camp itself - but sometimes of the year it becomes far away to observe and it needs transportation.

•  Camel ride at Rum - can vary from half an hour to full day tour on the valley (What you would cover in 2 hours Jeep tour will require almost a full day riding camels).

 

Some recommended hiking trails at Wadi Rum 

 There are many wonderful places to explore on foot, and you can walk to several of the main sights. Always register your route at the visitor centre before embarking:

 Makharas Canyon Hike

 Jebel Rum Round Trip

 Jebel Umm Ad Dami Ascent - A walking trail climbs up to 600 meters from the mountain base which requires around 2 hours going up and down. 

 

Best time of the Year to visit Wadi Rum

 

It will be better for you to avoid visiting Rum in summer days because the temperature is so high in the desert. In summer daytime temperature in Wadi Rum is 30 degrees Celsius on average. With peak temperatures that can rise to well over 40 degrees Celsius. The average night temperature is around 10 degrees less than the daytime temperature. And winters are much colder. The average daytime temperature is between 10 and 15 degrees Celsius. During the coldest nights of the year, the temperature can drop below zero. Otherwise, the temperature is just above zero. So the best time to visit is from March to May and September to November. March, April, September, and October are the most popular and busy months. 

 

Famous Movies were filmed in Wadi Rum

 Since Wadi Rum is a fascinating site, many directors see that Wadi Rum can be an amazing location to film a lot of Action, Romance, imagination and science movies. These are the most famous movies that were filmed in Wadi Rum;

1. Aladdin 
2. Rogue One
3. Dune
4. The Martian
5. Prometheus
6. Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen
7. Mission to Mars
8. Red Planet 
9. Theeb ….. And many movies were filmed in Wadi Rum

 

The enormous Crusader castle of Karak looms about 1000 meters above the Dead Sea Valley, a strategic link in the vital communication and protection system of castles that spread from Aqaba to Turkey. Karak was on the trading route between Egypt and Syria during biblical times, and later civilizations also recognized the advantages of the location.

Under the Caliph Omar's rule, the region of Jordan, Palestine, and Greater Syria were conquered. The Umayyad dynasty came into existence under Muawiya, who subsequently moved the capital north to Damascus. This shifted the power of the Islamic Empire north from the Hijaz. They became a part of the Umayyad Dynasty, the first of the Islamic dynasties.

On 7/7/2007, during a large ceremony in Lisbon, Petra was chosen as one of the "New Seven Wonders of the World" not just for the beauty of its rose-colored sandstone, not just for its setting in the midst of about 100 ruggedly dramatic square kilometers of Wadi Araba, but because this area is a living museum of 10,000 years of human history.

Part of the great beacon chain of Crusader fortresses, Shobak Castle is by far the most lonely. Built in 1115 AD by Baldwin I, who later built Karak, it was originally known as Mont Realis (Montreal) and was the first outpost of the kingdom of Jerusalem in the Crusader district of Outrejordain.

ELI' AH whose name means "my God is YAH (WEH) ," is one of the  greatest Israelite prophets after Moses. He is frequently associated with the area of Transjordan and specifically the mountainous region of Ajloun to the north of the modern capital city of Amman. However, his ministry takes place, for the most part, in northern Israel and the area of what is now generally referred to as Samaria on the west bank of the Jordan River.­

Jerash is one of the best-preserved Roman-era cities in the world. Located only 40 kilometers north of Amman, visitors today can trace the chariot ruts on the Cardo, admire the mosaics which were laid contemporaneously to those found in Madaba, and test the acoustics of the North and South Theatres. Inhabited since Neolithic times, Jerash came of age when Pompey swept through the region in 63 BC Jerash became one of the largest cities in the Decapolis federation.

Ajloun Castle is one of the greatest examples of Islamic Ayyubid military architecture. The first stage of construction began ca.1184 by General Izzidin Usama, nephew of Salahuddin AL Ayyoubi, who built it on a hill 1100 meters above sea level.

The initial structure consisted of a compact nucleus stronghold with four main towers. Subsequent enlargements followed immediately with the addition of two more towers between 1184 and 1193 AD.

Perhaps there is no other site in Jordan with the same span of history as Pella. Located at sea level about five kilometers from the Jordan Valley, the ruins of Pella portray a dramatic sweep of history, from the Bronze and Iron Ages through to the Umayyads and Mamluks. Evidence has been unearthed which indicates that while Pella has clearly been inhabited for at least the last 6000 years, the remains of a nearby Paleolithic community have been found which date back about 20,000 years. Not only is the sweep of history breathtaking, on a clear day it is possible to see all the way to Jerusalem and the hills of Haifa from some parts of the site.

Wadi Rum also known as The Valley of the Moon is a valley cut into the sandstone and granite rock in southern Jordan 60 km (37 mi) to the east of Aqaba; it is the largest wadi in Jordan. The name Rum most likely comes from an Aramaic root meaning 'high' or 'elevated'.To reflect its proper Arabic pronunciation, archaeologists transcribe it as Wadi Ramm .

Jordan is blessed with an incredible natural diversity. Nowhere is this more visible than in the seven nature reserves of The Royal Society for the Conservation of Nature (RSCN). From the desert oasis of the Azraq Wetland Reserve to the dramatic gorges and rivers of the Wadi Mujib Reserve, this system of reserves protects much of Jordan's most dramatic topography,

The Nabataeans were people of surprises. Not only did they create the amazing city of Petra, they built the northern city of Umm al-Jimal. Using the local rough black basalt instead of the soft rose sandstone of Wadi Musa, they created an eerie black city whose name, "Mother of Camels," indicates its function as a trading town, as it had precisely what caravans needed:

Sitting on a high promontory overlooking Lake Tiberias (The Sea of Galilee), the Golan Heights and the Jordan Valley, Umm Qais is the most dramatically situated of Jordan's Roman era towns. It also is perhaps the most dramatic to look at, as its location in the northwest corner of the kingdom provided both white stone and black basalt as natural building materials.

Dead Sea Panoramic Complex is Perched at the edge of the Zara mountain range, between Ma’in hot springs and the Dead Sea basin, the Dead Sea Panoramic Complex offers some of the most spectacular views in the Kingdom. From the observation terrace you can absorb breathtaking vistas over the Jordan Rift Valley and Dead Sea basin and you can dine in style watching sunrise or sunset over the mountains of the Holy Land.

The modern village of Mukawer is located 30 km to the southwest of Madaba on the south bank of Wadi Zarqa Ma'in (see Appendix _The Waters of Callirhoe and Baarou/Baaras, below). It preserves the name of the Hnsmonean-Hcrodian fortress of Machaerus built on the southern border of Jewish Peraea against the Nabataeans. It also has remains from the Roman-Byzantine period.

Located in the Jordan Valley, part of the Great Rift Valley that runs from East Africa to Turkey, the Dead Sea is the remains of a giant inland lake. Lake Lisan was 200 kilometers long and approximately 200 meters deeper than the current level of the Dead Sea. As it contracted, it left Lake Tiberias and the Dead Sea, which at 408 meters below sea level is the lowest point on earth.

Umm al-Rasas(also spelled Umm ar-Rasas and Um er-Rasas) is an important archaeological site that was declared a World Heritage Site in 2004. Its structures date from the 3rd to 9th centuries and most have not yet been excavated. The site is especially known for its magnificent Byzantine mosaics, which have been uncovered in two churches dating from the 6th and 8th centuries,,

Amman, northern Jordan is home to other ancient cities of the Decapolis. These include Jarash (Gerasa), Umm Qays (Gadara), Tabaqat Fahl or Fihil (Pella), Bayt Ras (Capitolias), and Quwayliba (Abila). Jarash, straddling one of the ancient world's key trade routes, offers extensive and breathtaking ruins of colonnaded streets, arches, temples, and baths in a remarkable state of preservation and completeness.

Amman Citadel

Citadel Amman stands on one of the hills of the seven hills known as Jabel el Qala. Citadel, Amman is the site from where the sightseeing in Amman should be started. It is an important part of the Amman tour. Amman, the capital city of Jordan, has been the seat of various civilizations. And it is the home to the earliest development areas of the Middle Bronze Age, the Iron Age, the Hellenistic Age, the late Roman Age,  Neolithic period and the Arabian Islamic Age.

The seaside town of Aqaba is located on the Red Sea, within sight of Saudi Arabia and Egypt. Jordan may have only 26 kilometers of coastline, but they are being put to good use, and below the sparkling Red Sea waters are some of the most fantastic dive sites in the world. This area has been of strategic interest since old times, and evidence of these civilizations is still visible,

JOSEPHUS the Jewish historian, as well as early Christian and later Muslim traditions associate Jabal Haroun ("Mountain of the Prophet Aaron - or Mount Hor") with the death and burial place of Aaron. Later, these traditions are attested in the Crusader period (nth­rjth centuries AD) and up to recent times (Peterman and Schick 1996: 477)· (This site is located in Petra - Jordan ,

The fabled seven hills of Amman have given way to about twenty, and the magic of the city has grown as well. It is one of the oldest continually inhabited cities in the world and has seen most of the many civilizations that have come through the area. While most visitors only see the modern Amman, one of the enchanting aspects of the city is how a visitor can turn a corner and find a Byzantine church ruin in a busy shopping district, or see the ruins of an Ammonite fortress tower from the windows of a hotel. Like its jebels, or hills, the fortunes of Amman have risen, fallen, and risen again.

The fertility of Madaba's plains have made it a strategic location for 3500 years. Fought over by many peoples during different times, it later became a Nabataean town. During the Byzantine era, the city became a bishopric and the mosaics, for which it became famous, were laid. Today, the city is still famous for mosaics, both historical and for its mosaic school, the only one of its kind in the Middle East.

Petra, originally known to the Nabataeans as Raqmu, is a historical and archaeological city in southern Jordan. The city is famous for its rock-cut architecture and water conduit system. Another name for Petra is the Rose City due to the color of the stone out of which it is carved. Petra is one of the New7Wonders of the World.

The third most holy site for Christians in the world, after the Church of the Holy Sepulchre and the Church of the Nativity, is the site of the baptism of Jesus Christ, known in Arabic as al-Maghtas. Excavations at Wadi Kharrar carried out after the 1994 peace treaty found evidence of a complex of churches, hermit cells and other buildings described in the writings of many pilgrims who have visited the site since the 2nd century AD. Now preserved as a tourist destination, al-Maghtas attracts tourists year-round.

DAYR 'AYN 'ABATA

God sent all the Prophets to their people with one message, to worship God alone and not to associate anything or anyone with Him. However, God sent Prophet Muhammad to all of humankind. Although his message was the same, he came with a new law, one to cover all people, in all places, at all times, even into a distant future continuing to the Day of Judgement.

Wadi Rum also known as The Valley of the Moon is a valley cut into the sandstone and granite rock in southern Jordan 60 km to the east of Aqaba; it is the largest wadi in Jordan.