willhiteweb.com - Hiking, Climbing and Travel
Wadi Rum is a valley cut into the sandstone and granite rock in south Jordan. It is the largest wadi in Jordan. The name Rum most likely comes from an Aramaic root meaning high or elevated. The highest elevation in Wadi Rum is Mount Um Dami at more than 1,800 m (5,900 ft) above sea level. Wadi Rum has been inhabited by many human cultures since prehistoric times. The Nabateans left evidence like rock paintings, graffiti, and temples. Today, several Bedouin tribes inhabit Rum and the surrounding area. In the West, Wadi Rum may be best known for its connection with British officer T. E. Lawrence, who based his operations here during the Arab Revolt of 1917 1918. The area is now also one of Jordan's important tourist destinations, and attracts an increasing number of foreign tourists, particularly trekkers and climbers, but also for camel and horse safari or simply day-trippers from Aqaba or Petra. Popular activities in the desert environment include camping under the stars, riding Arab horses, hiking and rock-climbing amongst the massive rock formations. The influx of tourists to this once isolated area has substantially increased the financial fortunes of the Bedouin people, and it is not uncommon to see locals using mobile phones and driving expensive four-wheel drive vehicles; many also have wi-fi and computers to run their adventure tourism businesses. The village of Wadi Rum consists of several hundred Bedouin 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 the Desert Patrol.
Wadi Rum, Jordan
