Tranquil Rum, Land of the Bedouin
Southern Jordan, Jordan
Made famous by T.E. Lawrence ‘of Arabia’ in his book the Seven Pillars of Wisdom the awe-inspiring rocks of Wadi Rum are best appreciated at dusk or dawn as the sun intensifies their colours. Visit to explore one of the world’s best desert wildernesses in the company of the hospitable Bedouin people.
Background
Thamudic rock carvings can be found at various locations around Wadi Rum, indicating that this ostensibly lifeless desert region was inhabited some 2,000 or more years ago. Today the proud and hospitable Howeitat Bedouin tribe live here, making a living from nomadic herding and guiding visitors through the amazing valleys of this, Jordan’s most beautiful desert region.
Made up of dramatic mountains plunging in some cases 1,500m down to the sand below the immense size of the jebels is balanced by the open space of the floor of the valley. It is here that the black goat-hair tents of the Bedouin can occasionally be seen, their goats and sheep picking at the scrub.