Prehistoric Petroglyphs, Desert Tents, Sand and Sun
Wadi Rum,
Wadi Rum
Southern Jordan’s Wadi Rum is also known as
Valley of the Moon. It is situated between sandstone and granite rocks. It is
60 kms to the east of Aqaba. The climate is hot in the afternoons and chilly at night. On a clear day it is possible to see Saudi Arabia and Red Sea from
the top of the rocky mountains.
Wadi Rum has been inhabited by human
settlements of different cultures since
prehistoric times,going back to 10,000 B.C. The Nabataeans were one of them. These human settlements
left their imprint on the elements of nature namely the rocks in the form of
rock paintings, graffiti and temples.Scientific studies claim that the practice of Petroglyphs (images engraved or painted on rocks) in Wadi Rum extends uninterrupted throughout Neolithic to modern era.
The headquarters of Desert Patrol is situated
in this village.
Exploring Wadi Rum
Our journey continued from Petra. Wadi Rum is
two hour’s drive from Petra. The
distance is about 80 kms. We were very excited to see Wadi Rum, the largest wadi (valley) in Jordan. The desolate
landscape was our constant companion. Sometimes buff-hued nondescript buildings
cropped up interspersed with an occasional white, double-storied bungalow- type
structure, with maroon- tiled sloping
roof.
We
passed through towns and hamlets but there were hardly any factories in the outskirts .Yellow-hued
rocks bordered the side of the road, sometimes near and sometimes far away.
Wherever there was a whiff of pasture, beige-hued sheep grazed on it. The color
of the rocks and the buildings in Jordan were the same: sandstone yellow.
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| Huge Rocks:Our Constant Travel Companion |
On the way to Wadi Rum , we saw some run-down
castles in the desert which were built by the rulers to give shelter to
pilgrims on their way to Mecca and also to protect them from crusaders.
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| Short Rocks: A Different Topography |
Gradually, the scenery changed .Huge, mountain-like rocks surfaced on the side of the road. The mountains were not plain
conical structures but each had a
different façade as if human hands have painstakingly carved on the mountain.
Some were perhaps the handicraft of the vagaries of nature. A few
mountains looked like South Indian temple architecture ;some looked as if two
elephants were standing facing each other; but the most spectacular was a mountain
façade which looked as if the face of several
Lord Ganeshas were engraved on it, complete with their trunks. In the 1980s
this rock formation in Wadi Rum originally known as Jabal al–Mazmar (The
Mountain of (the) Plague), was named , ‘The Seven Pillars of Wisdom’ after
Lawrence’ book by the same name ; though the seven pillars referred in the book
have no connection with Wadi Rum. The book is an autobiographical account of
the Arab Revolt of 1916-1918. British officer, T.E. Lawrence, passed through
this area many times during the Arab revolt .
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| Seven Pillars of Wisdom |
Small caves were also carved on the mountains. Other than the marvelous, mysterious mountains with prehistoric engravings there was only the sandy expanse. We were nearing Wadi Rum desert.
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| A Closer Look at the Rocks |
Hejaz Railway
On the way we also saw a single-track,narrow gauge railway line. It was a long railway line on which a goods train was passing by.
This railway line was opened in 1908 when there was a boom in railway line construction. It is called Hejaz Railway. It was part of the Ottoman Empire Railway network.T. E. Lawrence, the British officer led a guerrilla force during the Arab revolt against the Ottoman Empire when Ottoman trains were ambushed frequently. One such ambush was on March 26,1917 when T.E. Lawrence, (famous as Lawrence of Arabia) had blown up that railway line.
Though this railway line is facing decay but
one service is still available: from Amman in Jordan to Damascus in Syria .It
is part of the Hedjaz Jordan Railway. The distance is 175 km (109 miles) and by
road it takes two to two –and- a- half hours. But by train it can take 7 to 10
hours because of delays at local stations and emergency stops to remove goats
and nomads from the railway track.
Our journey continued. Except for the sandstone rocks, there was no other scenery, not even any vegetation. On the
way we had also seen camps for tourists, orbicular in structure, each fitted with a tiny balcony to gaze at the stars.
Soon, our bus took a turn and halted at a large
expanse of sand, where a small, roofless van was standing. There were huge rocks jutting up from the sand but at great
distances. If it hadn’t been for that van we would have wandered aimlessly in
that huge desert with no entry and exit points visible; all parts looking
similar with sand and finely engraved mountainous rocks cropping up.
Rahayeb Desert Camp
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| Near the Entrance |
Finally we arrived at Rahayeb Desert Camp . It
was set up in a canyon, under the awning of 3 huge rocks trying to meet each
other in a triangle but a huge gap was left in-between. A compound wall guarded
the premises.
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| The Tents Housing the Dining Room and Kitchen |
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| Rows Of Camps |
There were about 40 camps in the area .They were positioned side by side
in neat rows. Each camp was numbered and the numbers were written on signboards
at the entrance of each row. The tents were made of thick canvas. Each camp was
locked by a single, ordinary key. Inside
the camp there were two beds,2 bedside tables with drawers ,two long tables to
keep our things ,plug point, hangers, etc. The floor was carpeted. The bathroom was wonderfully
equipped with a wash basin, geyser,
commode and a cozy bathing area. It was stocked with the essentials: hand wash, shower gel, towels, moisturizer and shampoo . Surprise of surprise! There was
even WIFI connection in the tent.
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| Another Part of the Camp Site |
A separate unit or rather a large tent housed the dining room and the kitchen. We had a hearty lunch of Bedouin pulav ,salads, hummus, sauces, vegetables and a large apple for dessert. There were long benches accompanied by long tables which served as seating arrangement for having food. There were also separate tables for 4 or more people. Adequate dustbins were scattered in the area. A handsome Jordanian, somewhat like a young Omar Sharif but taller was supervising the entire area. He came to our group and said, “If you need anything just say, ‘I want the manager.’”
Desert Safari
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| Safari Under the Sun and on the Sand photo:supplied |
After lunch we set out for a jeep safari at 3 p.m. We set out in 3 roofless jeeps. Each jeep accommodated six of us at the back .The driver was driving quite fast, even racing with the other drivers of the jeeps.
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| Who Can Reach the Rocks First? photo:supplied |
After travelling for about ten minutes we crossed a road and came
across a village of Bedouin settlement. In the village of Wadi Rum several
hundred Bedouin inhabitants live in goat-hair tents and concrete houses with
their four-wheeled vehicles and livestock. Wadi Rum is home to the Zalabia
Bedouins. Eco-tourism is their main source of income. Bedouins have climbed
on the sandstone mountains for many generations. Though many Bedouins have
settled in towns and cities and are doing government jobs yet they have not
left their traditional nomadic lifestyle and age-old occupation as pastoralists. The guide for
our entire Jordan tour was a Bedouin but he was dressed in western attire ,in
trousers and shirt and he lived in Amman.
After crossing the road we came across another sandy waste between carved rocks and sand.
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| Rocks with Arches |
As our jeep sped past we got a fleeting but closer look at the carvings-- Skull-like engraving, temple carvings and rocks shaped like arches .
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| Spectacular Carving |
Camels were resting here and there and were giving us odd looks. We found Bedouins herding camels across the sand dunes .Sometimes grunting camels sat in large groups beside their masters in the barren desert with the afternoon hot sun overhead .
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| The Ultimate Photo Spot |
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| Dark Rocks at Sunset |
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| Sunset at Wadi Rum |
The jeep raced past and we held tightly to the rods. Our noses and heads were covered as well as our mouth so that we don’t swallow sand. There was a line of balloons overhead hanging on a wire. What was their purpose? Finally, we reached a nice spot to watch the sunset.
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| The Silent Cliffs at Sunset |
As the sun’s
light diminished behind the mountain, the moon was coming up behind another
mountain. There was a tea stall too. One cup of tea was for 1 dinar which means
about one hundred and fifty rupees in Indian currency.
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| Wadi Rum at Dusk |
After sunset the air suddenly turned cold. On
our way back we encountered home-going camels. A recurrent thought echoed in
our minds: what if we are lost in the vast desert?
Party under the Stars
Finally we reached our camp. Night had
descended and there was a preparation for a grand party. At 6:30 p.m. the party started .Behind the kitchen was an open space, Bedouin food was been prepared
and a Live demonstration was going on. The crowd was enormous but I could see
the tail end when the fully- cooked food was being hauled out from
beneath the ground by two men.
People sat in groups around a fire pit and were
enjoying themselves in the party atmosphere. Rhythmic Arabic songs were being
played. First, the men danced. They stood in a line, held each other’s waist
and did magical footwork. The Arabic men and women were smoking hookah or
sheesha .The women were dressed in their traditional Arabian attire . A couple
of ladies got up and danced when their desired songs were being played. Small
children also joined the ladies. Sometimes a group of young girls danced with the ladies but never with the men. Small boys danced
deliriously on tables.
The wind had become very cold and in the
courtyard the fire pit gave us some warmth.
The seating arrangement was adequate.
After some time as we saw the line to the
dinner table becoming lengthier. So we stood in the line. The feast was sumptuous
and the delivery was quick: an array of salads ,vegetables, humuss, various
dips, Bedouin rice, etc. A separate tent was given to the Indian group to have
dinner.
The dancing and merry making went on unabated as the wind became colder and the
stars increased in the sky. It was said that at 8:30 the lights would be
switched off so that we could see the stars. We waited till nine but nothing
happened. So we retired to our respective tents.
The next morning I got up at five, took my bath
and then again went off to sleep. At seven we took our breakfast: salads, humuss,
omelets as per order ,tea /coffee and Arabic bread.
The wind had blown rapaciously at night because one of the three rocks (under which our camp was set up) was half covered in sand.
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| Sand-Covered Rock at Dawn |
It was a heavenly experience to sit in the desert and have continental
breakfast.
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| Breakfast Below Cliffs Photo:Supplied |
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| Towering Rocks photo:supplied |
At 8:30 we left the premises because we had to
be in time at Aqaba for a Nile Cruise which started at 10 a.m.
The scenery was the same, mountain rocks with
beautiful carvings but now we could see plastic packets stuck on small rocks
and bricks which were hitherto unseen in Amman, Petra and Little Petra .
Tourism in Wadi Rum
After the film 'Lawrence of Arabia' became a hit in
1962, Jordan’s tourism industry kick started. Wadi Rum has now become one of
Jordan’s important tourist destinations. Tourists from all over the world flock
to this place. There are other attractions here: such as trekking,
rock-climbing, camel and horse safari, luxury camping ,retreats, camping under
the stars, riding Arabian horses, etc. All-Terrain Vehicles(ATVs) and Jeeps are
also available.
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| So Long ,Wadi Rum |
On September 2018, Morari Bapu the world-renowned Hindu saint and
speaker hosted a 9-day Ram Katha in the heart of Wadi Rum. The Katha preached
about the “universal message of Truth, Love and Compassion.”
Photographs :Bulbul Sur
Tags: Wadi Rum , Desert Camp, Jeep Safari,Petroglyphs,Hejaz Railway
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