Wadi Rum

Lore & Background

Wadi Rum has been inhabited since prehistoric times, with civilizations including the Nabataeans leaving petroglyphs, inscriptions, and temple ruins. The area was part of the Kingdom of Edom between the 13th and 6th centuries BCE. Trade routes connecting Arabia to the Levant passed through, contributing to its prosperity. Currently, the majority of inhabitants are Zalabieh Bedouins, who arrived around 1980 and live in a village of several hundred people with tents, concrete houses, schools, shops, and the Desert Patrol headquarters.

British officer T. E. Lawrence documented Wadi Rum, passing through several times during the Arab Revolt of 1917–18. He described the valley as 'this processional way greater than imagination' and recorded Nabataean inscriptions at Ain Shalaaleh spring. In 1933, a Nabataean Temple was discovered, with a French team completing excavations in 1997. In April 2025, the Jordanian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities announced the discovery of the first royal hieroglyphic inscription in Wadi Rum, featuring cartouches of King Ramesses III, providing evidence of a military or commercial campaign linking Ancient Egypt with the Southern Levant and Arabian Peninsula.

Reader's Guide

Wadi Rum is significant as a natural and archaeological treasure of Jordan, showcasing evidence of human activity from prehistoric times through the Nabataean, Edomite, and Egyptian periods. Its petroglyphs, rock inscriptions, and temple ruins offer a continuous record of civilizations that used the valley as a trade corridor. The 2025 discovery of Ramesses III's cartouches underscores its role as a vital corridor connecting Ancient Egypt with the Southern Levant and Arabia. The valley's dramatic sandstone and granite landscape, featured in the 1962 film Lawrence of Arabia, kick-started Jordan's tourism industry. Today, Wadi Rum attracts 162,000 tourists annually (2017), who engage in 4x4 tours, camel rides, hiking, and camping with local Bedouin guides. The Zalabieh tribe has developed eco-adventure tourism, helping to preserve the protected area while allowing residents to earn a living from the land. Rock climbing has also grown, with local Bedouin routes rediscovered and documented by modern climbers since the 1980s.

Did You Know?

• Wadi Rum is the largest wadi (river valley) in Jordan, covering 720 km².
• The highest peak in Jordan, Jabal Umm ad Dami at 1,840 m, is located 30 km south of Wadi Rum village and was first located by Difallah Ateeg, a Zalabia Bedouin.
• In April 2025, the first royal hieroglyphic inscription in Wadi Rum was discovered, featuring cartouches of King Ramesses III.
• The rock formation 'The Seven Pillars of Wisdom' was named after T. E. Lawrence's book, though the book's 'Seven Pillars' have no connection with Rum.