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Wadi Rum

Jordan · Middle East
A mountain near the entrance to Wadi Rum in Jordan.
Photo: Daniel Case, CC BY-SA 3.0

Wadi Rum (Arabic: وادي رم Wādī Ramm, also Wādī al-Ramm, known also as the Valley of the Moon or Red mountains (Arabic: وادي القمر, romanized: Wādī al-Qamar), is a valley cut into the sandstone and granite rock in southern Jordan, near the border with Saudi Arabia and about 60 km (37 mi) to the east of the city of Aqaba. With an area of 720 km2 (280 mi2) it is the largest wadi (river valley) in Jordan. Several prehistoric civilizations left petroglyphs, rock inscriptions and ruins in Wadi Rum. Today it is a tourist attraction, offering guided tours, hiking and rock climbing. The Wadi Rum Protected Area has been a UNESCO World Heritage site since 2011.

More of Wadi Rum


Wadi Rum Desert
Photo: BarabaszO, CC BY-SA 4.0
Wadi Rum, ruins of a nabataean temple
Photo: Berthold Werner, CC BY-SA 3.0
Apart from the Bedouin goat hair tents, the only structures are a few concrete shops and houses and the fort headquarters of the Desert Patrol Corps.
Photo: Vyacheslav Argenberg, CC BY 4.0
Wadi Rum Protected Area, Jordan
Photo: Alessandro Balsamo, CC BY-SA 3.0 igo