ABOUT WADI RUM
A timeless desert sculpted
by wind, silence and stone.
Wadi Rum, known as the Valley of the Moon, is one of Jordan’s most extraordinary landscapes — where towering sandstone mountains, red dunes and living Bedouin culture create one of the world’s most unforgettable desert experiences.
N° I Quick Facts
A place measured in millennia, not miles.
LOCATION
Southern Jordan
Aqaba Governorate
PROTECTED AREA
720 km²
UNESCO Reserve
UNESCO STATUS
Since 2011
Mixed Heritage Site
HIGHEST PEAKS
1,750 m+
Aqaba Governorate
Local Community
Zalabiah
Bedouin Tribe
Climate
300+ Sunny Days
Dry desert climate
N° I I The Valley of the MoonY
Where the earth remembers , the sky..
The Bedouin call it Wadi al-Qamar — the Valley of the Moon — for the way its weathered granite and sandstone glow silver under a full moon and rust-red at first light. Explorers of the early twentieth century believed its cratered horizons and iron hues resembled the surface of another world.
Massive rock formations rise more than 750 metres from a floor of fine crimson sand, carved by 30,000 years of wind and rare torrential rain. Narrow siqs, wide open plains and vast seven-sided monoliths create a landscape that shifts hourly with the passage of the sun.
Geologically ancient and culturally alive, Wadi Rum is not a museum — it is a working desert, home to Bedouin families who have crossed these sands on foot and camel for centuries.
N° I I I GEOLOGICAL STORY
A record of deep time, written in stone.
Millions of years ago
Formation
Granite basement rock uplifted and capped by red Cambrian sandstone, then sculpted by wind, water and thermal stress into today’s monoliths.
12,000+ years ago
Early Settlement
First human presence — hunters, herders and seasonal camps drawn to hidden springs and shelter beneath the cliffs.
Thamudic Period
Rock Art & Inscription
Thousands of petroglyphs and Thamudic inscriptions carved into the sandstone — camels, ibex, hunters, prayers.
Nabataean Era
Trade & Water
Wadi Rum sits on caravan routes linking Petra to southern Arabia. Nabataean engineers cut cisterns and a temple at the foot of Jabal Rum.
Modern Era
Protection & UNESCO
Declared a protected area in 1998 and inscribed as a UNESCO mixed World Heritage Site in 2011 — natural and cultural in equal measure.
N° I V GEOLOGICAL STORY
The desert is not empty. It is inhabited, by memory.
"The desert is not empty; it is full of stories."
— Zalabia Bedouin proverb
Hospitality
Guests are sacred. Tea is poured three times, and no traveler is turned away.
Desert Tea
Shai bel-maramiya — black tea with wild sage picked from the mountains.
Storytelling
Poetry and oral history passed around the fire, from grandfather to child.
Local Cuisine
Zarb — meat and vegetables slow-cooked for hours beneath the sand.
Music & Ritual
The rababa’s single string and clapped rhythms mark celebrations and prayers.
Inherited Knowledge
Every dune, star and water source known by name and memorized for generations.
N° V Signature Landscapes
Four landmarks that define the valley.
Khazali Canyon
A narrow siq etched with Thamudic and Nabataean petroglyphs hunters, ibex and ancient signatures of passage.
Red Sand Dunes
Iron-rich crimson sands beneath the Jabal Umm Ulaydiyya cliffs, at their most saturated at sunset.
N° V I Wadi Rum by Numbers
A landscape of extraordinary scale.
And millions of visitors, inspired.
UNESCO · Inscribed 2011
N° V I I UNESCO & Conservation
A place worth protecting, together.
Wadi Rum was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2011 as a mixed site — recognized simultaneously for its exceptional natural landscape and its 12,000-year human record. Preserving both requires a partnership between science, policy and the Bedouin community who call it home.
Mixed World Heritage
One of only ~40 UNESCO mixed sites globally — recognized for both natural beauty and cultural continuity.
Fragile Ecosystem
Home to endemic plants, ibex, hyrax and migratory raptors that depend on undisturbed cliffs and springs.
Sustainable Tourism
Capacity-managed visitation, no permanent concrete, greywater rules and strict off-road bans.
Bedouin Partnership
Co-managed with the Zalabia community — guiding, camps and conservation are locally led.
N° V I I I Interactive Map
Chart the valley, peak by peak.
Explore the mountains, canyons and iconic landmarks of Wadi Rum through our interactive map — with routes, viewpoints and trailheads.
N° IX The Invitation
Ready to experience the Valley of the Moon?
Discover extraordinary landscapes, authentic Bedouin hospitality and unforgettable adventures in one of the world’s most spectacular deserts.