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Afternoon Light in the Wadi
The rains have stopped, but there are still clouds overhead and puddles in the sand as we bounce across the desert in Wadi Rum, Jordan, in the back of our Bedouin trucks.
Lawrence of Arabia screened on free-to air television here in Australia on Easter Saturday. It seemed an odd choice for the Easter weekend, but nothing is ‘normal’ this year.
I’d forgotten what a long movie it is (four and a half hours with ad breaks!) but with the Covid-19 lock-down, it’s not as if I was going anywhere else! So I settled in. The portrayal of the archaeologist, army officer, diplomat, and writer Colonel Thomas Edward Lawrence and his role in the Arab Revolt of 1916–18 as depicted in the movie is problematic, but those visuals! And that wonderful score!! Watching the opening scenes where the sun slowly comes up over the empty horizon, the long sequences of two camel riders dwarfed by the majestic sand dunes, and the later images of mirages dancing in the heat, I was reminded how much I love the film – and how much I love the desert.
I first saw the movie at a drive-in as a youngster, when I was learning about ‘Arabia’ in Social Studies at school. I certainly didn’t understand the plot details or the subtleties of characterisation, but I was captured by the flowing sands and the expanses of space and sky. I later read a biography of T.E. Lawrence’s life, and watched the movie many more times.
Watching the film again this last week made me ache to get back to my pictures from some of that very same landscape.
I thought about Lawrence – and that movie – a lot last year while I was in the Wadi Rum Protected Area in the south of Jordan. Souvenirs of Lawrence’s time in this region are everywhere. And the landscape itself is – quite literally – awesome. The name is apt: Wadi means valley, and Rum means high or elevated; the dramatic red rock cliffs rising high over the floor of the desert valley at Wadi Rum are nothing short of spectacular.
As if this wasn’t special enough, it actually rained while we were exploring the rock formations! Wadi Rum is one of the driest places on earth, with precipitation generally limited to short, light showers on 15 days or less a year. So, the spattering of rain and hail as were clambering over the sands added extra mystique.
The resulting colours and light were just amazing – and constantly changing under the late afternoon sun.
Do join me in the magic of the Wadi Rum desert.
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The Seven Pillars of Wisdom
After about four hours of driving south from Amman, Jordan’s capital city, the dramatic sandstone formation named for Lawrence’s autobiographical book, come into sight from our bus windows. Before the First World War, Lawrence was writing a book about the seven great cities of the Middle East. The planned title – Seven Pillars of Wisdom – comes from the Book of Proverbs (9:1) in the King James Bible. However, when the war broke out, Lawrence was based here in Wadi Rum as part of the British Forces of North Africa. Instead of finishing the first book, he used the title for his autobiographical account of his experiences during the Arab Revolt of 1916–18. The title was then borrowed to name this stunning rock formation.
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Wadi Rum Visitor Center
The Visitor Centre is an essential stop, as we all need entry permits for the UNESCO-listed Wadi Rum Protected Area. It also affords us another view of the Seven Pillars of Wisdom.
Vendors at Rest
As well as information about the area, the Visitor Centre houses gift and souvenir shops. We weren’t giving them much business!
Grocery Store: Wadi Rum Village
The village of Wadi Rum is tiny – but we are able to buy drinks and tasty local take-away lunches of rice and spicy topping.
Trucks into the Desert
We leave the highway – and our air-conditioned bus – behind, and head off into the desert in rustic pick-up trucks.
Into the Wadi
There are no roads here; we make our own tracks across the valley floor.
Camel at the Ready
Naturally, where you have Arabian desert, you will find camels.
Camels
These, however, are not for us – we will get our chance to ride the next day.
Tourists and the Red Rocks
It is like a scene from another planet; no wonder that The Martian, starring Matt Damon (amongst other movies), was filmed here.
In the Wadi
The wadi seems to go on for ever, each rock formation more magnificent than the last.
Tourist Trucks
The protected area is 74,180 hectares (183,300 acres) of unique desert landforms.
Camels Made Small
The sandstone cliffs dwarf us. There are six Bedouin tribes that still live in villages in the Wadi Rum area. Many operate tourism ventures, like these camels for hire …
Campsite in the Shelter
… and the overnight campsites we see along our way.
Dunes in the Wadi
It starts to rain as we climb our first dune, rendering the colour of the sand an even darker red.
Hail on the Sands
The light dances on the rocks below as hail joins the rain. The afternoon has been hot, so the cooling hail is welcome.
Camels in the Hail
Rain and Hail
The light changes from one moment to the next as the clouds block the sun overhead. (iPhone6)
Truck in the Red Sands
The rain storm passes, and we head to our next stop.
Light in the Desert
Flash Flooding in the Wadi
A wadi is a valley that is usually dry; …
Fresh Water in the Wadi
… the waters from the recent rains have people excited to bathe.
Trucks in the Desert Light
It is the iron oxide in the sand and stone here that gives us all the different shades of red.
Car Parking in the Brightness
The light glistens off the puddles collected in the rocks as we climb another formation.
Climbing the Formations
This is Instagram Selfie heaven! People climb onto the outcrops to get pictures of themselves.
Lawrence’s House
It is hard to imagine someone living here! This shelter was built over the ruins of a Nabataean water cistern.
Lawrence’s House
According to legend, Lawrence stayed here during the Arab Revolt. Little remains …
Rock Formations
… except for the magnificent views.
More Formations
Petroglyphs
Wadi Rum has been inhabited for more than 12,000 years. The petroglyphs at Khaz’ali Canyon are thought to date to the Thamud people who lived here from at least the 8th century BC to about 600 CE.
Horses on the Trail
Wadi Rum Night Luxury Camp
The down-side of the surprising rain was that the skies were not as clear as normal – so the starry skies over the domes inspired by The Martian would have been less impressive.
Tourist Tents
I didn’t mind: I was tucked into a woven Bedouin-style tent, complete with ensuite.
The autumn night was cool, and I was glad to snuggle into my bed, dreaming of red rocks and desert heroes – and looking forward to the wadi sunrise in the morning.
What a majestic place!
Like Lawrence, I too fell in love with it.
Until next time …
Pictures: 14October2019
[…] that was the exhortation of every second person I met, once they heard I was from Australia (see: Desert Rains and the Seven Pillars). Who knew we actually sell camels to the Middle East? I knew there were feral camels – at […]