A Wadi is a dried-out river bed - dry that is unless it rains! See the Jeep Ride below to see the effects of flash floods in a desert environment.
The Wadi Rum is one of the largest Wadis in the world with vast and very impressive scenery which my photos hardly do justice to.
We camped here overnight. Unfortunately because of the unseasonal heavy overnight rains we could not sleep out under the stars. Maybe next time? It was still a memorable experience.
The unusual rock formations were are formed through the weather erosion over aeons of time.
The mornings and evenings were particularly special. It is very easy to get disoriented in the Wadi Rum at this time. Rock formations in the distance seem to change shape in the low slanting sunlight. It is apparently very easy to get disoriented and lose your way here unless you are a local. Hence the ideal hideout for T.E. Lawrence during the Arab Uprising in WWI.
Of course this rock formation was given the title of Lawrence's book - The Seven Pillars of Wisdom.
Unusual rock formations are worth clambering over, even if getting onto them & getting off can be a bit awkward.
We drove from Petra to the Wadi Rum in 5 jeeps. Not all the drivers were good at driving in the desert after flash floods. It led to a couple of hilarious incidents with drivers getting stuck.
A communal overnight stay in the desert made a change from the normal tourist hotels.
As described in the Seven Pillars of Wisdom, the Hejaz railway played a key role in the Arab Uprising against the Ottomans. And here it is skirting the Wadi Rum.
A nearby reconstruction of a WWI Ottoman troop train stuck in the middle of the desert seemed a bit pointless.
