Following the Bedouins of Wadi Rum
Adventure in Jordan
Video by Adrien JACTA from Pexels
A labyrinth of magnificent sandstone formations stretches as far as the eye can see, the sun makes the steep, red craggy rock faces shine, the desert wind whispers stories of times gone by – in Wadi rum, Jordan is “great cinema”.
“I have driven Matt Damon twenty-six times.” As Raed Suleiman pilots the jeep over a perfectly straight sandy track towards what must be one of the most magnificent rocky landscapes on earth, he pats the passenger seat with a laugh. “Right where you’re sitting now.” Paul, my travel companion, has the honour. I am in the back seat with two other passengers.
Raed is one of those people who can quickly fascinate you. I wonder how many times he must have shared his knowledge and the tales by now, it doesn‘t show. Everything wells up in a wonderfully fresh and lively way. A few years ago, Raed worked as a ‘fixer’, a kind of all-round facilitator for the Hollywood film ‘The Martian’, starring Matt Damon.
WELCOME TO WADI RUM
A weathered metal sign at the edge of the track welcomes us. Behind a hill, beyond a sandy plain, a jumble of reddish-brown rocks sprawls out. Biblical, epic, humbling.
We lumber on along the desert track. A few small dots appear below a rock face. Minutes later the dots join our caravan: desert guide Samer Abudagga, the Bedouins Abu Yousef, Ataallah and Nayef, five adult camels and the four-week-old baby camel Coco. We have four days of trekking in the desert ahead of us. We intend to pitch tents between rocky islands and gain insights into the life of the Bedouins.
The first leg is quite a challenge: we stroll through the sand for six hours. If you get tired, you can have a bone-rattling ride on the back of a camel. Our caravan uses the old historic trade route that connected Jerusalem with Mecca for over a thousand years.
72% of Jordan’s landmass is desert. Of this, Wadi Rum takes up an area of about 100 km long and 60 km wide. Large quantities of iron have oxidised here and colours the sand a special red. This is what Mars must look like. Or other desert planets.
Our caravan uses the old historic trade route that connected Jerusalem with Mecca
Many Hollywood producers thought so too, and chased their actors through gorges, sandstone and dust here. They shot ‘Prometheus’ (2012), ‘The Martian’ (2015), ‘Star Wars Rogue One’ (2016) and the seven-time Oscar winning ‘Lawrence of Arabia’ (1962). And more recently ‘Dune’ (2021).
However, it is not only movies about Mars that are shot here. From 1916 to 1918, the Arabs fought for independence from the Ottoman Empire. Their struggle was fuelled by the promises of the British secret agent Thomas Edward Lawrence, who was sent as a liaison to the insurgents. However, the hoped-for independence never materialised. Despite the promise to hand over rule over all of Arabia to the Sharif, the victorious powers France and England, carved up the Arab world between them in the secret Sykes-Picot Agreement. The Arab leaders rightly felt betrayed. Many of the problems in the Middle East today are rooted in the broken promise made by T. E. Lawrence, who became famous as ‘Lawrence of Arabia’.
Many of the problems in the Middle East today are rooted in the broken promise made by T. E. Lawrence, who became famous as ‘Lawrence of Arabia’
Many cultures have inhabited Wadi Rum since prehistoric times. More than 4000 rock carvings bear witness to everyday life of the people who lived here about eleven thousand years ago. In 2011, the rocky desert was added to the UNESCO World Heritage List.
The cliffs are mostly of sandstone and granite. Wadi Rum is about 800 metres above sea level, its highest elevation is Jabal Umm ad Dami at 1854 metres.
SIQ OF BURRA
Today it doesn’t really want to get hot. Clouds chase away the sky‘s blue, the wind picks up. After passing through a narrow gorge with vertical rock faces, we take our lunch break in the shade of an overhanging cliff. We gather the few twigs we can find to light a fire. Tea is made. Wonderfully sweet, with thyme and not too hot, it is soothing. Raed and Abu Yousef conjure up the traditional dish maftool from chicken, vegetables and bulgur.
With renewed energy we continue our hike through the Wadi al Hesmeh, the ‘plateau without water’. After a three hours hike, we reach our campsite for the night: Siq of Burra. Since time immemorial this has been a popular camping spot for Arab desert caravans. Once the rock here released precious water. For thousands of years it was dammed up. Today there is no more water here.
I break the traditional Jordanian bread called shrak and use it to spoon up the national dish mansaf, lamb in yoghurt sauce
Ten minutes later, my fellow travellers and I break the traditional Jordanian bread called shrak and use it to spoon up the national dish mansaf, lamb in yoghurt sauce. Delicious.
Abu Yousef looks up at the sky and points towards the horizon. “Haboob,” he says. I see nothing which could herald the arrival of a sandstorm. Bedouins can read the sky and the sand. Perhaps he is right. In silence we sit beside each other and look up into the night sky. It is peaceful. When you are with the Bedouin, you experience the real original Jordan. With this thought in mind, I pull up the blanket over my head.
Book your own Adventure
Highlights of Jordan tour
During this trip you will see most of the highlights and sights of Jordan, from the north to the south. You will learn a lot about the ancient history of the region, experience the life of the Bedouins and meet the locals. This tour is guided by a knowledgeable tour guide with extensive knowledge of Jordan’s history and culture.
Adventure tour in Jordan
This is for curious travelers. Your journey begins and ends in the capital Amman. In between, you trek by camel in the early morning through the lunar landscape of Wadi Rum, and through the secret gorges of Wadi Mujib. You float weightlessly in the Dead Sea, and climb via a mysterious footpath to the ancient city of Petra.
A BEDOUIN WHO TAKES HEARTS BY STORM
“Oha! Snow is falling in Petra,” Raed announces, looking at his mobile phone. Although the world-famous rock palace is only about 50 kilometres away, it can be up to 20 degrees colder there. The weather is deteriorating here as well. “We have a storm warning,” Samer sighs, cancelling the tricky hike for today. But no problem,” Raed replies, “Abu Yousef invites us to his desert camp.”
After four hours of walking, a first glimpse of Abu Yousef’s camp urges us on. It is situated at the foot of a gigantic rock wall. The midday heat stings. We are still two kilometres away. Or three? Gauging distances in these vast expanses, without any points of reference, is difficult.
Exhausted from the heat, sand and dust, I squat on a colourfully patterned carpet in the desert camp of Abu Yousef. Literally, his name means “father of Yousef”. Male Bedouins, as soon as they become the father of a son, take on his name. And Abu Yousef’s eldest son is called Yousef. Two wives bore him twelve more children, aged between five and twenty-four now.
Abu Yousef shows me a leather-bound book. In it, his family‘s history is recorded, seven generations in all. I can’t quite believe it just yet. This, the desert, this is his home. Knowing Berlin-Kreuzberg as I do, Abu Yousef is at home in this wild rocky steppe. He knows seventy peaks by name, most of which he climbed barefoot as a boy. He holds Bedouin traditions and values in high esteem. He seems prudent. Calm and noble. This man impresses us all.
Abu Yousef kneels and lights a fire from the branches his sons have collected for him and puts on a blackened kettle. The scent of coffee and cardamom fills the desert air.
A ROCKY END
Hold on. Pulling up. Balancing. Stooping to cross under an overhanging cliff. The sandstone has a lot of traction, but still negotiating the footpath up to Burdah rock bridge is quite demanding for us summiteers. At difficult key passages, Samer, our super fit triathlete, lends us a helping hand. It needs resolve, but I put my non-existing absence of vertigo to the test. “The bridge is stable,” Samer says, and with a sideways movement of his head towards the stone arch he signals me to go ahead. “But don’t you think about jumping around in the middle.” I am obedient. At the other end of the bridge, I feel somewhat proud.
Negotiating the footpath up to Burdah rock bridge is quite demanding for us summiteers
In the afternoon Abu Yousef invites us for tea at his brick house in Wadi Rum Village. As soon as we arrive his youngest daughter Yaqueen runs up to my fellow travellers Michelle and Jessica, hugs them, pulls their arms in all directions to show them toys, her younger cousins and a tiled edifice with toilet and shower – a luxury in this area and proof that Abu Yousef takes good care of his family.
Walk on the Red Planet
Discover the Jordan pass
The Jordan pass is the ultimate sightseeing package that has been especially tailor-made for visitors to the country. It gives pass holders the ability to make the most out of their trip visiting top sights and attractions whilst saving time, money and efforts.
Free entry to over 40 of Jordan’s tourist attractions including Petra, Jerash, Wadi Rum and much more.
Free visa tourist visa is offered if you buy the Jordan Pass before arrival to Jordan.
Free 120+ page guidebook packed with useful information about the attractions, plus tips and hints about the city to help you plan the perfect trip.
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