Jordan has a lot to offer to everyone. In a previous blog, we shared our top 7 of Jordan’s gems. Today we write a blog about the magic of Wadi Rum desert. Because that is what Wadi Rum desert is, a magical place. Once you turn off the desert highway at the Al-Rushdiyye junction and head for Wadi Rum, you can already feel that you go to an extraordinary place. After a beautiful 30 minute drive, you arrive in our village, Rum village. The last frontier. Once you leave Rum village, there are no more villages and no more sealed roads. Only tracks that lead into the desert. Although you can only understand the magic once you have been here, we will try to describe what unique combination of elements makes our desert such a magical place.
Wadi Rum desert is a place like no other. The moonlike landscape looks unearthly. Ancient valleys with petroglyphs and inscriptions in many areas are telling you stories about times long passed. Birds of prey soaring the breath-taking towering red cliffs. Vast sandy plains dotted with desert plants. Narrow gorges that provide heavenly shadow on a hot summer day. Beautifully sculptured rock formations and natural arches. High dunes and mountains that offer impressive desert views. And a desert floor filled with tracks. Not only from our jeeps’ tires. But also from a wide variety of animals that call our desert their home. Our desert is a surprisingly colorful place with whites, yellows, reds, greens, browns, and black. Sunset and sunrise both are a dazzling feast of changing colours. And at night you can enjoy the scenic starry night sky. And when the moon is waxing, the nightly desert transforms into a romantic, fairy-tale landscape. The beauty of nature here is unlimited and overwhelming. It makes you feel small and insignificant.
Nowadays, most people live in an artificial world. During winter, heaters keep the houses and offices warm, and air conditioning keeps the summer heat outside. And when traveling between buildings, the climate-controlled cars protect you from sun, rain, and wind. In an artificial world, you need to pay special attention to make sure you connect with nature and the elements. Only then you feel the freedom it can provide you. In the desert, the artificial world seems unbelievable, far away. We live our lives in the natural rhythm and with the cycles of nature. Every day we experience the power of elements. We feel the heat of the burning sun. We let the dry wind sweep through our hair. Go out to dance in the rain. And our hands get cold while preparing yet another snowball. Experiencing the elements connects us to nature. It makes you feel relaxed, balanced, and free.
Radios and TV’s blaring, ringing phones, talking people, barking dogs, passing cars, flying aircrafts, humming machines, etc., etc. Noise seems to be everywhere and always. When you come to Wadi Rum, you will discover that there still are places where you can experience complete silence. In the desert, far away from civilization, you can enjoy the blessing of complete silence. A powerful silence that is only broken by the noise of your breathing or a bird chirping. It has an energy to it like no other source. It has the power to get you to think and to act. It can help you to slow your mind down. It allows you to connect to the world in a different way and to self-reflect.
