Through rolling hills that give way to the countryside that eventually reveals the desert moonscape that T.E. Lawrence (Lawrence of Arabia) once called “vast, echoing and God-like.”
Before the days of the Rashidun Caliphate, the Wadi Rum desert belonged first to the Nabatean kingdom, then to the Roman empire and, finally, to the Byzantines. It was during this last period when, apparently, it got its current name: the inhabitants of the desert —mainly Bedouin tribes who either worshiped Roman gods or had become Christians— would refer to the Christian monastic and ascetic communities established in the region as “Rum,” that is, “Romans,” a word that would apply to Eastern Romans (that is, Byzantines) and Greek alike.
Enjoy a jeep or camel ride (or both) through the desert amid sandstone hills and windswept valleys. Enjoy the sunset before making your way to a Bedouin-style camp, where you will enjoy a traditional meal as you listen to timeless music and the whispers of the desert.
