Wadi Rum, Jordan
Wadi Rum, Jordan
After visiting Petra’s winding canyon road, amazing mountains, towering treasury building, soaring temples, elaborate tombs, the theatre, and burial chambers, I consoled myself by thinking that it must be the sublime spectacle for all nature lovers. I had no clear idea of what was to come when we visited Wadi Rum the following day. My vision of Wadi Rum was based on what I knew from the stories I read about deserts as a child, the geography lessons I learned in classrooms, and the movies, such as Lawrence of Arabia, I watched. At times recollection of the scene in Lawrence of Arabia of quicksand claiming lives sent a chill down my spine.
However, we left very early for Wadi Rum. Our tour guide had everything arranged for our group. There were lots of 4×4 trucks to go to the Wadi Rum area, which he said would offer us one of the easiest and safest glimpses of the desert in the region. Along either side of the truck bed were benches. We boarded the trucks to get to the spot to experience Wadi Rum. When we arrived at this surreal desert terrain, it was not fear that dominated my emotional landscape. Still, this UNESCO World Heritage site changed my fear into total awe and admiration and a feeling of Wow! It certainly felt like being on Mars as I stood looking at this immense red sand beach stretched all around us as far as the eye could see. And it was surrounded by red sand dunes and gargantuan, rippled sandstone rocks, creating the most dramatic landscape. Their power and audacity took up space by simply standing tall.
It was an extremely windy and cold day in Wadi Rum. While we took photos of the area, many of our group members climbed a large, red sand dune to see the panorama of the magnificent desert.
Camel rides were arranged for those who wanted to experience the Bedouin way of crossing long distances in the harsh desert environment. Some of our group members rode through the desert, back to the next camp part of the way. I was not able to capture images of the riders from our jeep.
We stopped at a Bedouin camp. Some Bedouin men greeted us with traditional hospitality dressed in their traditional garb and checkered headscarves. It was a fairly large area with a beautiful wood fire burning right in the center. Just looking at it warmed me up. While the Bedouins kept themselves warm, they offered the visitors their delicious hot tea, which they obviously drink a lot of and offer. One could have more than one cup if they wanted. I had two steaming hot cups of tea.
The camp floor was covered with area rugs for those who wanted to sit on the floor, as it is customary for the Bedouins to sit on the floor. Also, there were mattress-lined seats with backrests for those who couldn’t or wouldn’t sit on the floor. We sat around talking and sipping on our tea. It was a very comforting and heart-warming experience. And also, it was a moment for cheering and thanking our Bedouin hosts for their hospitality, which made us relax, chill, and warm up all at the same time.
After Bedouin tea time, we boarded the 4×4 and hit the desert road to another camp for our lunch. Again it was a large camp with comfortable seating and tables to put our food and drinks. As we looked around, we were called to step out to the back of the camp, where two men were uncovering a large, round metal plate that looked like a manhole cover. This was the cover of Zarb (underground oven), a Bedouin-style BBQ, where meats, potatoes, and all kinds of vegetables were roasted underground. Zarb is one of the most beautiful and delicious treasures of Bedouin culture.
They first uncovered the plate.
Then remove all the covering and foil from the top of the tray to expose it.
When the first tray was fully opened, you could see a variety of meats, and its aroma curling up in the air was simply Devine.
when the tray was pulled up, a cry of surprise was heard as everyone realized that it was not just one tray but a rack of 3 trays coming out from a metal casing with different meats and different vegetables on each one. Aluminum foil was lifted from each tray to serve this delicious bounty along with many side dishes such as hummus, tabouleh, babaghanouj, rice, freshly made salad, and not to mention, hot flatbread. It was an unforgettable culinary, cultural, and educational experience in a part of the world that is truly magnificent.
This trip to wadi Rum has made a lasting impression on me, as, I am sure, it does on everyone who visits. After this sumptuous meal, we relaxed for some time before heading out for our journey to Amman, Jordan, which was our last stop before returning home from this monumental trip through the Middle East.
