AQABA, JORDAN

 

April 11, 2023


Our ship docked at Aqaba, Jordan, where the temperature is in the 60’s—first time we’ve had dry weather and cool temperature since New Zealand.  We are including a google map that includes Jordan’s rough neighborhood.  Saudi Arabia, Syria, Iraq, Palestinian West Bank, and Israel all border Jordan, and Lebanon and Egypt are close by.   


Jordan is a constitutional monarchy and Abdullah II is the current King.  Under his leadership Jordan maintains close relationships with the U.S. and other Western countries and he has liberalized internal policies leading to an economic boom over the last two decades.


Most of the folks on our ship signed up for a tour of Petra where an ancient civilization lived for many years.  It is famous for tombs and temples carved into pink sandstone cliffs and is where parts of the movie “Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade” were filmed.


We opted instead to explore Wadi (valley) Rum in 4WD Toyota trucks.  Wadi Rum is a rugged high desert landscape of rock structures and sand dunes.  It is where TE Lawrence (Lawrence of Arabia) kept his base camp to lead Bedouin troops in attacks on Ottoman troops during WWI.   The most notorious battle was the Battle of Aqaba where he and his troops on camels (and some) horses roundly routed the Turks near Aqaba.  He was almost killed in that attack as a result of accidentally shooting his camel in the head.  He was a real warrior who led or participated in many successful battles, culminating in the capture of Damascus in 1918.  The Ottoman Empire was dissolved in 1922 and, after a couple of decades as a British mandate, Jordan became an independent country in 1946.


The landscape in Wadi Rum is breathtaking—huge mountains containing many minerals rise up out of the desert.  The desert floor sand is velvety soft.  There are many references to this part of Jordan in the Bible; in fact, Moses spent some of his youth as a sheep herder in Wadi Rum.  


We were introduced to LOTs of camels and offered rides (we declined).  We stopped at a “desert motel” where people pay $150.00 a night to experience the desert life.  It had a huge central building where we were invited to sit on rug-covered benches around a central fire pit to enjoy delicious coffee, tea, sesame cookies and dates.  Our last stop was a shop selling Bedouin crafts that is a part of the charity network of former Queen Noor al-Hussein (American citizen and widow of former King Hussein). 


Map of where we are located (blue dot).  Ignore Cameroun.  Tonight we will go back south to a port in Egypt for tour to Luxor.


                    At the Wadi Rum Visitor Center and  "7 pillars" rock structure


We could have taken thousands of pics like this as we drove through the desert.  Nothing but sand and rock....quite a change from being surrounded by water much of our trip.  Way off in the distance the sand is white.   Guide said its 99% pure silica.


Climbing a sand dune.   The sand is very soft and doesn't stick to your shoes like beach sand.


                This guy was trying to race us, but our driver prevailed.


                                Mr camel.   Kind of a scrawny dude.


            Camels taking a rest.   The lumps in the distance are all resting camels.   


                                           King Abdullah II carved in a rock


            Inside a Restaurant tent where we had tea, coffee, cookies and dates.   

            Most all of the structures in the desert are tents.


             Another view inside the restaurant tent - cushions around a firepit.


                        Tent rooms at the desert resort.   About $150/night.   


Photo shows a green copper vein.   The rock structures are full of minerals - iron (red), copper (green), sulfur (yellow).  Guide says its not economic to mine.

                                             Aqaba skyline (1)

                                             Aqaba skyline (2)


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