The landscape of Wadi Rum is one of the most incredible in the world. An extraordinary wonder, sublime with its monumental rock castles that nature created millions of years ago. An immense river carved out the valley, the wind and weather have patiently sculpted these evocative granite and sandstone structures. Imperfect arches, pinnacles and stone bastions stare sternly at the vast expanses of sand that surround them. Dunes of intense, warm colours move in the light breeze, while fleeting footprints mark the passage of a Bedouin. Here, in southern Jordan, the desert is not inhospitable at all. The first traces of human presence date back to the 8th millennium BC, and many nomadic tribes have travelled its invisible paths since then.
These people often left marks along their way, not on shifting sand, but on sandstone rocks, the only pages that can be written on in the desert. Over the millennia, rock faces have accumulated petroglyphs of all kinds, resembling an open-air diary. These marks tell us something about those who left them. Above all, they bear witness to the evolution of customs and cultures in the region over time.
The petroglyphs of Wadi Rum, a diary across the millennia
Archaeologists have estimated that there are around thirty thousand petroglyphs in Wadi Rum. Most of them are engraved on the walls of the Mount Jabel Khazali canyon. They have maintained a certain stylistic uniformity over the centuries, remaining abstract and stylised. However we can distinguish the oldest ones by their darker, ochre colouring. According to Edoardo Borzatti von Löwenstern, the archaeologist who has conducted the most extensive studies on the subject, the first graffiti were engraved between 7000 and 3000 BC1. Among them is a depiction of an ox, a sacred animal used for ploughing. At that time, the valley was fertile and agriculture was practised there. The cliffs of the Jordanian desert also feature scenes of hunting with kites and stone enclosures used to trap herds of prey, which are typical of the Neolithic period in the Middle East.
The desert engravings
The first rudimentary signs of writing mark the beginning of the historical period. At a certain point, rock carvings began to depict men riding horses and dromedaries, often carrying spears and bows. This reflected the progressive desertification of the environment and the resulting change in human habits. From then on, Wadi Rum was only visited by passing Bedouin tribes, who left signs and writings for posterity.
They made sure to place “road signs” on the rocks to indicate the correct route. Silhouettes of dromedaries, antelopes and other animals would sometimes appear facing oases, water sources and shelters, offering refuge from the desert heat. Various nomadic peoples from the Arabian Peninsula traversed the valley. First came the Thamudeni in the 7th century BC, followed by the Nabataean traders in the 4th century BC. Finally, the Howeytat arrived, and they still inhabit these areas today.
As people and technology evolved, so did petroglyphs. Among the rocks of Wadi Rum, the Bedouin’s new tools began to appear: not just spears and camels, but also rifles, electricity pylons, motorcycles and Land Rovers. During the First World War, Lawrence of Arabia set up his headquarters in Wadi Rum, which he described as “vast, echoing and godlike”2, from where he led the Arab revolt against the Ottomans. His face was carved into the rocks and still welcomes visitors who venture out in search of petroglyphs, signs and images of distant peoples who belong to the desert.
Samuele Corrente Naso
