Wadi Rum – Desert Valley Loved by T.E. Lawrence

Wadi Rum is a spectacular desert valley about an hour north of Aqaba in the Jordan desert. Its beautiful rocky cliffs and brilliant colors of red, brown, and orange set Wadi Rum apart from other desert areas. Visitors to Wadi Rum can explore the area on foot, via camel, donkey, or 4-wheel-drive covered jeep. We visited Aqaba for two days while on a Silversea Silver Whisper cruise from Port Said, through the Suez Canal, to Sharm el-Sheikh and onto Luxor. The overnight at Aqaba allowed us time to spend a half-day at Wadi Rum and a day at the ancient rock city of Petra.

T.E. Lawrence, the famous British soldier and diplomat (also known as Lawrence of Arabia) loved Wadi Rum and lived there for at time in 1917. He recounted his many adventures in southwest Asia in his book, the Seven Pillars of Wisdom, which was named after the large rock formation with seven pillars that towers over the desert at Wadi Rum.