Wadi Rum

Wadi Rum Protected Area lies in southern Jordan near the border with Saudi Arabia, within the Hisma desert. UNESCO describes a varied landscape of narrow gorges, natural arches, towering cliffs, ramps, large landslides and caverns. The World Heritage property covers roughly 74,000 hectares.

The area’s desert landforms developed in continental sandstone. Their evolution reflects the properties of the rock, tectonic activity such as uplift and faulting, and weathering and erosion under both desert and earlier, more humid climates. Sandstone mountains and valleys dominate the scenery, while weathering has produced distinctive forms including arches, cliffs and cavernous features.

Petroglyphs, inscriptions and archaeological remains in Wadi Rum provide evidence of human occupation and interaction with the environment over about 12,000 years. UNESCO records around 25,000 rock carvings and 20,000 inscriptions. Together, these traces document cultural change and different forms of pastoral, agricultural and urban activity in the region.

Wadi Rum was inscribed on the World Heritage List in 2011 as a mixed natural and cultural property. The designation recognizes both its striking desert scenery and the cultural record preserved in its rock art and inscriptions. The protected area was established in 1997 to conserve its landforms, ecosystems and cultural values; UNESCO identifies visitor pressure, including vehicle tracks, among the management concerns.