Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
In front of us a path, pale with use, zigzagged up the cliff-plinth … From between [the]
trees, in hidden crannies of the rock, issued strange cries; the echoes, turned into music, of
the voices of the Arabs watering camels at the springs which there flowed out three hun-
dred feet above ground.
Together with other springs in the area, this natural water spout that tumbles into a leafy
'paradise just five feet square' allowed Rum to become an important waterhole for cara-
vans travelling between Syria and Arabia. Look out for a small shrine dedicated to Lat, an
aqueduct used to channel the water from the spring, and inscriptions on the rock face.
Notice too the aroma of mint in the air: it grows wild among the ferns and trees of this
shady place. To walk to the spring and back (2.5km) from the Rest House takes about 1½
hours.
Ain Abu Aineh
Offline map
Often mistaken for Lawrence's Spring, the 'Father of Aineh Spring' is piped down the
mountain into a large tank for Bedouin sheep, goats and camels. Look out for a large
boulder near the tank: it is covered with Thamudic inscriptions, proving the spring has
been used for a similar purpose for millennia. To reach Ain Abu Aineh, head south from
the Rest House and follow the eastern side of Jebel Rum for 3km (a 1½-hour walk in soft
sand). The site in itself is not particularly special but the views across to Jebel Khazali are
wonderful, especially at sunset when the whole amphitheatre of stone and sand turns or-
ange.
SPRING
Lawrence's House (Al-Qsair)
Offline map
There is little left of this building, erected on the Nabataean ruins of a water cistern. Non-
etheless, legend has it that Lawrence stayed here during the Arab Revolt and that makes it
a must on the regular 4WD circuits of the area. Near the building is a Nabataean inscrip-
tion that mentions the area's ancient name of Iram. The remote location and supreme view
of the red sand dunes are the main attraction.
RUIN
Al-Hasany Dunes
While there are dunes in several places around Wadi Rum, the most striking are the red
sands that bank up against Jebel Umm Ulaydiyya. If you are on a 4WD tour, drivers will
stop near a pristine slope for you to plod your way to the crest of the dune. To reach the
dunes on foot from the visitor centre takes about three hours, partly through soft sand.
SAND DUNES
 
 
 
 
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