Description
Wadi Rum is a desert valley cut into the sandstone and granite cliffs in southern Jordan. Known also as the Valley of the Moon it has been inhabited since prehistoric times (witnessed by the petroglyph inscriptions) and by semi nomadic tribes since the Nabataeans but is best known for its association with T E Lawrence - Lawrence of Arabia - who based himself here to encourage the Arab Revolt and to attack Turkish Forces of the Ottoman Empire during WW1, especially along the narrow gauge Hijaz Railway linking Istanbul to Medina and Damascus that was built with German help. He was later immortalized by the film of the same name, made in 1962 by David Lean of which this image shows track disappearing into the distance, used in the film and later abandoned. Today the only inhabitants are Bedouin tribes and transient tourists.