Another Holy Land site, Wadi Rum, was added to UNESC's World Heritage List this summer. The majestic site is situated in mountainous desert terrain in souther Jordan near the border with Saudi Arabia and encompasses over 275 square miles of majestic, mountainous desert including spectacular sand dunes, sheer-sided mountains and dramatic cliffs. The Red Rose Nabatean City of Petra is located close to the Wadi Rum Nature Reserve.

The area is considered part of the ancient Nabatean trade route which leads across southern Jordan west through Israel and into Egypt. The landscape is marked by sandstone and granite mountains, wide valleys and narrow and deep canyons. Most remarkably, jidden within the canyons are numerous ancient rock drawings and inscriptions dating to the Nabataans who controlled the major trade route. In selecting Wadi Rum, the UNESCO website states that:

"Petroglyphs, inscriptions and archaeological remains in the site testify to 12,000 years of human occupation and interaction with the natural environment. The combination of 25,000 rock carvings with 20,000 inscriptions trace the evolution of human thought and the early development of the alphabet. The site illustrates the evolution of pastoral, agricultural and urban activity in the region."

Biblical and classical sources refer to "aram". The book of Job also mentions the land of Uz, which many believe refers to the area as well.

Traveling through Wadi Rum, one still encounters Bedouin tribes that still live in their goat-hair tents and in fact, many of the local bedouins are licensed tour guides. The protected area is one of Jordan's top tourist attractions including sites dating from the prehistoric periods to the Islamic era. Particularly prominent are inscriptions and carvings dating to the time of the Nabataean kingdom of Petra,* which controlled the trade routes that passed through the region more than 2,000 years ago. Rum is referred to, both in the Bible and classical sources, as Aram or Iram, while it may also be the land of Uz mentioned in the book of Job (1:1).

For more information on 3 and 2 day tours to Jordan and Wadi Rum-Petra, click here.

For additional information on UNESCO World Heritage sites, click here.