Jordània, dia 5: recorrent el desert de Wadi Rum (1 de gener de 2018) (I)

Ha començat un nou any, lluny de casa, però amb el cor ben a prop de la meva gent. De l’esgotament de passar el darrer dia de l’any a Petra, el meu cos ha descansat com un tronc. Però el despertador sona ben aviat. I com que hem de ser puntuals, toca recollir les coses i baixar a esmorzar. Avui hi ha bastanta gent al restaurant, però el menú és el mateix de cada dia, gairebé bufets calcats.

No tenim gaire temps que ja arriba el bus amb la resta de gent. Alguns fan cara de cansats, i ens expliquen que a la nit anterior van sortir de festa en un local de Petra. El preu no va ser barat, uns 28 euros per persona per una copa i una mica de ball...

El dia a fora és molt rúfol; molta boira baixa i molta fred. A la nit sembla que també han caigut algunes gotes... Enfilem la carretera i anem a recollir la darrera gent del grup i marxem cap al desert de Wadi Rum (http://wadirum.jo/ ) per la carretera del rei, una de les més conegudes, juntament amb l’autopista del desert i la del mar. El camí està ple de corbes i arribem a 1700 metres d’alçada abans de fer el descens i la resta de carretera fins al desert. Però de ben poca cosa me n’adono, ja que aprofito per fer una capcinada.

A la Lonley Planet s’explica que la carretera del rei segueix les passes dels nabateus (la ciutat de Petra), els romans (Umm ar-Rasas)  i els croats (castells de Karak i Shobak). Altres petjades menors, hi ha Salomé amb la seva dansa del set vels al desolat cim de Mukawir

Em desperto que en Mohamed, el guia, ens fa algunes explicacions sobre aquest desert, que vol dir “Vall de la Lluna” (http://wadirum.jo/about-wadi-rum/a-brief-history/ ).

A viquipèdia s’explica el següent sobre el desert de Wadi Rum (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wadi_Rum; https://ca.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wadi_Rum ):” Wadi Rum (Arabic: وادي رم‎) also known as The Valley of the Moon (Arabic: وادي القمر‎) is a valley cut into the sandstone and granite rock in southern Jordan 60 km (37 mi) to the east of Aqaba; it is the largest wadi in Jordan. Wadi Rum is Arabic for "Roman Valley", or "Valley of the Rûm", as the Greeks (or East Romans) were called in the early Byzantine era by Arab people, probably referring to Christian Byzantine monastic or ascetic communities in the area, for which they were also known as "monks of the desert", before the expansion of the Rashidun Caliphate. Wadi Rum has been inhabited by many human cultures since prehistoric times, with many cultures–including the Nabateans–leaving their mark in the form of rock paintings, graffiti, and temples.

In the West, Wadi Rum may be best known for its connection with British officer T. E. Lawrence, who passed through several times during the Arab Revolt of 1917–18. In the 1980s one of the rock formations in Wadi Rum was named "The Seven Pillars of Wisdom" after Lawrence's book penned in the aftermath of the war, though the 'Seven Pillars' referred to in the book have no connection with Rum.

The area is centered on the main valley of Wadi Rum. The highest elevation in Jordan is Jabal Umm ad Dami at 1,840 m (6,040 ft) high (SRTM data states 1854 m), located 30 kilometres south of Wadi Rum village. It was first located by Difallah Ateeg, a Zalabia Bedouin from Rum. On a clear day, it is possible to see the Red Sea and the Saudi border from the top.

Jabal Ram or Jebel Rum (1,734 metres (5,689 ft) above sea level) is the second highest peak in Jordan and the highest peak in the central Rum, rising directly above Rum valley, opposite Jebel um Ishrin, which is possibly one metre lower.

Khaz'ali Canyon in Wadi Rum is the site of petroglyphs etched into the cave walls depicting humans and antelopes dating back to the Thamudic times. The village of Wadi Rum itself consists of several hundred Bedouin inhabitants with their goat-hair tents and concrete houses and also their four-wheel vehicles, one school for boys and one for girls, a few shops, and the headquarters of the Desert Patrol.

Recently, Geoff Lawton has achieved success in establishing a permaculture ecosystem in Wadi Rum.

hots of Wadi Rum in Lawrence of Arabia kick-started Jordan's tourism industry.

Wadi Rum is home to the Zalabia Bedouin who, working with climbers and trekkers, have made a success of developing eco-adventure tourism, now their main source of income. The area is now one of Jordan's important tourist destinations, and attracts an increasing number of foreign tourists, particularly trekkers and climbers, but also for camel and horse safari or simply day-trippers from Aqaba or Petra. In recent years, its luxury camping retreats have spurred more tourism to the area as well. Popular activities in the desert environment include camping under the stars, riding Arabian horses, hiking and rock-climbing among the massive rock formations. ATVs (All Terrain Vehicles) and Jeeps are also available and new camps have opened that offer adequate accommodation for tourists.

Dima and Lama Hattab coordinate an annual marathon in the region called Jabal Ishrin.

The Bedouin have climbed in the Sandstone mountains of Wadi Rum for many generations. Many of their 'Bedouin Roads' have been rediscovered and documented by modern climbers. Several are included in the climbing guidebook by Tony Howard, and online by Liên and Gilles Rappeneau.

In 1949 Sheikh Hamdan took surveyors to the summit of Jabal Ram. The first recorded European ascent of Jabal Ram took place in November 1952, by Charmian Longstaff and Sylvia Branford, guided by Sheik Hamdan. The first recorded rock climbs started in 1984, with the first of many visits by English climbers Howard, Baker, Taylor and Shaw. This group repeated many of the Bedouin routes, accompanied by locals and independently, including, in 1984, Hammad's Route on Jebel Rum, and, in 1985, Sheikh Kraim’s Hunter’s Slabs and Rijm Assaf on Jebel Rum. Many new routes were climbed in the 1980s, by this team, French guide Wilfried Colonna, by the Swiss Remy brothers, and by Haupolter and Precht. The first dedicated climbing guide book, Treks and Climb in Wadi Rum, by Tony Howard, was first published in 1987. Some of the many Bedouin routes have been documented online by Lien and Gilles Rappeneau. A new routes book for climbers is held at the Wadi Rum Guest House.

The route Guerre Sainte was climbed in 2000 by Batoux, Petit and friends. This was the first route in Wadi Rum to be entirely equipped using bolt protection. The route, on the East Face of Jebel Nassarani North, is 450 m (1,480 ft) long, and graded F7b or F7aA0.”.

A “Lonley Planet” s’explica també que és una zona protegida des del 1988 i està controlada per l’Autoritat de la Zona Econòmica Especial d’Aqaba (ASEZA).

En aquesta zona s’hi va gravar al pel·lícula Lawarnce d’Aràbia, un personatge ben controvertit segons ell. Amb això enllaça la història de que la gent de Síria, Líban, Jordània i Palestina es van unir per fer fora els otomans de la zona.  Els que van començar aquesta història de treure els otomans eren de la dinastia haiximita, que és la dinastia del profeta Mahoma i que  és la que regna actualment  a Jordània (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hashemites ).

(Continuarà)
(La fotografia correspon al desert de Wadi Rum)