Here’s where this National Park is located in the south of Jordan close to Saudi Arabia:

This desert place is where Lawrence of Arabia was filmed as well as some of the Star Wars films and part of Disney’s Aladdin.  It’s a a huge area that feels a lot like parts of southern Utah, with red mountains, arches, and lots of sand dunes.

Lawrence of Arabia, who was here 1917-1918, described his entrance into the Valley of Rumm in this way: “The hills on the right grew taller and sharper, a fair counterpart of the other side which straightened itself to one massive rampart of redness. They drew together until only two miles divided them: and then, towering gradually till their parallel parapets must have been a thousand feet above us, ran forward in an avenue for miles. The crags were capped in nests of domes, less hotly red than the body of the hill; rather grey and shallow. They gave the finishing semblance of Byzantine architecture to this irresistible place: this processional way greater than imagination.”

Our group loaded into pickup trucks and we spent the rest of our day enjoying the magesty of the place, hiking and climbing up mountains of sand, and enjoying the local culture.

A traditional Bedouin camp:

These fellows were some of the drivers.  They are really happy about the tourists who come here and provide them with work.  There are dozens of tourist Bedouin Camps in the area where you can spend the night and enjoy a traditional middle eastern meal.