Strange Ritual Structures in Wadi Rum

By Gary Rollefson

Even as Bedouin today face hardships in the desert, 6,000 years ago early shepherd families were confronted with sandstorms, severe drought, and carnivores such as hyenas, wolves, and lions that threatened to destroy their flocks. Religious festivals were held annually in Wadi Rum, a "holy valley" because of its springs, by constructing open-air rectangular sanctuaries, each with a central standing stone, for more than 200 years of devotional "thanksgiving" observances.

The sanctity of Wadi Rum appears to have lasted for several millennia, for shepherd tribes returned to the towering red sandstone cliffs time and again, leaving behind the shrines they constructed as well as paved processional pathways that snaked across the ground half the length of a football field. At times the night sky appears to have served as an astronomical compass, for some of the small ritual chambers were aligned directly towards the North Star. At other times, multi-chambered burial mounds were erected, including a walled compound in which the tribal sheikhs were entombed. The mountainous magical landscapes continued their mystical attraction to nomadic shepherds even after the advent of Islam, for Wadi Rum remained an important burial area for Muslim shepherd families long before a permanent settlement was established there in the last quarter of the 20th century.

Besides building shrines and burial mounds, shepherd artists were active throughout the Wadi Rum area. Narrow clefts in the soaring cliffs became secret corridors to express symbols of fertility, warrior prowess, religious dedication, and simple graffiti. Five Bronze Age “Big Men” adorn cliffs at several open-air locations, and Early Bronze Age warriors stand in threatening postures in several areas, while other figures appear to be posed in prayer or ritual dance. “Kilroy was here” is a popular graffito, often etched alongside splendid, lively depictions of the magnificently horned ibex (wild goat), camels, cattle, and horses.

The power of Wadi Rum is well expressed by the whole host of architectural features and rock art, fervent representations of the consecration the pilgrims devotedly observed in a land that was beautiful and bountiful despite its physical harshness. Dr. Rollefson leads Far Horizons’ trips to Jordan and Syria.

The World of the Maya

Pity the poor Maya archaeologists of yore who hacked their way through the dense tropical jungle of Honduras, Guatemala and Mexico for days, searching for some source of water to slake their parched throats or a bite to eat. Possessed of almost no understanding of the history of the Maya or not even believing that the Maya inscriptions contained any information except for some calendrical notations.

This is the thought that occurred to me on the Far Horizons’ Capital Cities of the Maya tour last February as I gazed over the Copan Valley at the ancient site of Copan from a small restaurant serving up heapings of a variety of traditional foods cooked over a firewood stove, each dish better than the last.

And to think we would have to get up in the morning and take our comfortable air-conditioned bus from our luxury hotel to the incredibly well restored and maintained site of Copan.

Stan Guenter, our archaeologist guide read off the hieroglyphic inscriptions on the stelae at Copan like they were this morning’s news, bringing to life the ancient kingdom’s struggles with Quirigua and Tikal.

From Copan to Copan’s archrival Quirigua and then off to mighty Tikal. The history got deeper and deeper. Down the Usumacinta River in a boat and then off for Palenque.

The hardest part of the trip for me was calling my wife enduring Boston’s winter to let her know which great site, hotel, or restaurant we had just been to (we had both thought when I left for the trip that I would be roughing it in the jungles).

I had such a great time I signed up for the Hidden Maya Cities of the Yucatan tour, which left a few weeks later. Stan Guenter again was the archaeologist guide. Stan always goes the extra mile (or up the extra steps on a pyramid). He lugged a separate suitcase filled with his archaeology books just to make sure he could illustrate the history of the sites as well as possible.

This trip was an amazing whirlwind around the entire Yucatan peninsula. Palenque, Rio Bec style architecture, Tulum, mighty Chichen Itza and Uxmal.

The Yucatan forces the ardent traveler to have to spend time hanging around swimming pools or beachside on the Maya Riviera in addition to visiting Maya sites. And Far Horizons’ seems to know every great hotel and restaurant in the Yucatan.

Yes, the archaeologists of yore are probably better off not knowing about these Far Horizons trips. But for us - what a treat!

Thanks, Far Horizons and thanks Stan.