Riding Like Lawrence Wadi Rum

‘I’ve always had a hankering to horse ride like Lawrence through Wadi Rum….What do you think?’  I immediately thought ‘Yes’ – on the one condition that I could come to.  Lawrence of Arabia rode with many after all.    Wadi Rum is of course the magnificent sandstone and granite rock valley, set on a high plateau at the western edge of the Arabian desert in southern Jordan.  It is, as Lawrence once described, ‘vast, echoing and God-like’ and most who visit for even a day or two, are cast under its spell.  I have a much loved 4th impression print of The Seven Pillars of Wisdom from 1935.  It’s a weighty tome with yellowing paper stains dotted amongst the frayed edge papers but still with containing the original maps and sketches throughout.  Gold tooling on the cover shows twin scimitars and the legend: ‘the sword also means clean-ness + death.’  This was my dream trip.

I tracked down Atallah in Wadi Rum.  Highly experienced and qualified in endurance racing he owns the best horse-trekking agency in the region and soon an excitable group of 10 of us were heading out to Jordan so spend the best part of the week ‘horse riding like Lawrence through Wadi Rum.’  It should probably be noted here that you should be able to ride a horse – and well -  if you want to enjoy it.  Horses in Wadi Rum are local breeds; small and sturdy, but strong and fit with some serious horse power in them.  Amongst our group there were two excellent long time riders and the rest of us probably in the ‘ I can ride a horse but haven’t for a while’ category.  Endurance racing wasn’t on the cards.  Nor was simply walking our frisky horses who would do anything for a good gallop in the desert – much like Lawrence I suspect.  Much comedy ensured as we wrestled with getting to know our trusty steeds throughout the week.  The scenery was sublime -  soul soothing, and the Bedouin hospitality – so legendary in Arabia  - is no different in Wadi Rum;  lit fires and tea welcomed us into camp, and later tables groaning under the weight of food was devoured under a glittering sky.  It was, to my mind perhaps the closest we could get to experiencing some of the secrets of The Seven Pillars of Wisdom.