Rock Art in Jordan's Eastern Desert

Dixie in her natural habitat: outdoors. Here in Southern Utah, 1993

When I was a little kid, Dixie (my mom) was into Native American (Indian) things. Actually, she was always interested in them. And because she was, and we spent a lot of time together, I became interested in Indian things too. We spent time discussing ancient native cultures, her (some would say wild) theories about them, and the more spiritual/mystical aspects often tied to the rich cultural heritage. She also liked “glyphs”, as she called them, and I soon became aware that these glyphs – rock art – were found in almost every culture around the world.

Fast forward to my PhD work where, by luck really, I ended up studying rock art (though not in the traditional archeological sense) – and in the Desert Southwest US, no less. I learned there are four main types of rock art: petroglyphs (those carved or pecked into the rock), pictographs (paintings on rocks), intaglios (scraping away of a surface to reveal lighter colored ground underneath), and geoglyphs (rock alignments). The latter two often get lumped together as “geoglyphs”, but technically, that’s not correct. Just so you know.

My rock art research generally focuses on petroglyphs and pictographs and their inherent decay processes. Basically, I use the Rock Art Stability Index to assess a rock art panel and tell how stable it is geologically, as well as potential areas of, and processes leading to, the host rock’s decay. This scientific technique I helped pioneer has been used in the US Southwest, the US South, Caribbean, and now, the Middle East (part of my research agenda here in Jordan). I’ll spare you the intricate details, but check out my related publications here, or read a short overview of the technique if you want to learn more.

Safaitic writing (C and R) and glyphs (L), Jordan's Eastern Desert.

Studying rock art allows me to get out in the field and see some pretty phenomenal landscapes that would otherwise remain unseen and, sometimes, unexplored. And it’s the same here in Jordan. The petroglyphs I’ve seen around Jordan range from Neolithic to recent times – from ancient times to Lawrence of Arabia and even the 1990s (for some reason, modern people like to carve dates into rocks). My favorite glyphs so far are those from the Thamudic (southern desert) and Safaitic (northern desert) peoples. They have similar scripts and really neat characters, I think. Nabataean inscriptions are pretty kewl too, though they carved mostly on “worked” stone – stone that has been carved into a shape – instead of “natural” stone/rocks.

Wadi Rum, and its surrounding areas in southern Jordan, have thousands of panels that host tens-of-thousands of glyphs, many of them Thamudic. On most visits to Wadi Rum, tourists end up at Khazali Canyon, a quick drive from the Park’s entrance. The glyphs at Khazali span Neolithic to Islamic times (including Thamudic), as the place was a cool and wet respite from the hot and dry Hisma desert. But, if you ask your guide, they may take you to other places with “inscriptions” (as they call them). Rock art is all over that region.

Look close at the boulder's center. There are Safaitic glyphs. Kaelin is assessing the boulder's other side, which also has glyphs. The larger site is actually behind Kaelin, over the ridge in the far background.

Poking around the Eastern Desert recently, we ran into a gallery of Safaitic petroglyphs out in the middle of the desert. Really. Over 100 individual panels and thousands of glyphs. We learned about the site from an obscure reference in an old guidebook, and then spent a couple days driving around and wandering through the desert looking for them, following this old reference. The first day, we found a small area with a few small boulders containing glyphs, and we assessed them (image, left). But we knew there had to be more – the reference made it sound like petroglyphs were everywhere out here. So we kept driving around and looking at the map, trying to figure out where this elusive site might be. After searching for hours, we decided that perhaps the author had mixed-up the location, or at least not described it very well.

Finally, with more careful research and a little Desert Magic, we stumbled upon the site a day later. Or at least an amazing site that sounds like the guidebook’s paltry description:

Safaitic rock art gallery, Jordan's Eastern Desert. Nearly every boulder in this image contains a petroglyph. An amazing site!

Click to see graffiti and scratching all over the ancient glyphs.

Islamic script with a '85 date, carved over the Safaitic script.

The glyphs here are mostly Safaitc. But over the years, it seems people have carved on top of the ancient motifs, as well as just scratch them (sadly). Much of that vandalism makes it difficult to see the ancient Safaitic inscriptions. There are plenty of “empty” rock panels available for scratching and engraving...I don’t know why people choose to write over ancient glyphs. Or deface them. Ugh.

Safaitic glyph in Jordan's Eastern Desert. Note the dark coloration. That usually means it has been there a long time, as rock coating that repatinate glyphs take centuries to form in desert environments. Just kewl!

Still, these petroglyphs’ home is fantastic. Jordan’s Eastern Desert is striking, and much more topographically variable than you might first think: numerous hills, scattered outcrops, and a pretty high water table. It only takes digging several inches before hitting water in most places here. When people wonder how anyone can survive in such a seemingly inhospitable place, that’s one way: high water table. It’s clear from the rock art in Jordan’s deserts that ancient peoples knew how to survive – even thrive – in this harsh environment, just as some people still do. Lucky for us, they left a record of their existence, inscribed on stone, and preserved for centuries by the magic of the desert.

Oh! And there were flies. LOTS and LOTS of flies. They were seemingly everywhere in the Eastern Desert. Something I did not expect. So. Many. Flies.