Wadi Nuqra

Wadi Nuqra is a valley in the white desert that runs north-south and connects Um Mugur to Wadi Sabet. The valley is named after a well at its southern end. Nuqra is an old Bedouin name used by women in past centuries. The well is extremely deep and their are many folklore stories of people falling into the well. It is assumed that at some time a women named Nuqra fell and hence the water hole and subsequently the valley took this name.

The valley is the start of the ‘wild’ uninhabited part of Wadi Rum as you approach the Saudi border. As you pass through the valley to the south you will see the landscape changing as you move further into the white desert. Different plant life and wider valleys provide a different landscape to Wadi Rum. Throughout the valley landscapes remain picturesque.

As with everywhere within the Bedouin world, landscapes revolve around their sources of water. The Nuqra well is an interesting sinkhole that is 2 metres wide and over 10 metres deep. Thamudic inscriptions can be found nearby and there are numerous rope marks where people are drawn water over the centuries.

The GPS coordinates are 29.399409, 35.431682.

Siq Nuqra

At the southern end of the valley there is a narrow canyon that leads down to Wadi Sabet. Siq Nuqra is steep and altitude drops from 1400 metres to 900 metres in under a kilometre.

The Siq is the most impressive part of Wadi Nuqra, soft sand and the narrow valley with cliffs provides interesting geologic formations. Around the well and at the northern section of the Siq the sandstone is purple indicating a presence of manganese in its composition. Siq Nuqra is one of the nicest single locations in Wadi Rum, in addition to soft sand, a narrow gorge and twisted rock formations, there are crevices that do not receive direct sunlight and remain below 15 degrees even at the height of summer.

The GPS coordinates are 29.376461, 35.423287.

FAST FACTS:

  1. Nuqra is an old Bedouin name used by women, it is assumed that hundreds of years ago a girl with this name fell into the well and it was named as a tribute to her.
  2. Siq Nuqra at the southern end of the valley leading into Wadi Sabet is one of the nicest locations in Wadi Rum during the summer, partly as it has locations that remain cool throughout the day.