“The walls of this desert crack are covered in petroglyphs, ibex, camels and ancient script left by desert peoples over thousands of years.”
About Khazali Canyon
Khazali Canyon was used over millennia by the inhabitants of Wadi Rum, who carved inscriptions and images into its sheltered walls. The Thamudic and Nabataean petroglyphs record their presence, beliefs and surroundings, forming part of the extensive rock art that earned Wadi Rum recognition as a UNESCO World Heritage Site for both its natural and cultural value.
Khazali Canyon is a dramatic narrow fissure splitting a mountain in the desert of Wadi Rum, southern Jordan. Cool and shaded between sheer rock walls, it is famous for the ancient rock carvings, or petroglyphs, etched into its sides by the peoples who passed through this desert over thousands of years, recording their presence in the silent stone.
Khazali Canyon is a dramatic narrow fissure splitting a mountain in the desert of Wadi Rum, southern Jordan.
Messages on the Rock
The walls of Khazali are inscribed with Thamudic and Nabataean petroglyphs and inscriptions, images of people, animals such as ibex and camels, and ancient script left by the desert dwellers and travellers of antiquity. These carvings are part of a vast open-air gallery of rock art scattered across Wadi Rum, evidence of human life here stretching back many millennia. The narrow, shaded canyon protected the inscriptions and offered cool refuge and water in the harsh desert.
The Experience
You step from the desert heat into the cool, shadowed cleft of the canyon, scrambling a short way in to find the petroglyphs of figures, animals and script on the walls, sometimes near small pools of water trapped in the rock. The narrowness, the shade and the ancient carvings make it an atmospheric, easily accessible highlight on a Wadi Rum jeep tour.
Why It Matters
Khazali Canyon is a key window into the ancient human history of Wadi Rum, where rock art documents thousands of years of desert life. Together with the desert's spectacular scenery, these carvings underpin its UNESCO status and connect today's visitors to the long line of people who found shelter and meaning in this landscape.
Khazali Canyon is a key window into the ancient human history of Wadi Rum, where rock art documents thousands of years of desert life.
Why Visit
A cool, shaded desert canyon in Wadi Rum etched with ancient petroglyphs of people and animals, an easy and atmospheric stop on a jeep tour.
✦ Insider Tips
- 1
Look for the Thamudic and Nabataean petroglyphs on the walls.
- 2
Scramble a short way in for the best carvings and shade.
- 3
It is a standard stop on Wadi Rum jeep tours.
- 4
The canyon stays cool, a relief from the desert heat.
