Wadi Rum in Literature

Perhaps the most influential source on Wadi Rum is T.E. Lawrence, the famous British officer and author.  Several passages in his book, “The Seven Pillars of Wisdom”, describe the magnificence of Wadi Rum. "Our little caravan grew self conscious, and fell dead quiet, afraid and ashamed to flaunt its smallness in the presence of stupendous hills" (Seven Pillars of Wisdom, 1926: 342). Nevertheless, Lawrence’s connection to Wadi Rum tends to be overstated. None of the mountains of Wadi Rum inspired the title of his book; rather, modern tourists named the mountain after the book. Places in Wadi Rum such as “Lawrence’s Spring” or “Lawrence’s Castle" are in fact an Ottoman ruin.