Some 70 kilometers northeast of Aqaba lies Wadi Rum, a vast silent place that is both romantic and extremely beautiful. Massive mountains rise vertically out of the pink desert sand, which separate one dark mass from another. The faces of these sheer rock cliffs have been eroded by the wind into faces of men, animals and monsters. Everywhere in this strange and empty place are indications of man's presence since the earliest known times. Scattered around are flint hand axes, while on the rocks at the feet of the mountains the names of ancient travelers are scratched. In the center of the valley an elaborately carved temple bears witness that Wadi Rum was once a holy place for Nabateans..