Jordan’s beautiful, cursed landscape | CPT PPP Coverage

Past the oasis and further into the desert is the Dahek Nature Reserve, known for its ancient Safaitic inscriptions as well as its stunning white buttes that contrast the Black Desert’s dark basalt fields. Al Adwan believes that the very remoteness of the Safaitic inscriptions – which require off-roading through the desert – makes them an appealing destination for adventurous tourists, so long as they’re properly preserved.

Azraq Oasis used to be large enough that Jordanians from the capital took day trips to fish and swim there. However, over pumping meant that the oasis was completely depleted by 1993. The Royal Society for the Conservation of Nature wants to at least get the wetlands back to 10% of their historical size, and, according to signs posted at the wetland preserve, the water ministry has agreed to pump around 1.5 million cubic meters of water back into the oasis per year to help it recover.

Jordan is torn between two impulses towards the Black Desert: to exploit or preserve it. Tourism is perhaps a middle way, allowing the country to benefit financially from its environmental efforts.

Standing at the parched site of the New City, the fenced-in remnants of the Azraq Oasis and the thousands of years of manmade ruins in the Black Desert, we understood the harshness of the environment. But we also saw the perseverance of the few people who live in and around the desert, and who try to call it home.

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