Humaiyma Ruins

Jordan


Pressed up against the cliffs on the opposite side of the highway to Wadi Rum is the seldom-visited Bedouin district of Humaiyma. Curious visitors who notice the brown sign off the main Aqaba Hwy and struggle along the badly potholed access road are rewarded with a surprisingly large archaeological site.

The largely Nabataean site includes 27km of covered aqueducts, some of which are visible today; they are evidence of the Nabataean attitude towards water that it could be brought in channels from the mountains or held in reservoirs on the plains. King Aretas III built Humaiyma around 80 BCE as a trading post designed, according to archaeologists, to help settle nomadic tribes. His efforts, judging by the nomads camping nearby some 2000 years later, were not wholly successful. Trajan's army built a fort here in AD 106, and settlement continued into the Byzantine and early Islamic periods. In AD 750 the site was eventually abandoned.

There is a small visitors centre, but it was unmanned at the time of writing, and there was no legible information at the site.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Jordan attractions

1. Hai-Bar Yotvata Nature Reserve

19.96 MILES

Established in 1968 to reintroduce animals that had died out in Israel, this 32-sq-km reserve on the Yotvata salt flats is home to a wide variety of…

2. Visitor Centre Museum

23.17 MILES

While you are buying your ticket to enter Wadi Rum, spare half an hour to visit the informative museum (next to the restaurant), which helps to give a…

3. Seven Pillars of Wisdom

23.65 MILES

Named in honour of Lawrence’s book, this large rock formation, with seven fluted turrets, is easy to see from the road near the Wadi Rum visitor centre…

4. Timna Park

23.87 MILES

The site of some of the world's earliest copper mines (c 5000 BCE), the Timna Valley offers an awe-inspiring desert landscape of cliffs and rock…

5. Makharas Canyon

24.62 MILES

This attractive canyon threads through the rock massive known as Seven Pillars of Wisdom and makes for an interesting hike from the visitor centre.

6. Aaron's Tomb

24.93 MILES

Crowning the top of Jebel Haroun, this tomb encased in a 14th-century, whitewashed shrine is thought to be the last resting place of Aaron, Moses' brother…

7. Alameleh Inscriptions

25.11 MILES

Thamudic and Nabataean inscriptions, depicting camel caravans, hunting warriors and various animals, are common throughout the Wadi Rum area. The Alameleh…

8. Siq Umm Tawaqi

25.24 MILES

A popular destination by 4WD is Siq Umm Tawaqi, a beautiful area with mature trees sprouting apparently from the rock face. Locals have carved the…

  • placement: superzone
  • path: Destinations/POIs/superzone
  • possible size: [970, 250], [970, 90], [728, 90], [1, 1],
  • targeting:
    {
      "url": "jordan/petra-and-the-south/attractions/humaiyma-ruins/a/poi-sig/1506556/361079",
      "destination": "Jordan",
      "continent": "Middle-East",
      "country": "Jordan",
      "position": "superzone"
    }