In a landmark announcement made in Amman over the weekend, Jordan’s Minister of Tourism and Antiquities, Lina Annab, revealed the discovery of the Kingdom’s first-ever royal pharaonic hieroglyphic inscription. The press conference—held in the presence of eminent Egyptian archaeologist Dr. Zahi Hawass—coincided with World Heritage Day on April 18, underscoring Jordan’s deep and multifaceted cultural legacy.
The newly identified carving dates back to the reign of Pharaoh Ramses III (1186–1155 BCE) and is located within the rugged terrain of the Wadi Rum Protected Area in southern Jordan. It consists of two distinct royal cartouches engraved on a basalt outcrop: one bearing Ramses III’s birth name, Usermaatre Meryamun, and the other his throne name, Ramses Heqaiunu, proclaiming his rule over Upper and Lower Egypt.
This extraordinary find was first brought to light last August by Mardhi Jelbakh, a Saudi visitor who noticed the hieroglyphs on a rocky promontory near the Jordan–Saudi border. His social‑media posts alerted Jordanian and Saudi heritage authorities, setting in motion a joint academic collaboration between Jordan’s Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities and the Saudi Heritage Commission. To formalize this partnership, Minister Annab signed a memorandum of understanding with the Zahi Hawass Foundation for Archaeology and Heritage, pledging to share expertise and bolster efforts to safeguard humanity’s cultural patrimony.
Reflecting on the discovery, Dr. Hawass emphasized its significance: “This is not simply an isolated inscription—it is official Pharaonic epigraphy carved on Jordanian soil. The presence of Ramses III’s cartouches suggests either a direct military expedition into the southern Levant or sustained diplomatic and trade contacts more than three millennia ago.” He called for systematic excavations at the site, anticipating that further digs could uncover additional artifacts illuminating the ancient relationship between Egypt and the Arabian Peninsula.
Pharaoh Ramses III is celebrated as the last of the warrior pharaohs of Egypt’s New Kingdom, famed for repelling the Sea Peoples and for monumental projects such as the Medinet Habu temple. Until now, evidence of his reign had been confined largely to Egyptian and Levantine sites; this Wadi Rum inscription extends his reach into Jordan, opening new avenues for understanding Late Bronze Age geopolitics and commerce.
Jordanian members of the discovery team—Dr. Ali Al‑Manasir of the Hashemite University and Ahmed Lash of the Department of Antiquities—noted that preliminary analysis hints Ramses III may have led his southern campaign in person or through symbolic representation, aiming to secure ancient trade routes and control copper and other valuable resources in the region.
Beyond Wadi Rum, Dr. Hawass’s visit to Jordan included field inspections at the regional conservation center in Jerash, the Citadel in Amman, and ongoing excavations at Ayla in Aqaba. He also reiterated his call for a national archaeological museum in Amman—an institution that, modeled on the Grand Egyptian Museum’s innovative display techniques, would showcase Jordan’s rich epigraphic and material heritage to the world.
For travelers and heritage enthusiasts alike, this discovery reaffirms Jordan’s reputation as an open‑air museum where every canyon and cliff face may yet hold an untold story. As excavations continue, Wadi Rum invites visitors not only to marvel at its dramatic landscapes but also to stand where the ambitions of an ancient pharaoh were once immortalized in stone.
