Sheikh Hamdan's Route
First Recorded Western Ascent
November 1952 • Jebel Rum
November 1952 • Jebel Rum
In November 1952, Sheikh Hamdan Amad guided two British women climbers-Charmian Longstaff and Sylvia Branford-up what would become known as Sheikh Hamdan's Route, marking the first recorded Western ascent in Wadi Rum's modern history. The Bedouin people had been climbing these mountains for countless generations before this documented climb.
This remarkable ascent was documented in the Ladies Alpine Journal of 1953, providing a vivid account of the climb that would inspire generations of climbers to come.
As told by Charmian Longstaff in the Ladies Alpine Journal, 1953
"We started off up broken scree to enter a wide gully leading into the heart of the mountain. Usually these gullies, so promising at first, end, as my husband put it, inhospitably, but we circumvented this by taking to cliff ledges on our right and traversed along always making height until we reached a narrow cleft which led us still further into the mountain along a level gravelly bed."
"I remember a few bushes beside which we had our first rest. To the right of us was vertical cliff and to the left, broken rock leading upwards to a red palisade a thousand feet high."
"Hamdan climbed with bare feet as surely as a mountain goat. We had gym shoes and were glad of them. I suppose really that it was very easy climbing but it was very exposed."
"Sometimes holding one or both of us by the hand, Hamdan led us along horizontal ledges in the cliff face, there always came a time when we had to climb from one ledge to the one above. Once we did this up a small gully that held two tall trees: we found afterwards that they were a kind of juniper."
"Then there were two vertical pitches, and suddenly, we were among the gleaming white of the summit domes. 'The top!' cried Hamdan."
"We looked round us and saw that although we were indeed on the summit plateau we were a long way from its highest point. 'We must go there', we said, pointing towards it. 'If you go there', replied Hamdan, 'You will be very tired'."
"But by now, the spirit of the intrepid woman explorers was in us and it must be the top and nothing but the top."
"'You English women', said Hamdan, 'are as strong as men.'
'You should see our husbands', we replied."
"It had taken us about two hours up to the plateau and it took us another hour up and down the complication of white domes to reach the summit. Between the domes were beds of gravel and these must hold moisture after the rare rains, or perhaps dew, because to our surprise we found junipers growing in them up to two or three times the height of a man."
Sheikh Hamdan's Route remains a classic climb on Jebel Rum
Mountain
Jebel Rum (1,754m)
Grade
P.D. (Peu Difficile)
Time
3-4 hours ascent
Distance
Approximately 2km
First Recorded Western Ascent
Sheikh Hamdan Amad (guide), Sylvia Branford, Charmian Longstaff (November 1952)
A fascinating way to the top of Jebel Rum, with few difficulties but nevertheless requiring a head for heights. The route takes the shaded north-facing wall of the Great Siq, utilizing a long ledge which rises all the way to the domes.
From the domes, with some Bedouin cunning, all major obstacles are passed by a circuitous but enjoyable bit of route finding which arrives at the col immediately north of the summit.
For non-climbers, this is a route well worth doing with a guide and perhaps spending the night up in the flat area in the domes just below the summit.
The route ascends the right (south) wall of the Great Siq, from the inner end of the canyon. The occasional white arrow or cairn marks the line of the route. The only route-finding problems in the lower half are at the very start where the way zig-zags up (never more than grade 2+) to reach the long and obvious ledge which rises gently up the south side of the siq, all the way to the domes. The exit is marked by giant old junipers. A short chimney (grade 3) is the only obstacle along this ramp line.
Once in the little hollow at the start of the domes (possible water), care must again be taken with route finding. The way goes east, then back west above the hollow, then southeast towards the summit, past an awkward descent (grade 3), and up domes, before turning back right down slabs west, to a sandy plateau. The route then goes southeast again to the col just below the top, on the north ridge.
Sheikh Hamdan's Route remains one of the most popular climbs in Wadi Rum, bridging the gap between traditional Bedouin climbing and modern mountaineering.
The route is named after Sheikh Hamdan Amad, who had previously led survey parties to the summit during the early mapping expeditions. His son, Hammad, later established another classic route on Jebel Rum, continuing the family's climbing legacy.
The historical account and route description are sourced from "Treks and Climbs in Wadi Rum, Jordan" by Tony Howard, used with permission from the author.
The original account by Charmian Longstaff was published in the Ladies Alpine Journal, 1953. Tony Howard's comprehensive guidebook has documented this and hundreds of other routes, preserving the climbing history of Wadi Rum for future generations.
Experience the same route that marked the beginning of modern climbing in Wadi Rum. Our certified Bedouin guides can lead you safely to the summit of Jebel Rum.
