‘Widening Namalah road in southern region reduces travel time to vital attractions’

AMMAN — Tourism stakeholders on Thursday commended the widening of a large part of Wadi Namala road for its contributions to shortening the travel time from Petra to Wadi Araba and the Dead Sea.

Namalah is a vital shortcut from Petra to many other attractions including the Dead Sea and the only direct road between Petra and Feynan Eco-lodge, located in Wadi Araba region.

Travel agents and tourist guides also called for widening the whole road but the Petra Development and Tourism Region Authority (PDTRA) said that such project would “harm the surrounding landscape and ancient monuments along the street”. 

On Wednesday, Public Works and Housa Minister Sami Halasa inaugurated a 10-kilometre part of the road that with a cost of JD4 million, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, said.

Part of the road falls within the boundaries of PDTRA, which pledged to maintain it with consideration to the special archaeological and natural features the road passes through.

PDTRA Deputy Chief Commissioner Suleiman Farajat said that, due the road’s surrounding landscape being “an attraction itself” full of ancient monuments, the authority prefers not to open a highway. Instead, it will allow some reconstructions with strict touristic and natural standards.

Usama Twal, a tourist guide, said he does not support widening the road because “it would damage ancient monuments scattered on its sides”. 

For the Jordan Society of Tourism and Travel Agents President Mohammad Samih, all parts of the road should be reconstructed so that vehicles carrying tourists can use it, saving both time and money. 

“In addition to economic benefits, the road will shorten the driving time to various sites such as the Dead Sea or the Baptism Site,” Samih added.

Tourist driver Omar Mustafa said that Namalah takes one hour less than routes going up to Amman then descending back to the Dead Sea.

For Jordan Tourist Guides Association President Hasan Ababneh, the road is a vital alternative during weather and other emergencies.

“Sometimes, vehicles cannot use the desert highway during sand storms. Without Namalah, tourists would have to wait and waste a lot of time,” he explained.

Large-sized buses cannot use the road the whole way to Petra due to only two very narrow curves near the heritage site, according to Ababneh, who said that he has informed the Tourism Ministry since last year but has received no answer so far.

“Without Namalah, locals have to travel hundreds of additional kilometres to reach Mann, 220km south of Amman,” MP of southern Badia district Shaha Amareen told The Jordan Times, noting that, with the new renovations, the local societies will also work on establishing a bus company to carry locals to Maan and Petra.

The Namalah road has been used by the local communities of Feynan, Qreiqra and other regions in Wadi Araba, for centuries, used by Bedouins to travel to Maan, the main city in southern Jordan, she said.