The Embassy of the Hashemite Kingdom of JordanWashington, d.c.

Filmmakers have to do a lot with the tools they’re given, we don’t yet live in an age where you can pop over to Mars to shoot your movie. Till that day comes, the next best thing for the majority of sci-fi films or just films looking for a beautiful desert landscape, is a place in Jordan.
 

Wadi Rum in Jordan, also known as the Valley of the Moon, is the largest wadi in Jordan and one of the most featured deserts in all of cinema. The valley is cut into the sandstone and granite, creating an almost martian-like landscape for filmmakers to play with.
 

Beyond its surreal appearance, it is also downright beautiful, serving as a popular backdrop to many Arab-set films.

A popular Jordanian coastal resort on the Red Sea has found a new use for out-of-service tanks, armored troop carriers and even a helicopter: as building blocks of an artificial reef and an underwater museum.
 

A helicopter donated by the Royal Jordanian Air Force was one of several military relics submerged on Wednesday as part of the display by the Aqaba Special Economic Zone Authority.
 

The authority is promoting the environmental and tourism benefits of the underwater installation, which will create a reef for marine life.

The Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan (best recognized simply as Jordan) is considered by many to be one of the Middle East’s most mesmerizing destinationsOpens a New Window.. Despite ongoing turmoil between neighboring nations, JordanOpens a New Window. has been consistently referred to as an oasis of stability in an oft-dismissed corner of the globe. As one of the region’s safest countries, it’s also one of the tiniest—but don’t let that fool you. What Jordan may lack in size, it more than makes up for in culture, adventure, and unforgettable attractions.

Home to about 10 million people, the semi-arid country sprawls over approximately 35,000 square miles (roughly the same size as Indiana or Portugal). Its impressive collection of iconic sites have long enchanted visitors, like the ancient rose-colored city of PetraOpens a New Window.; Wadi Rum’sOpens a New Window.dramatic, Mars-like landscapes; and the intense blue waters of the Dead SeaOpens a New Window., aka the lowest point on earth. But while most visitors use Amman (the country’s bustling capital) as a basecamp during their Jordanian journey, there’s a new hotspot that’s starting to build some serious buzz.

"There are many reasons to visit Jordan—the “long-lost” city of Petra, carved by an ancient civilization out of the red sandstone mountains; Wadi Rum, the romantically gorgeous desert of Lawrence of Arabia; the spot on the Jordan River where John the Baptist baptized Jesus; and a welcome by the people that is both so sincere and so warm that even the most jaded traveler will be charmed by the hospitality."