Blowing sand and winter floods shaped the sandstone into natural bridges and curving arches. The presence of iron oxide gives the mountains and sand a red color. The Rum Village sits one mile above sea level and the surrounding desert area is home to Jordan's highest point, Jabal Umm ad Dami (6,083 feet).

The sand in Jordan's Wadi Rum desert, famously known as the "Valley of the Moon," is a striking deep ochre or "brick red" color. This distinct hue is caused by high levels of iron oxide in the ancient sandstone that has eroded over millennia. While the "Red Desert" areas are the most famous and are where movies like The Martian and Dune were filmed, Wadi Rum also features sections of white and light yellow sand in its southern and eastern reaches. The contrast between the towering, dark sandstone cliffs and the bright red dunes is particularly dramatic at sunrise and sunset when the low light intensifies the crimson tones. In 2026, many "glamping" resorts are situated specifically in the red sand zones to provide guests with the most "extraterrestrial" visual experience possible, and the sand is so fine that it is often described as feeling like silk to the touch.