Sharjah24 – AFP: Galloping across the shimmering red sands of Jordan's spectacular Wadi Rum valley, more than one hundred riders on horses swept through the lunar-like desert as part of an epic long-distance race.
The 200-kilometre (125-mile) five-day long "Gallops" race, involving mainly amateur jockeys, started in Wadi Rum and ended Friday in the famed ancient desert city of Petra, a UNESCO World Heritage site.
Quazane, an amateur French team comprised of five women medics, took second place, beating the all-male Royal Cavalry of Oman into third spot.
The race was won by another French team, Blue Ghallah, made up of three women and two men.
The cross-country team event, which organisers billed as an "orienteering and endurance equestrian race" across "sparse desert terrains, canyons and mountains" has previously taken place in India, Morocco and Oman.
Organisers say the race draws not only on horse-riding skills, but also competitors' "stamina, their spirit of solidarity, as well as their self-discipline."
Other riders included Princess Jalila bint Ali, from Jordan's royal family.
The race in Jordan brought together riders from across Europe, and as far as Argentia, the United States, Indonesia and Japan.
Looking around at the majestic dunes and stunning rock formations of Wadi Rum -- where Peter O'Toole was filmed riding his horse in the 1962 epic "Lawrence of Arabia" -- Parmentier said the landscapes she rode through were "amazing".
The race finished in front of the famous rock-carved Treasury at Petra, where scenes from the 1989 Hollywood blockbuster "Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade" were shot.
The Covid-19 pandemic badly dented Jordan's tourism industry, which represented over a tenth of its GDP.
The race had been postponed due to coronavirus travel restrictions, and the fact it finally went ahead was seen by tour guide Mohamed Saleem as early evidence of a recovering tourism sector.
For an optimal experience, please
