Hotels-live.com - Photograph by @JohnStanmeyer for @natgeo Jabal al-Mazmar mountains in Wadi Rum, sometimes called The Seven Pillars of Wisdom, photographed under moonlight while on assignment earlier this year in Jordan for part III of the @OutofEdenWalk

Hotels-live.com - Photograph by @JohnStanmeyer for @natgeo Jabal al-Mazmar mountains in Wadi Rum, sometimes called The Seven Pillars of Wisdom, photographed under moonlight while on assignment earlier this year in Jordan for part III of the @OutofEdenWalk project, appearing in the December 2014 issue of National Geographic magazine. Legend has it that T. E. Lawrence — the famed Lawrence of Arabia — used these mountains in Wadi Rum as the title inspiration for his book, Seven Pillars of Wisdom. Reality...it appears that a few years ago, marketers wanted to brand these pinnacles — located in a truly surreal and must see epic wadi (also known as Valley of the Moon) — lending the famous title of the book to this spectacular mountain. T. E. Lawrence actually carved the title, Seven Pillars of Wisdom, from Book of Proverbs (9:1): “Wisdom has built a house; she has hewn out her seven pillars”. Local bedouins still call this wind carved juggernaut, Jabal al-Mazmar. Days spent in jaw-dropping awe before this edifice, I felt them as the Five Pillars of Inspiration. Why five? There are only five pinnacles to be seen. The remaining that add to seven are on the side. Even with this misfortunate name spinning, there are few mountains that can conjure more humbling awe than Jabal al-Mazmar. Next week arrives to newsstands and mailboxes the December 2014 issue of National Geographic magazine. Be sure to pick it up for my latest story, “Blessed. Cursed. Claimed”, Part III of the Out of Eden Walk project. All my best, John Stanmeyer @thephotosociety #Jordan #JabalalMazmar #WadiRum #MiddleEast #sevenpillarsofwisdom #night #moonlight #mountain #pillars #pinnacles #desert @Hotelslive by natgeo instagram.com/p/vcYNhUIVQi/ Follow #Instagram @Hotelspaschers instagram.com/hotelspaschers and @Voyageslive #Twitter #TeamFollowBack #Natgeo #Voyage #Travel #TFB #FollowTrick www.facebook.com/125048940862168/photos/a.801751693191886... via Hotels-live.com www.facebook.com/pages/p/125048940862168 #Retweet #TeamFollowBack #F4F #TityFollowTrain via http://flic.kr/p/q2ZUKo