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French Fortress / Desert Forges, Jordan
The French Fortress is a mysterious castle-like structure in the Wadi Rum desert of Jordan. Despite its appearance, it is not an ancient ruin surrounded by shifting sands. In reality, it is the abandoned set of a short-lived gameshow from the late 1990s and early 2000s.
An abandoned TV gameshow set in the Wadi Rum Desert
TV viewers of the 1990s and early 2000s were familiar with gameshows. One of my favourites was Crystal Maze; an adventure-style gameshow where contestants solved puzzles and competed in physical challenges set against various themed stages. This British show was inspired by a French iteration called Fort Boyard. In the French gameshow, contestants sailed out to an offshore fort just off the coast to compete in the challenges and win prizes.
France 2, the production company behind Fort Boyard, has announced plans for another adventure game show to air as part of their winter programming. This show would be called Les Forges du Désert (The Desert Forges) and would take place in Jordan’s Wadi Rum Desert. A desert fortress, surrounded by sand and set against a rocky backdrop, would act as basecamp and site of some of the challenges.
The French Fortress was abandoned after the show was cancelled in 2001. Nowadays it is occasionally used as a backdrop for film and television productions.
Exploring the French Fortress
The fortress is around 7km away from the nearest road, so is best reached by 4×4 or camel. I opted for the former. A double whammy of “firsts”: my first experience driving a 4×4, and my first off-roading adventure. With some mandatory Bedouin music playing loudly on the radio, I headed off across the sand dunes.
The French Fortress is made of concrete and steel, and it is designed to look like an ancient ruin. It is quite convincing! It is roughly rectangular in plan view and has towers and ramparts. There was also a moat, but this is now indistinguishable and lost to the sands. Inside most of the buildings were empty, just facades for exterior shots during the show.
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