13 gorgeous photos of the desert where they shot 'The Martian'

Director Ridley Scott's highly anticipated "The Martian" is in theaters Friday.

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While much of the film will take place on Mars, it's the Middle Eastern desert of Wadi Rum, Jordan, which serves as the backdrop for the movie.

The desert is a Hollywood favorite for films which have taken place on the red planet. 

Keep scrolling to see where movies set on Mars come to life.

wadi rum
The desert of Wadi Rum stood in for the backdrop of "The Martian." Oliver Clarke/Flickr

 

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Here's how Mars looks in "The Martian."

the martian spacesuits
Aidan Monaghan

The production team wanted to find the perfect place to double for the planet's arid, red surface.

the martian matt damon
YouTube/20th Century Fox
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Though they considered using the Australian Outback, the team went with the Jordan desert of Wadi Rum.

wadi rum sunset
Above is a picture of the Wadi Rum desert at sunset. Adam Pretty/Getty Images

The desert, known as The Valley of the Moon, covers about 278 square miles in Jordan's south region.

wadi rum sunrise
Adam Pretty/Getty Images

Source: WadiRum.jo

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Complete with mountains and a reddish hue, the desert certainly looks like it can fill in for Mars.

wadi rum
Oliver Clarke/Flickr
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That's probably why so many Hollywood productions turn to Wadi Rum for movies set on Mars.

wadi rum desert
Luciano/Flickr

 

 

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2000's "Red Planet" and 2013's "The Last Days on Mars" both used the desert as a stand in for the Martian surface.

wadi rum
Adam Pretty/Getty Images

Director Ridley Scott even used Wadi Rum in his alien movie "Prometheus." A few other movies which have been partially filmed in the desert include "Lawrence of Arabia" and "Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen."

wadi rum jordan
Flickr/Marmontel
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While "The Martian" team didn't film the movie on location, they used the desert to fill in for the backdrop of Mars.

wadi rum sunrise
Adam Pretty/Getty Images

Source: "The Martian" production notes

It serves as the perfect backdrop for a place where one may be abandoned.

wadi rum
Nico Caramella/Flickr
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Production designer Arthur Max says the desert is "uncannily similar to Mars in its reddish orange hues."

wadi rum, jordan
Flickr/Lawrence Murray

Source: "The Martian" production notes

It doesn't only look gorgeous in the day. The mountains contrast brilliantly against a blue sky in the evening.

wadi rum night
Lawrence Murray/Flickr
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... but it's also a favorite for rock climbers hoping to scale Wadi Rum's sandstone and granite mountains.

wadi rum seven pillars
This rock formation is known as "The Seven Pillars." Tomobe03/Wikicommons

Source: WadiRum.jo

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It's certainly breathtaking.

wadi rum
Ester Inbar/wikicommons
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