I have recently read a number of books that either focused on or worked on the fringes of the tribal arab cultures. For years I meant to read Arabian Sands, Wilfred Thesiger’s account of two punishing camel journeys during the late 1940s across Southern Arabia’s Empty Quarter. com.
The sands were governed by the ways of Bedouins and tribes and sheiks and sultans and the various alliances and enmities that existed.
Even though he was born to British parents (stationed in Africa at the time of his birth), and educated in the UK, he said that he was most at home in the Arabian Desert. Over the course of three or Nearly every listing of the best best travel books mentions this book. What a badass -- and therefore how much more impressive his Arab companions are, about whom he says: "I shall always remember how often I was humbled by those illiterate herdsmen who possessed, in so much greater measure than I, generosity and courage, endurance, patience, and lighthearted gallantry. For starters, Thesiger devoted little energy to visually describing things. 0140095144 Hmmm, well, I guess I can't honestly recommend this. In the spirit of T. E. Lawrence, he set out to explore the deserts of Arabia, traveling a"Arabian Sands" is Wilfred Thesiger's record of his extraordinary journey through the parched "Empty Quarter" of Arabia. Educated at Eton and Oxford, Thesiger was repulsed by the softness and rigidity His respect for the people who guided him around the Sands at the height of colonialism, his acceptance of cultural differences, and his ability in adapting comfortably, all endeared him to me, despite his crotchety attitude at times.Before I start, I have to declare I was pretty apprehensive about this book, and it sat on my shelves for a long time.
He was friends with ShI enjoyed reading about the near past of this region I live in. I advise against choosing the audiobook format. The book was one man’s love affair with the hardship of desert sand and the people who had called it their home -- the Bedu. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. The key of survival lies in the power of community; alone you are doomed in the waterless sands. Reading Arabian Sands was an incredible experience for me, not only because as a standalone work it's the best piece of travel writing I've come across, but also its insight into a people, the Arabs, and religion, Islam, that I had been searching for. It was with this curiosity that I chose this book. But Thesiger draws me into his story gradually. While Thesiger's occasionally describes the deserts physical details, the book is really a study of its the psychological landscape it creates. Do not read this book to be entertained, read it if you have a curiosity about the place, the time or the culture.
Sir Wilfred Patrick Thesiger, KBE, DSO, MA, DLitt, FRAS, FRSL, FRGS, FBA, was a British explorer and travel writer born in Addis Ababa, the capital of Ethiopia.Sir Wilfred Patrick Thesiger, KBE, DSO, MA, DLitt, FRAS, FRSL, FRGS, FBA, was a British explorer and travel writer born in Addis Ababa, the capital of Ethiopia.“I had learnt the satisfaction which comes from hardship and the pleasure which derives from abstinence; the contentment of a full belly; the richness of meat; the taste of clean water; the ecstasy of surrender when the craving of sleep becomes a torment; the warmth of a fire in the chill of dawn.”“Yet I wondered fancifully if he had seen more clearly than they did, had sensed the threat which my presence implied – the approaching disintegration of his society and the destruction of ‘his beliefs. Published Undoubtedly the journeys were fascinating and worthy of a certain amount of awe, but I didn't enjoy the writing. The book covers Thesiger's explorations of Yemen, The Empty Quarter, Oman, and parts of the then Trucial States from about 1945 to 1950. He had an unconventional life; born in Addis Ababa in Abyssinia, he spent the war in the region ending up in the SAS, before falling in love with the place and deciding to spend more time exploring it. He immersed himself into their life, sharing food and water, hardship and company. Books to Borrow.
This is travel for travel's sake and very much akin to a purist view which almost overshadows the sheer achievement and incredible adversity, the latter Thesiger takes in his stride. He was the first Westerner to explore some of the areas and did it as a traveller with Beduin companions. I hope this helps. O, to kneel in the midst of an austere dunescape, scan the near-invisible traces of a bird's tracks on the shifting sands beneath my feet, and then mutter softly to my companions, "God willing we will eat bustard tomorrow."
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