Following in the footsteps of “Philby”…a team explores the deserts of Saudi Arabia
British explorer Mark Evans and his team, which includes Saudi traveler Abdullah Philby’s granddaughter, Reem Philby, British logistics expert Alan Morrissey, and Swiss photographer Anna Maria Pallafaci, will set off tomorrow.
The trip aims to follow the journey of the “Heart of the Arabian Peninsula” undertaken by the traveler Abdullah Philby in 1917, who began his journey 106 years ago. A humpback, to reach the area of Al-Quwaiya and Wadi Al-Sardah, to continue his journey on camel back for more than a week between the ruggedness of the slopes of the influence, mountains and valleys in the land of the Arabian Peninsula and its difficulty, until he landed his travelers in the “Shubra Palace” in the Taif Governorate.
Then, he will complete his last walk by camel from the heights of the mountains and valleys to Jeddah, “Nassif House”, to mark the end of that march after he traveled hundreds of kilometers in “Historic Jeddah” or what is known as Al-Balad, recording approximately 1,300 kilometers of the Arabian Peninsula from its east to its west. , with the aim of identifying the desert and collecting scientific data, according to the Saudi Press Agency, “SPA”.
3 weeks across deserts
The team, which will spend 3 weeks through the deserts, is led by British explorer Mark Evans, as the journey will begin tomorrow at 10 am from the Al-Turaif neighborhood until Mark and his team of explorers reach the camp with influence on the first day of its launch, carrying with them their personal belongings, and their daily food and drink, on foot. Camels in the midst of a harsh winter.
The trip also sheds light on the historical and lasting relationship between the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and Britain, clarifying and building the correct understanding of the desert, and celebrating its ancient and authentic history.
“Expanding our knowledge of the desert”
In addition, Evans said, “The team will use the expedition as Philby to expand our knowledge of the desert, as we conduct research for important international scientific projects that look at how our world has evolved, and learn from that view towards our future, which leads to a greater understanding of our world.”
He added that they carry the flag of the Explorers Club that went to the moon, which is a great privilege that is granted only to those expeditions that aim to expand human knowledge, as the team will work on major projects, namely: harsh environments and the psychology of the remote site, which will deal with the DRIFT project led by Nathan Smith of Coventry University, focuses on the psychological impact of living in highly isolated environments, and aims to produce a self-supporting tool that would enable humans to live on the Moon or Mars.
He also added that the team will work on “Bat Distribution”, a project led by King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, where more than 30 species of bats live in the Arabian Peninsula, and they play a vital role in the desert environment, and finally the “Green Arabia” project, which is led by the Director of Australian Center for Human Revolution Michael Petraglia records artifacts found in the desert, which will lead to a better understanding of environmental changes in the desert over the past million years.
