Arabian Sands

Wilfred Thesiger

Jan 2008 · Penguin

About this ebook

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 of Western life-"the machines, the calling cards, the meticulously aligned streets." In the spirit of T. E. Lawrence, he set out to explore the deserts of Arabia, traveling among peoples who had never seen a European and considered it their duty to kill Christian infidels. His now-classic account is invaluable to understanding the modern Middle East.

Ratings and reviews

Thesiger's account of his travels across the Empty Quarter of the Arabian Desert often reads like good fiction. His writing, like the desert he explored, is stark and unadorned. The passion and occasional frustration he feels for the Arab culture, in particular the Bedu people and their way of live, is evident. His awareness that the changes modern technology will bring to this generous and proud people he so deeply admires makes for interesting and worthwhile reading.