Arabian Peninsula History and Bedouin Life: Wilfred Thesiger's Arabian Sands and His Crossings of the Empty Quarter, 1960

Wilfred Thesiger Arabia Abu Dhabi Oman

First Edition

Thesiger, Wilfred. Arabian Sands, 1960. First edition, second impression of the British explorer's account of his journeys through southern Arabia between 1945 and 1950, including two crossings of the Rub' al Khali, or Empty Quarter, in 1946–1947 and 1947–1948. Thesiger (1910–2003), known among his Arab companions as Mubarak bin London, traveled with Bedouin guides across Oman, the deserts of southern Arabia, Abu Dhabi, and the Trucial Coast, recording tribal customs, camel journeys, desert navigation, territorial disputes, and the practical demands of survival in an arid environment. His account includes detailed descriptions of the Bedouin communities with whom he traveled, particularly their hospitality, tribal loyalties, conflicts, and knowledge of desert routes and water sources. Written before extensive oil development transformed much of southeastern Arabia, the narrative records social and geographical conditions during the final years preceding the region's rapid economic and infrastructural changes.
Thesiger, Wilfred. Arabian Sands. London: Longmans, 1960. First edition, second impression (first published 1959). One volume, 326 pp., measuring approximately 9" x 6". Original cloth hardcover in illustrated dust wrapper. Illustrated with 68 photographic illustrations, seven maps, and a large folding map housed in the rear pocket. The narrative includes chapters devoted to Abu Dhabi, the Trucial Coast, and the Empty Quarter, describing Thesiger's journeys through the territories of present-day Oman, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Yemen. His photographs record Bedouin companions, desert encampments, camel caravans, regional landscapes, and settlements encountered during his travels. The maps trace the principal routes and geographical features of the Arabian interior.
Before undertaking his Arabian journeys, Thesiger served in the Sudan Political Service and participated in military campaigns in Abyssinia and the Western Desert during the Second World War. His subsequent travels in Arabia were conducted largely on foot and by camel, accompanied by Bedouin guides whose knowledge of tribal territories, wells, and desert conditions made the crossings possible. His descriptions of Abu Dhabi and the Trucial Coast predate the formation of the United Arab Emirates in 1971 and the extensive urban development financed by petroleum revenues. Arabian Sands preserves both Thesiger's observations and the experiences of his Arab traveling companions, including Salim bin Kabina and Salim bin Ghabaisha, who accompanied him on major portions of his journeys. The dust wrapper shows edge wear and a small 1 cm tear along the upper edge of the verso. Otherwise, the book is in very good condition, retaining its original dust wrapper, photographic illustrations, maps, and folding map in the rear pocket.

Item #14474

Price: $225.00