Latest: Heart of Arabia expedition arrives in Riyadh after two weeks in the desert
A team of explorers will embark on a 1,300-kilometre expedition across Saudi Arabia in November, retracing the route first documented by the British explorer Harry St John Philby in 1917.
The Heart of Arabia Expedition was announced by its patron, British royal Princess Anne, in London on Tuesday.
Oman-based explorer Mark Evans will lead the group by foot and camel for 30 days across the Arabian Peninsula, from Al Uqair in the east, to Jeddah on the western coast.
The route will take the group across the kingdom's vast deserts, where temperatures can exceed 50°C and water sources are scarce.
Mr Evans, who heads the NGO Outward Bound Oman, has previously led a range of desert expeditions including a 49-day crossing of Saudi Arabia's Empty Quarter in 2016.
He will be accompanied by Saudi explorer Reem Philby, the granddaughter of the man who crossed Arabia in 1917.
She cited “the great opportunity to follow the footsteps my grandfather walked over a century ago and the chance to learn some stories about him” as her motivation for the trip.
Philby’s original expedition provided valuable information about the geography and landscape of central Arabia that led to the drawing up of new maps of the area. He published a detailed account of the journey in his 1922 book, Heart of Arabia.
The trek was one of many undertaken by Philby, who was based in Arabia for several decades in various capacities. Originally a British military officer sent to Arabia in 1917, he stayed in the region after the First World War and became an adviser to Saudi Arabia’s founder, King Abdulaziz Ibn Saud.
Philby converted to Islam in 1930, taking the name Abdullah. He had a deep interest in the history, culture and geography of Arabia, which he explored on various trips and wrote numerous books about.
Mr Evans' Heart of Arabia expedition also aims to gather data from the route for various research projects, including monitoring the distribution of bats in the desert and the long-term effects of environmental change.
Photographer Ana-Maria Pavalache, who has previously shot the desert landscapes of Oman’s Sharqiya Sands, will be documenting the journey.
While the 2022 expedition will benefit from easier access to supplies than Philby — the walking and camel-riding team will be supported by cars — logistics head Alan Morrissey predicted the group would still face challenges.
“Every day, there will be reminders of the challenges that must have faced travellers 100 years ago. Our own challenges may be very different … but nevertheless we will proceed with a sense of the unknown on a daily basis,” he said.
The expedition is set to begin on November 15. It is divided into two legs, with the first ending in Riyadh on November 30.
The team will then set out from Old Diriyah, close to Riyadh, on January 15 — with the aim of reaching Jeddah on January 30.
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Excellence in Education: World Innovation Summit for Education (WISE) (Qatar)
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Scientific and Technological Achievement: Mohamed Slim Alouini (KSA)
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Pakistan T20 series squad
Sarfraz Ahmed (captain), Fakhar Zaman, Ahmed Shahzad, Babar Azam, Shoaib Malik, Mohammed Hafeez, Imad Wasim, Shadab Khan, Mohammed Nawaz, Faheem Ashraf, Hasan Ali, Amir Yamin, Mohammed Amir (subject to fitness clearance), Rumman Raees, Usman Shinwari, Umar Amin
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Getting there
The flights
Emirates and Etihad fly to Johannesburg or Cape Town daily. Flights cost from about Dh3,325, with a flying time of 8hours and 15 minutes. From there, fly South African Airlines or Air Namibia to Namibia’s Windhoek Hosea Kutako International Airport, for about Dh850. Flying time is 2 hours.
The stay
Wilderness Little Kulala offers stays from £460 (Dh2,135) per person, per night. It is one of seven Wilderness Safari lodges in Namibia; www.wilderness-safaris.com.
Skeleton Coast Safaris’ four-day adventure involves joining a very small group in a private plane, flying to some of the remotest areas in the world, with each night spent at a different camp. It costs from US$8,335.30 (Dh30,611); www.skeletoncoastsafaris.com
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Saudi Arabia – 103 infected, 0 dead, 1 recovered
UAE – 86 infected, 0 dead, 23 recovered
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Qatar – 337 infected, 0 dead, 4 recovered
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Date started: May 2018
Founder: Pir Arkam
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Sector: Additive manufacturing (aka, 3D printing)
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The flights
Whether you trek after mountain gorillas in Rwanda, Uganda or the Congo, the most convenient international airport is in Rwanda’s capital city, Kigali. There are direct flights from Dubai a couple of days a week with RwandAir. Otherwise, an indirect route is available via Nairobi with Kenya Airways. Flydubai flies to Kinshasa in the Democratic Republic of Congo, via Entebbe in Uganda. Expect to pay from US$350 (Dh1,286) return, including taxes.
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Founders: Omar and Humaid Alzaabi
Based: Abu Dhabi
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Basquiat in Abu Dhabi
One of Basquiat’s paintings, the vibrant Cabra (1981–82), now hangs in Louvre Abu Dhabi temporarily, on loan from the Guggenheim Abu Dhabi.
The latter museum is not open physically, but has assembled a collection and puts together a series of events called Talking Art, such as this discussion, moderated by writer Chaedria LaBouvier.
It's something of a Basquiat season in Abu Dhabi at the moment. Last week, The Radiant Child, a documentary on Basquiat was shown at Manarat Al Saadiyat, and tonight (April 18) the Guggenheim Abu Dhabi is throwing the re-creation of a party tonight, of the legendary Canal Zone party thrown in 1979, which epitomised the collaborative scene of the time. It was at Canal Zone that Basquiat met prominent members of the art world and moved from unknown graffiti artist into someone in the spotlight.
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Guggenheim Abu Dhabi's Canal Zone Remix is at Manarat Al Saadiyat, Thursday April 18, from 8pm. Free entry to all. Basquiat's Cabra is on view at Louvre Abu Dhabi until October
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Spring break will be from March 8 - 19
Public school pupils will undergo distance learning from March 22 - April 2. School hours will be 8.30am to 1.30pm
Staff will be trained in distance learning programmes from March 15 - 19
Teaching hours will be 8am to 2pm during distance learning
Pupils will return to school for normal lessons from April 5
FIXTURES
Monday, January 28
Iran v Japan, Hazza bin Zayed Stadium (6pm)
Tuesday, January 29
UAEv Qatar, Mohamed Bin Zayed Stadium (6pm)
Friday, February 1
Final, Zayed Sports City Stadium (6pm)
How it works
Each player begins with one of the great empires of history, from Julius Caesar's Rome to Ramses of Egypt, spread over Europe and the Middle East.
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MATCH INFO
Karnataka Tuskers 110-5 (10 ovs)
Tharanga 48, Shafiq 34, Rampaul 2-16
Delhi Bulls 91-8 (10 ovs)
Mathews 31, Rimmington 3-28
Karnataka Tuskers win by 19 runs