Historic 1930 Empty Quarter crossing retraced

Muscat: Two Omanis and a Briton are currently retracing the footsteps of British explorer Bertram Thomas, and Shaikh Saleh Bin Kalut, who in 1930 made the historic crossing through the Empty Quarter, one of the worlds largest deserts. They grabbed international headlines.

British explorer Mark Evans, along with two Omani nationals, Mohammad Al Zedjali and Amer Al Wihibi started the arduous trip from Salalah in southern Oman, and will cross into Saudi territory before completing the journey in Qatar. Currently, the men are in Saudi Arabia and their two-month, 1,300km long journey has been half completed.

Although the men are making the journey solely on foot and camel, like Kalut and Thomas, it is a much easier trip compared to their predecessors due to advanced technology and gadgets.

Besides, their food supplies and satellite equipment are carried by two vehicles following the men.

The adventurers are updating their official website daily (www.crossingtheemptyquarter.com) using advanced satellite communication technology.

The official app, Tahaddi Arabia, can be downloaded on mobile phones to receive daily updates. There is also a weekly competition for young followers to win a place on an Outward Bound Oman course to develop their own leadership and life skills. Outword Bound Oman was launched in 2009, and works with some Omani government schools as well as international schools in the country to develop key life skills among the participants, which are difficult to achieve in formal classroom conditions.

So far, the men’s Facebook page has more than 3,000 likes as the adventurers blog everyday sharing stories and pictures from their trip.

Among the challenges the men have faced and documented are sandstorms, water shortages and difficult terrain.

In the course of the journey, the men have camped with bedouin tribes who still roam the desert like their forefathers.

Sayyid Haitham Bin Tariq Al Said, Minister of Culture and Heritage, announced the journey on December 10, 2015 as a part of the celebrations of Oman’s 45th National Day.

Thomas was the first westerner to cross the Empty Quarter. He worked as an interpreter for Salalah’s Shaikh Kalut in the 1920s.

In 1930, Thomas and Bin Kalut made the journey together. The New York Times, among other international newspapers, had the story on its front page.

Despite Bin Kalut’s advanced age, Thomas described him as “immensely strong”, in his book Arabia Felix.

Since then, Bin Kalut has been the only Omani to cross the Empty Quarter.

He died in 1953 in Dubai. Pictures of him can be seen on the walls of Bahrain’s airport, the Sheraton Hotel in Doha and the Salalah Museum.