Cairo: A Saudi man has been living the in desert for 65 years after the death of his parents and brothers, according to a TV interview.
The man, identified as Mazyad Al Shaibani, said he had been staying all those years in the Afif desert in the governorate of Afif, around 500 kilometres from the Saudi capital Riyadh.
His abode is a tent pitched around 30 kilometres from the paved road, east of Afif.
“We have been here since my father brought us here around 100 years ago,” the old man told Saudi TV Al Ekhbariya.
“My parents and four brothers died. The last one passed away three years ago,” he added. According to the report, Mazyad was born and grew up in the harsh desert that has left its mark on his physical features.
He said he wanted to get married, but he did not have enough money. “I need someone to keep me company and chat with me.”
During the interview, his attention was drawn to the interviewer’s mobile phone, but Mazyad said he did not know the gadget or how to use it. He looked happy when the interviewer offered to take his photo on the mobile phone.
An illiterate, Mazyad said he only learns by heart from Islam’s Holy Quran, the short chapter of “Al Ikhlas” or Purity of Faith. The four-verse surah declares the unity of Allah and is also known as Al Tawhid or monotheism.
It is not clear how Mazyad’s daily life proceeds in the desert, or what he does to eke out his living.
