The Empty Quarter

---

---

One of the last frontiers yet to fall into mans ownership. A beautiful place strictly reserved for the gutsy who can brave a 1000 kilometer ride into no where with temperatures ranging from 40 to 50 degrees. With camels and sand for company you will be stranded for good if you are not the outdoorsy type. Best way to reach is from Abu Dhabi and hop on a 3 hour drive to reach Madinat Zayed then drive straight on up to Liwa Oasis. The place is the birth place of UAE Royalty, a dead piece of land brought to vibrant life with all the cash of the new found affluence and German technology. After driving few hundred kilometers of lifeless desert this Oasis looks like Scotland in winter. Its a beautiful place with a palace and all that. Liwa can be used as base camp or to fill up the car or your stomach coz that’s the place with last human contact you will have. The landscape begins to change from here, the silvery white sands turn to reddish brown. At sunrise and sunset the sand colour changes into a myriad shades and hues.

Once in Liwa keep following the signs for Morcheeb Dune, UAE's second highest dune after the one in Al Ain. There is an annual race held for cars that can go up the Morcheeb dune face. Word has it that none of the racers ever did it. Morcheeb is as far as a regular car can go coz the road ends there. If you are driving a 4X4 Landcruiser then good on you. Enter The Empty Quarter, the World’s largest sand desert and notorious for quick sands. I personally got inspired by the English explorer Wilfred Thesiger who braved the wrath of nomads with the help of Rashid’s and crossed the Empty Quarter to reach the Trucial coast. Ofcourse my trip was not as exiting or eventful as my man Thesiger coz all those nomads have been lured into the city by tempting lifestyle. I don't balme them but I do have an immense respect for those who coninue to life life the old way.

While there do take care of your equipment from the sand and salt content in the air especially the cameras. And DO NOT under-estimate the height of the dunes. They are pretty high but the clear skyline creates and illusion of nearness. No one wants to get the car struck there even if you have a shovel and loads of experience in outdoor driving. One thing you have not faced before is the heat so watch out. Also keep a close eye on the salt flats, early in the mornings they are quite sticky and tend to slip under your foot or tyre.

If you are planning to go there do read Thesiger's book which can provide wonderful insights about desert life and their values. Though it is called The Empty Quarter it is a place full of inspiration and creative development.

---