Image supplied by David Goldberg

Forsskal’s last resting place

By

David Goldberg

One of the fascinations of place names is their different spellings. Forsskal did die in modern-day Yemen ( see here) on 11^th July 1763.

However, many renditions spell the name as “Jerim”. Why the difference is beyond this author to explain. One thing is known though: it was not a peaceful death; and the internment was not without its drama either.

Perforce, Forsskal’s own diary of the expedition* of which he was a member (commissioned by the Danish King Frederick V, it lasted from 1761- 1767 and the only survivor was CarstenNeibuhr) does not record any of the Jarim events. (*A JOURNEY TO ARABIA FELIX 1761-1763, English Translation by SILVESTER MAZZARELLA).

An authoritative source is Thorkild Hansen’s Arabia Felix.

In Taizz, having come from Mocha, and getting ready to depart for Sana (and then India), Forsskal  collapsed.  It was the 23^rd June 1763. He “…lay blue  in the face, his body racked by gallstone pains”, shivering with a fever. Without warning he had been struck down with malaria. Forsskal insisted on proceeding and he was carried to his donkey.  Four days later, after numerous halts and sheltering from downpours, thecaravan arrived in the village of Abb.  Forsskal became increasingly weak and racked by intense gallstone pains. After Baarken, they reached Mensil at the foot of Mount Summara.  Finding a well-appointed caravanserai there,  it was decided to rest there for some days to allow Forsskal (and also Niebuhr who was by now also ill) to rest. But, the camel drivers argued to move on to Jerim in order to replenish food supplies and on 5^th July they left Mensil for Jerim which necessitated traversing Mount Summara. Forsskal was so weak he had to be lashed to a camel’s back like a ‘half-empty sack…the remains of his vomit trickling down the dusty flanks of the beast’.

The Inn at Jerim did not have any private rooms, so after searching,  premises were rented ‘for an exorbitant rent…so that Forsskal might have a house to die in.’ No Muslim present ‘….could be persuaded to help carry the sick man from the inn to the house’ and he was borne there on his camp bed by his expedition colleagues(including the exhausted Neibuhr); they had to dodge a barrage of stones after some of the locals got jostled in the process.

Days passed; Niehbuhr drew a sketch of the town from the window of the room where Forsskal lay dying. Forsskal weakened and around 100pm on the 10^th July he fell into a coma; ‘The following morning at half-past nine Peter Forsskal died in the town of Jerim in Arabia Felix, aged thirty-one’.

Neibuhr had to find someone to report the death to and then buy a plot of land to bury the body. The deal fell through because it was near a ditch used to take water to irrigate the surrounding fields.  The seller called off the sale because he feared being held responsible if the water were to ever dry up or became spoilt ‘because of the Christian buried there.’  Niebuhr found another plot but it was less easy to find men to carry the body to the grave. Only on the following day did he contract with ‘six ragged coolies’. The burial was conducted in great haste in the dead of night so no one would see and the grave was dug ‘only a few spade-depths below ground.’ The next night, the body was  exhumed by grave robbers. The body’s shroud was unwrapped and it was left ‘naked on the ground.’ The dola was informed and he ‘ordered a Jew to rebury the body.’ As payment, the dola authorised the man to keep the coffin.

Thus ended the life of an extraordinary Finnish-Swede. He is globally known as one of Linnaeus’ apostles and a natural scientist and botanist of note. Less well known is that in 1756, whilst a student at the University of Gottigen, he published a dissertation attacking the prevailing rationalist philosophy of Christian Wolff (Forsskal was a pragmatic empiricist). Even less known, is his 1759 pamphlet, Thoughts on Civil Liberty which advocated freedom of expression and information; religious tolerance; and the abolition of aristocratic privileges. Considered to contain “dangerous ideas”, Uppsala University declined to approve it and it was published – in Swedish – commercially by Lars Salvius. On that day, 23^rd November 1759, the Swedish Chancellry banned it (although it had been approved by the censor,  Nils von Oelreich). None other than Linnaeus, the Rector of Uppsala University, was ordered to retrieve the 500 copies Forsskal had distributed that day (although only 79 were found).

The pamphlet is accessible in English, French, Russian, Spanish, Arabic, Hebrew, Mandarin and Finnish (with Greek, Turkish, Romanian, Italian and Hindi to follow) at <http.peterforsskal.com>. The book (in Swedish and English) can be purchased via the website. Project Forsskal is directed by me, David Goldberg.

David Goldberg is an information rights advocate, consultant and academic, based in Glasgow, Scotland. He can be reached at this email at (davgoldberg@gmail.com)

But, I have only slept three hours per night!

————Actually, I was so tired, so I fell a sleep writing this, which means, three more days, we have gone from Cusco to Puno to Lima, where I am sitting at the hotel waiting to finish the trip with a half day tour of the town which Fransisco Pizarro made the capital of Peru, Lima.——-

There´s so many details, except supplying the group with as much interesting stories as possible and details of everything, but you have to tend to everyone in the group with lots of care, attention and love, plus settle the wake up calls, see to that all the luggage get  picked up and moved to the rooms, see to that you as a tour guide looks neat and clean, always in a good mood, no matter how tired, well, it does work.! But it would be so much harder, without the help of the local guides.the ones in South America is the best in the world. One ends up with quite a few new good friends! They´re knowledgeable, funny, helpful and kind. And you learn so much from them yourself!

Well, this trip has been really great, and this is due to the clients and the local guides. Of course, Peruvians and Ecuadorians are really great in every way as a people as well. Best of all was Metropolitans great Faride Altamirano which made our trip a dream!

Aah, as regards to the negative sides of travelling the world, passing through Schiphol in Amsterdam is a really bad experience. The border police there, is becoming as unfriendly and arrogant as the Americans in the US, which by ease are the unfriendliest on earth. These two countries must have misunderstood the meaning of officers being employed by the people.

Naw, better you watch the videos and see the photos here!

My answer to this email was simple and direct: “You lost motivation and you hadn’t prepared enough!”

His email was similar to hundreds I have received in the last 25 years. After reviewing all of them at length, I realised these failed expeditions often had three things in common: Explorers had lost motivation, and they had failed to understand the need for good sleep, and the benefits of good food.

When the going got too tough, they proved not tough enough to keep on going! Key to any successful expedition is understanding why you go through all these hardships – at the most difficult of moments remember what it is that drives you, and draw on this, it can be your motivation.

Good sleep and good food are the two most important pillars of a successful expedition. If you don’t know how and where to pitch your tent, you will eventually fail due to lack of sleep.

The tent is your fortress and your home, where you spend most of your exploring life. This is where you rest, feed and recuperate. Don’t set off on an expedition until you can sleep very well in your tent. I have spent over 2500 nights in tents – many of them before even setting off.

As important, is being able to cook a great meal. You need energy and rest to be able to make the right decisions. So don’t leave before you know how to cook a gourmet meal on your petrol stove!

That said, you could just get out there! Trust me, this advice is only complementary; you really need to be out on the ground learning the lessons of exploration, if you want to succeed.

I spent more than two months in Malta when I was 17 and I still today remember how impressed I was back than with this very special island. I am still impressed! Even though we only had a day, with a great guide Ana, and only saw and experienced fragments of Malta, I once again, fell in love with it. It is a very tidy, somewhat medieval and modern country in one, with its own language, tempo of life and a history which of course is very specific due to its isolated existence in the middle of the Mediterranean. It has a very strong catholic presence still today and our first stop once we easily got out of the cruise ship, was the picturesque and medieval town of Medina, where we spent a few hours listening to Ana and exploring its tourist resources and narrow winding alleys. It is a dry, somewhat barren landscape, but farming is seen everywhere and life seems very laid back. For lunch we wanted a break from the cruise ship food, so we headed down to a coastal village dominated by beautiful fishing boats and once again, a medieval, Mediterranean feel and the lunch was the best of the trip. The octopus sauce and bread, world class! So was also the view overlooking the harbour and the company was great. We´d only been together a mere day and we were already expanding on the virtues of future exploration on all levels.

After lunch we travelled on narrow back roads back to the capital Valetta, visited a great cathedral and came across the life story of the Italian painter Caravaggio. I think his story and his big paintings was the highlight of the trip!

After having a whole day off the cruise ship, I felt more at ease getting back on it. Quite a few of the passengers had stayed on board enjoying the swimming pools and recreational stuff which is possible on such a massive ship. It is a bit like a floating Canary Island experience at time. Loads of Europeans frying their fat in the sun, looking like they had a bad hangover reading cheap novels. One thing I do appreciate with the cruise ship travel is the ease by which one arrives at a new destination over the night, and we always gets a spectacular first view of the day, especially from our high positioned suites. And the ease which one disembarks and later get on to the ship again. So much easier and less stressful than the airports. Especially if you are American, used to the ridiculous and unfriendly security behaviour of American airports!

My personal opinion is, I would never travel on a cruise ship by myself. It looks terribly lonely. I would say that travelling with your family and kids is the major attraction of travelling by a cruise ship. I don´t really understand why people use a cruise ship to get a sun tan and rest. One is so isolated and still in a known surrouinding. Maybe that is the reason. But, travelling with friends or family, sure, it is a good way to get around with ease, even though the time that one is docked at a port, isn´t sufficient to enjoy to surroundings or atmosphere of a place. It is also a good place if you like to party. Which my friends love and we were very lucky to meet a group of Irish ladies partying hard and they were so so full of humour, laughter and joy, so it made us boys laugh a lot and enjoy life even more.

That was the main reason we didn´t get up too early next morning which would have meant that we would have had a possible opportunity to visit Etna, because the following morning we woke up at the Sicilian port of Messina and got picked up by Kensington Tours local guide, Vicienzo, who instead drove us on mountainous and beautiful roads up to the touristic, but beautiful town of Taormina. It is easy to love Italy with its character. I just love the disorderly order of things, the noises, the mess, the food, the elegance and style, and, of course, they´re masters of making a tourist town feel genuine!

Our last night on the boat, gave us little sleep but lots of laughter and I am now sitting at Rome´s airport waiting for a plane home via Munich. Another Gentlemen´s expedition have come to an end and it has become something very important in my life. All thanks to the most generous human being I have ever met, Jeff Willner.

So, would I pay to go on a cruise ship myself?

Yes, I would if the family would need a break and a holiday, were we could get away, see something new and be together in a tight fashion where we also didn´t have to cook or do our beds….Otherwise, no. However, as you know, I am after all into other types of travel. But I think for a majority of people, they see a lot of great things with a cruise. Mainly a relaxing journey with set meals, set agendas, where they don´t have to do anything by themselves.  Requirements for most people´s wish of a holiday.

The environmental impact? Well, if you don´t walk, cycle or make your own way forward, you are bound to travel in a way which has an environmental impact. I don´t think the cruise ships are worse than other gigantic modes of travel.

I just got onboard the massive cruise ship MSC Fantasia after having had a few hours of paradise, visiting Taormina on Sicily. My mobile rang immediately and it was a young guy from one of the many Swedish pension funds asking me if I knew how bad the situation was for me personally in the future as regards to what will happen to my pension? And most other Swedes my age as well, he added, when I was silent. He probably thought I was in a state of shock, so I filled him in on my situation and his response was a loud:

“Woow, I wish I could change places with you!”

“We don´t want to use anymore of our pension fund money do we?” I said and finished the call with him adding:

“I will call you when you will be back home!”

I will get off tomorrow at the port of Civitavecchia and fly back from Rome. So I will be back tomorrow. But I thought of his response and realized everyone I have told, which are not that many, they´ve all kind of been in awe at the thought of doing a cruise in the Mediterranean. So my question to myself after 5 days and 4 nights on a luxury cruise ship holding 3500 tourists and a third more people employed by the cruise company, is:

“Is it that great?”

Just the thought of me getting on a boat with 5000 other people, I am sure is akin to many people, I think. One of my friends who is also on this trip as an Explorer-In-Residence with Kensington Tours, Olly Steeds, sent us all others -that is, we are four, Jeff, the owner and the most generous man on earth and his bother William- an article about the abnormal amounts of fuel and rubbish left by these giants of the sea and asked if we really should do this. I gave him the same answer as I give people who question me about going to countries like North-Korea or Syria;

“You cannot judge until you have seen with your own eyes and life is short, so let us go.”

So we all flew to Barcelona and boarded the cruiser there with an itinerary taking us to Tunis, Malta, Sicily and the final, getting off in Rome. We had no time to visit Barcelona, we entered the ship immediately and it started moving within an hour of us boarding. Jeff had set us all up with luxury suites, one each, and we came into a room with a table full of delicacies like champagne and a bowl of fruits. And we had our own butler, Dani, a Christian Balinese from Kuta, who worked 9 months away and had three months off per year, so I couldn´t complain that missed my family almost instantly I boarded the ship. For me, meeting my great friends, was the most important part of this journey. And the first evening and night just flew by, since all was inclusive, whiskey and cigars dominated our joy whilst discussing most things important to us humans. Family, future, work, sorrows and joys. Subjects most of just don´t have the time to talk about otherwise.

First port of call was Tunis. I felt great being back in North-Africa. But time was short. The main reason for the stop seemed to be the wish to fill up on tax free goods, which seemed a really silly reason. But then I am not a shopper. We all four wanted to see the old ruins of Carthage, but even though we had a private guided tour, which is the Kensington idea, we kind of couldn´t avoid the masses of people who poured of the ship at the same time, so the visit was a bit of a disappointment. Especially Carthage, which was nothing, if you compare to other similar sites we have all seen. Just a seemingly organised heap of rocks and pillars. The short time was a problem, but we made it instead to a part of the town, painted basically in blue and white and offered a touristic souk with good smells, we heard the call of the muezzin and we heard spoken Arabic, which I enjoyed. But that is pretty much it.

As the day before we dressed up in the evening, had a four course meal in the Italian Restaurant and conversed about what we had seen. All of us was quite disappointed as regards to the Tunis visit. Luckily, it got much better the next port of call!

Regardless of where we were born, mankind’s urge to explore transcends all differences of nationality and faith. It remains an emblem of universality deserving of a wider global study.

Ironically, though the public has long yearned for fresh voices who could share their hard-won wisdom, in the corporate-dominated world, where finances always come first, meaningful dialogue with the world’s leading explorers has been passed over in preference to slick ads and predictable yearly awards.

That is why I am proud to announce the launching of this valuable new series.

The Voices of Exploration project is designed to be an ever-expanding data bank of interviews and wisdom. My friend, Basha O’Reilly, is one of the Founders of the Long Riders Guild, who has already launched the Voices of Authority equestrian educational program.

Duncan J. D. Smith, Urban Explorer, travel writer, historian, and photographer

Born in Sheffield, England in 1960, Duncan J. D. Smith has been exploring for as long as he can remember. Inspired after seeing the grave of a Roman soldier in his grandparents’ garden he opened his own museum, and went on to read Ancient History and Archaeology at Birmingham University. In his spare time he explored the north of England with his father Trevor, and between them they wrote a handful of successful books.

After several years in the publishing industry (including a stint as sales manager for Lonely Planet) Duncan became the Urban Explorer, and embarked on an extended adventure to uncover and record the hidden corners of Europe. His findings are being published in the ground breaking “Only in…” series of guidebooks, in which he reveals European cities from hidden perspectives.

Also a regular visitor to Africa and the Middle East, Duncan generates illustrated material for publication prompted by the places and peoples he encounters. In his spare time he indulges his interest in the history of exploration and the vintage travel writing associated with it.

Described as “the thinking man’s exploratory investigator” Duncan is based in England and Central Europe, and is a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society.

Who do you think was the most influential explorer in history and why?

For me the explorers par excellence were James Cook (1728-1779) and Alexander von Humboldt (1769-1859). Cook because he took so many talented companions on his journeys and respected the traditions of the peoples he encountered, and Humboldt for contributing to so many different fields of knowledge. I believe that modern explorers can still learn from both of them.

Who inspired you to become an explorer and why?

My grandfather Philip G. M. Dickinson because he taught me that the history of mankind lay not only in the pages of history books but also in the lie of the land. I’ve been looking for signs in the landscape ever since.

What is your favourite exploration book and why?

I regularly re-read the journal of Captain Scott’s last expedition. The Irish Times called it “the mother of all books about walking”, and they were right. The bravery of man and beast pitted against insuperable odds shines through in this lyrical paean to bold ambition, dogged determination, and wearied resignation, as the Antarctic winter puts a halt to their 1,766-mile round trip, just eleven miles short of the next food depot.

What is your favourite exploration film and why?

Frank Capra’s “Lost Horizon” (1937) in which an aeroplane carrying a British diplomat crashes in the Himalayas. Rescued by Tibetan monks he is taken to a Lamasery protected by mountains from the outside world. The monks reveal a Utopian society, a Shangri-La, where the fruits of man’s labours can be preserved from the ravages of war, and man himself can live longer and in peace. The book on which the film is based was written by James Hilton (1900-1954), who was inspired by reading National Geographic. A longheld ambition of mine is to travel in the footsteps of the great plant hunter Frank Kingdon-Ward (1885-1958), who was one of the first Westerners to penetrate the Tsangpo Gorge in Tibet, the world’s steepest. For Buddhist pilgrims it is a portal to an earthly paradise; for the rest of us it is the Shangri-La of “Lost Horizon”.

If you were travelling to the South Pole in the “Heroic Age”, would you prefer to travel with Shackleton, Amundsen or Scott, and why?

I admire both Scott and Shackleton for different reasons but wouldn’t choose to travel with them. Amundsmen would be my man because he was best prepared for the job in hand, as demonstrated by the outcome of his expedition. I admire his pragmatic thinking, which was based on years of experience. Having said that I think I would have got along quite well with Scott’s right-hand man, Edward Wilson, on account of his interest in natural history and his unswerving Christian faith.

What was the most dangerous situation you survived?

Two episodes spring to mind, although neither were necessarily life threatening. During an archaeological trip to the Greek Peloponnese in the 1980s I was attacked by a swarm of very aggressive bees whilst exploring a Late Bronze Age tomb. They were aroused by the flash on my camera. At the time it seemed all very Indiana Jones! More recently, during an extensive foray into the highlands of Northern Ethiopia, my driver was almost shunted off a mountain road by a rogue truck driver. I also once collapsed in the tomb of Tutankhamun but that story is for another time…

What is the single greatest change you have witnessed in the exploration world since you began?

The shift in global opinions since the September 11 attacks in New York has had a considerable impact on the whys and wherefores of modern exploration. Past cultural sensitivities have justifiably been thrown up for re-discussion, and countries which people should have known much more about have been thrust belatedly into the limelight. Despite the inexorable advance of the Internet it seems that general knowledge about people and places has not kept pace, and today’s explorers can help correct this. I believe that explorers have an important part to play in the world post 9/11.

What modern technology or techniques do you find most helpful?

For the travel writer and historian online resources such as Wikipedia are an inestimable boon to research. Barely more than a decade ago it would have been impossible to imagine having an entire library at one’s finger tips. Other than that I’m fairly old school in preferring traditional guidebooks and folding paper maps over portable digital aids.

What piece of equipment always goes with you?

A small bottle of Schnapps. I’ve learned over the years that nothing ruins the pleasure of an expedition quite like an upset stomach, and one way of avoiding it is to take a sip of Schnapps before and after every meal. It goes without saying that a good map is indispensable, too. After all, as the desert traveller Rosita Forbes remarked: “A map represents the other side of the horizon where everything is possible”.

Which book would you recommend to would-be explorers today?

Can I have three? If so they’d be “The Flying Carpet” by Richard Halliburton (1933), “Wind, Sand and Stars” by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry (1939), and “A Time of Gifts” by Patrick Leigh Fermor (1977). The first is a timeless freewheeling narrative of true adventure. The second is a poetic meditation on self-discovery through adversity. The third is as a model of how to report one’s experiences when the journey is done: it is descriptive travel writing at its very best.

What would you tell young explorers to be wary of?

Moving too quickly and not leaving a good part of oneself at home. When exploring a city, for example, the psychogeographer Iain Sinclair recommends “drifting purposefully… allowing the fiction of an underlying pattern to reveal itself”. The indomitable travel writer Freya Stark goes further by stating that “One can only really travel if one lets oneself go and takes what every place brings without trying to turn it into a healthy private pattern of one’s own.” I would second both opinions.

Why is it important for humans to continue exploring?

Early man was the first explorer and his motivation was hope. He left his comfort zone in the hope of finding water and food, security, and grazing for his animals. The modern explorer is similarly motivated only the reward this time is enlightenment. Our planet faces more problems than ever before, and without venturing forth to find answers humanity will face a bleak future. Exploration is no longer about planting flags and staking claims: it’s a right and a duty for every generation to satisfy its longing for meaning and purpose.

Which of your achievements do you think will be most remembered?

As a travel writer it would be nice to think that my books might outlive me. If so I’d be very gratified to think that I’d encouraged at least a few people to really get under the skin of a place and its people, and to be changed by the experience. After all, as the old Chinese proverb goes: “He who returns from a journey is not the same as he who left”. That for me is the essence of exploration.

Further information:

www.duncanjdsmith.com

www.the-urban-explorer.org

www.onlyinguides.com

www.penguincerisetravel.com

1. 10 best books about adventure and travel to read over Christmas

2. 5 most complete travel books ever

Lately I have been given a lot of opportunities to review other people´s books and I have said no, because the books were just not interesting enough. I don´t want to waste my time reading nonsense. However, this last month I have received two really good books, so I have decided to do just that, starting as of August 2011 to review interesting and challenging books.  (So, please, if you have a book you want reviewed, please send it to me.)

THE SAHARA

A Cultural History

by

Eamonn Gearon

(Signal Books)

Let me first say, I really love the Sahara. First time I came across this vast desert, back in 1988, I basically crossed it partly from west to east and than north to south. On a bicycle. Probably six of the most demanding months of my life. What I remember the best is the variety of the desert. Seldom as flat as I had imagined, great ravines, great dunes when around and the desert as a whole was not impossible at all to cycle. Of course there were some parts when pushing was the only way to move forward, but most of the time, it was more than ok. I also remember the sense of being content and happy, most all the time. And I remember the sheer beauty of the Sahara! The colors! But most of all, I remember all the time by oneself far away from most living beings. That is such a strong sense of happiness, it is really hard to describe. I admired the story about the loner at Assakrem, Charles de Foucauld. I still do. I have often thought about his life lately. But the reality was, one wasn´t never really by oneself. Most of the time, something turned up. Either as millions of treks after beetles when getting out of the tent in the morning or some humans, mostly Tuareg, turning up from nowhere. And plenty of tourists showing up in the horizon at least once a day, mainly in a Peugeot or some big German Unimog. Almost all of them travelling in caravans of many. I don´t seem to remember the heat too much or the nasty harmattan, the strong wind, even though, when I look in my dairies, this is what I write about most of the time. the heat and the wind.

Eamonn Gearon touches on all these issues and Charles de Foucauld in his very readable book with the subtitle A cultural History. I thought I knew quite a lot about the Sahara, its history, its spirit and its exploration. But I learned a lot of new, important knowledge by reading this easy to read and I thoroughly enjoyed this comprehensive book about this vast and alluring desert. It covers most things about the Sahara when it comes to its history, subjects like rock art, the history of exploration, travelers, tourism, wars, the spread of Islam, film and literature, and a bit about its inhabitants of today.

There´s also no doubt that Eamonn loves the Sahara himself and he is very good at finding the exact explainable words from others who he writes about or from himself describing Sahara´s raw alluring call and soul. Which only a person can do who have the right passion and understanding for a place. He is also a very good story teller and it is easy to read his enthralling book.

My only reservation is that this is a book mainly for the English speaking world, primarily the British one. Pretty much all references to pretty much everything like literature, film, exploration of today and before, deal with people with a British background. This of course is nothing new. The British market in itself is the biggest in the world for travel and exploration literature, this is a fact, but they often forget the rest of the world. Therefore many British explorers, for example today, always point out that they´re the first in the history or in the world to do this or that, when this is very seldom the truth. But this is a British thing. I am personally very much an anglophile, but I still notice this excessive British concentration on its own Britishness. As for example, they also put so much emphasis on explorers/adventurers having a military background. In my book, that is the worst background for an explorer. Some of the most famous British explorers and adventurers, could only be famous in Britain. Having said this, let me point out:

The Sahara; A cultural History by Eamonn Gearon is a vital piece of equipment for any traveler going to the Sahara!

Eamonn Gearon wrote a very well read piece earlier about the Sahara. Read it here!

Regardless of where we were born, mankind’s urge to explore transcends all differences of nationality and faith. It remains an emblem of universality deserving of a wider global study.

Ironically, though the public has long yearned for fresh voices who could share their hard-won wisdom, in the corporate-dominated world, where finances always come first, meaningful dialogue with the world’s leading explorers has been passed over in preference to slick ads and predictable yearly awards.

That is why I am proud to announce the launching of this valuable new series.

The Voices of Exploration project is designed to be an ever-expanding data bank of interviews and wisdom. My friend, Basha O’Reilly, is one of the Founders of the Long Riders Guild, who has already launched the Voices of Authority equestrian educational program.

Voices of Exploration – Arita Baajiens

Copyright Joanna B. Pinneo

Arita Baaijens: Long Time Desert Explorer, the First  Western woman to explore the Sudanese desert solo and on camel. The First Western Woman to travel the Forty Days Road twice, Camel Expert, Award winning and best-selling Author, Photographer, Biologist and Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society. Founder of the Dutch Sahara Society.

Twenty years ago she gave up her job as an environmentalist and started exploring the deserts of Egypt and the Sudan with a small camel caravan. After more than 30 desert expeditions Arita Baaijens now focuses on Siberia (Project ‘Search4Paradise’).

Arita writes, “The desert taught me to turn fear into a positive power. Siberia tests my capability to travel with an open yet critical mind in a world that according to Siberians is  inhabited by spirits.”

Who do you think was the most influential explorer in history and why?

What mattered more to me was the insight that one doesn’t need an overdose of testosterone to become an explorer.

Also, ‘explorer’ does not automatically refer to a white British male. Because most Brits do not speak or read another language, most assume the world was almost exclusively explored by compatriots. But what about the great Russians who explored Siberia and Central Asia? Not to mention the early Chinese, German and French explorers.

Copyright Viktor Bentley

Who inspired you to become an explorer and why?

In my student days I read Christina Dodwell’s book about her journey in Papua New Guinea and was stunned. Christina was my hero – but I never thought I would become an explorer myself. A traveller yes, but not an explorer. The push came from desert explorer Carlo Bergmann, who taught me about camels, navigation and survival in the desert. I wasn’t supposed to leave his caravan, but because of incompatibility of character and my strong desire to stay in the desert I left him half way through our journey and continued on my own. With one camel, a 70 year old map and a shitty compass.

Next thing I quit my job, bought two more camels and started to explore the desert of Egypt and Sudan by myself.

What is your favourite exploration book and why?

The Fearful Void by Geoffrey Moorhouse. The author undertook a journey on camel from Mauretania to Timbuktu with the aim to look fear into the eye. He never reached Timbuktu but he did overcome ultimate fear.

What is your favourite exploration film and why?

Original film of Sven Hedin’s expedition in the Gobi desert in 1925. We are used to seeing live feeds now, but this delicate black & white film from another era is as impressive as any contemporary full colour film.

If you were travelling to the South Pole in the “Heroic Age,” would you prefer to travel with Shackleton, Amundsen or Scott, and why?

Amundsen because of his interest in & respect for the Inuit and the Inuit culture.

What was the most dangerous situation you survived?

Probably armed robbery in my home city. And a near fatal car accident in the mountains in Mexico. As for the desert: I lost my way more than once. In Darfur I feared armed bandits.

What is the single greatest change you have witnessed in the exploration world since you began?

The appearance of the GPS and the satellite phone. Great tools in the right hands. But a GPS + safari drivers usually mean trouble. Cars venture deep into the desert and the tracks ruin the landscape. The tracks are visible for decades. I’ve watched centuries old caravan routes disappear as a result of car tracks. Also, a GPS makes it easy to find and loot archaeological sites. If I could perform magic I would destroy all satellites and celebrate the event with champagne.

What modern technology or techniques do you find most helpful?

Although I am a romantic fundamentalist when it comes to desert exploration and refuse to carry a satellite phone on my expeditions, I did own a GPS for a while. But it broke down and I didn’t get around to buying another one.

If I forget about safari drivers, I’d say that the GPS and digital mapping are helpful.

What piece of equipment always goes with you?

Compass (and cameras, knife, Sudanese amulets against scorpions and bullets).

Which book would you recommend to would-be explorers today?

Depends what they want to know or learn. Personally, I recommend food for thought. My advice: The Wasteland, T.S. Eliot (believe me, out there it can save your life!)

What would you tell young explorers to be wary of?

Follow your bliss. It’s okay to want to explore the world, even if you don’t know why. You don’t have to invent a ‘good’ intention or a politically correct mission. Just go. Stay authentic. And you’ll be just fine.

Copyright BarBara Hanlo

Why is it important for humans to continue exploring?

I don’t think the answer matters. Humans are curious by nature and nothing will ever stop them from exploring the world and push their limits.

Which of your achievements do you think will be most remembered?

I am already remembered in folktales in the Egyptian oases and northern Sudan. Of course I am not the super woman depicted in those tales, but that’s beside the point. What I like is that I became part of the collective memory of people I care about

http://www.aritabaaijens.nl/index_en.php

http://www.search4paradise.com

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The why and how I made interactive Google Maps of Historic Events

by

George Stiller

I began making interactive maps of historic events because I kept going to Google Map to find the locations in the various books I had been reading. It struck me that it would enhance my reading if I created my own Google Map of the book.  Thus, I was able to zoom in on and track the locations and people while I was reading  about in both fiction and non-fiction books. Having developed several of these maps, I decided that I should share them with others who might find them interesting and try to teach others to map their reading. So I created my blog MyReadingMapped.

After a period of time, I noticed that the maps that got the most attention were those of historic events. So, I modified my blog to contain only maps on historic events. Then it dawned on me, that without a college degree, I have no credibility and that I am not a recognized authority on history. To solve that problem, I decided to find 100+-year old eFree Google Books, or online journals, written by the explorers themselves and even Wikipedia pages on the exploration that my map locations could be linked to on a by page basis for credibility.  Thus, the map becomes a library portal to all the knowledge on the Internet.

My first map of this type was the Interactive Civil War Map. I knew there would be great interest in the subject and I found the links and coordinates I needed on Wikipedia’s List of Civil War Battles, which was very confusing to use and required the visitor to use a complicated and time consuming process to get to a Google Map for each and every battle one-by -one. On the other hand, my map was designed to be easy to use, enabled you to zoom in on the battle and made all the battles visible at once so you can see how they relate to each other without the complicated process.   These maps enable you to zoom in on the actual locations, see the buildings, the forts, the ancient ruins, etc. and read the actual words of the explorer, see the terrain as they saw it 100+ years ago in terrain mode, and what it looks like today in satellite mode. These maps can even provide directions, hotels and other points of interest. Some maps include links to National Archive photos, Wikipedia pages, and animations from CivilWarAnimated or AmericanRevolutionAnimated.

After placing a few referrals on various online forums, interactive maps of historic events began to take off. My hope is that teachers would use it to inspire reading and writing to students who are currently fixated on an online media, and that travelers and followers of explorers would use these maps to plan their next vacation.

My most popular maps are the following:

• Interactive Civil War Map
• Sunken Ships of the Atlantic
• Explorations of Charles Darwin, Marco Polo, Mungo Park and Henry Morton Stanley
• The American Revolution
• Environmental Disasters

Until recently, all my maps were about explorers who had died a long time ago. The map on Mikael Strandberg’s 2004 Siberian Expedition was my first living explorer who was kind enough to allow me to do so and provided the materials I needed.  I now have twenty-nine Google Maps on historic events and two Google Map games called “Day of Atonement” and “Prag’s Google Street Road Rally.” It is of interest to note, the research involved and the creation of these maps has uncovered some errors in commonly held facts on history. I have found what I believe are errors in traditional exploration maps on Wikipedia in regard to Marco Polo and Cortès, and located odd details mentioned in books that affected history and you can read about them on my blog.

So today, start experiencing history digitally by making your own maps of an historic events and uncover your own discovery of little known facts that only a Google Map can reveal.

George Stiller is a retired marketing communications manager who began his 35 year career in advertising and marketing as paste up artist. As an ad agency art director, George has helped to establish Agfa-Gevaert as a worldwide leader in diagnostic medical imaging systems. As a corporate graphic design manager, George’s workflow improvements helped United States Surgical Corporation to become one of the fastest growing companies worldwide.  As a marketing communications manager for MechoShade Systems, George helped to establish the MechoShade brand as the third most recognized brand in the commercial shade industry and helped to develop the ImageShades you have seen at Levis and the Gap. Now that George is retired, he developed his blog, MyReadingMapped, and its 30+ interactive Google Maps on history.

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The Sahara: A Long Way Away from a Cultural Desert

by

Eamonn Gearon

In keeping with anyone blessed with an active imagination, as extensive as my wanderings through the Sahara have been, they are nothing compared to my mental journeys through the Great Desert. The greatest journeys are not always physical, and one can be transported just as easily in an armchair as on a camel.

I was a child the first time I entered the Sahara, sitting on my father’s knee. We were at home in Wiltshire, that fat, green English county best known as the home of Stonehenge. Beethoven’s 6^th Symphony, the Pastoral, was on the record player. My father always played Beethoven when he remembered Egypt in the 1950s.

Although he was there in an official, military capacity – something to do with a canal by the name of Suez – his memories of that country and its people were fond ones, and invariably revolved around the desert.

If this reminiscing seems a long way from the Sahara, it both is and is not. Even unremembered, unremarkable incidents in one’s childhood can have a profound impact on the rest of his or her life.

There is no doubt that I have spent the past two decades in the Greater Middle East because of my father’s tales of a far away country he loved, even if, unsurprisingly, this love was not always equal on the part of the Egyptians.

When I started reading about the Sahara for myself, the first thing that struck me was its scale and its seeming emptiness. A part of the earth roughly the size as the entire United States of America, but with a population of approximately 3 million.

Once these figures had been absorbed, it was not the limited numbers of people that impressed me so much as the fact that the desert was not empty. It was, and always has been, home to a diverse number of peoples, both locals and foreigners.

I next understood that the Sahara had not always been a desert, but was once an ocean, and later variously forests and pastures; that “Sahara” simply means “desert” in Arabic; and that the human records of life in the Great Desert, its cultural history, are as many and varied as the flora and fauna one finds there.

Indeed, the landscapes of the imagination are far more numerous than the various physical landscapes one finds there.

The earliest extent records are those rock paintings and carvings found across today’s desert. These global treasures hold out the promise of great insight into our Saharan-dwelling forefathers, and yet they are frustratingly among the least understood human records, and most open to fantastical interpretations.

Hunting scenes are fairly easy to interpret. Recognisably male figures carrying spears and chasing four-legged animals with horns do not require the observer to have a degree in archaeology or art history. Other images are less straightforward. People swimming? Big cats dancing?

Did the “round-headed” figures come down from outer space? What do you think?

And while men apparently copulating with elephants and rhinoceros might just be examples of prehistoric lavatorial, schoolboy humour, they could easily have another, deeper meaning: we simply do not know.

Rushing forward thousands of years, the artistic records created by European artists who have been ‘discovering’ the Sahara since the late Eighteenth century were created in the same environment. In response to an encounter with their surroundings, the artists were impelled to create, to leave behind some record of a moment in time or a day in the life. They are all saying, “We were here, this is who we were, what we did and what we found.”

Fromentin declared that he only fully came alive in the Sahara, and that the intensity of these feelings grew the further south he travelled into it, while Paul Klee announced that it was the influence of being under North African skies, and the intensity of the light there, that he became an artist.

The paintings of David Roberts, who travelled through Egypt and the Levant in the 1830s, became the virtually canonical interpretation of the East for close to one hundred years.

Roberts’ time in the region was inspired in turn by a far less pacific visitor to Egypt. On Napoleon’s 1798 invasion of Egypt, he was accompanied by two armies: one of soldiers, the other of scholars. These savants were responsible for exposing Europeans to a world they had more or less ignored for centuries. Perhaps this was no bad thing.

Napoleon’s short, inconclusive invasion marked the start of the last great scramble for the Sahara. By 1900, of the 11 modern nations that now make up the Sahara, only Libya remained independent. This too fell after the Italians invaded, snapping up the last slice of independent North Africa in 1911.

But these European invaders were just the last in a millennia-long line of like-motivated imperialists, which included the Greeks, Romans, and Vandals. Non-European invaders included the Phoenicians, Persians and, of course, the Arabs.

It was the invasions by this last group that most permanently changed the cultural face of the Sahara and its people. The eventual imposition, or adoption, of Arabic as the language of commerce, government and worship is the most obvious changes in local circumstances. The spread of Islam, which utterly replaced older, indigenous faith systems, was the most important reason for this.

Returning to the Nineteenth and Twentieth centuries, this was not just the era of European expansion and domination of the Sahara, it was also the period that saw the proliferation of portrayals of the Great Desert. The artists we mentioned above; these were soon followed by poets and writers of prose.

In the same way that Roberts dominated Nineteenth century painterly portrayals of the desert, so Beau Geste and the French Foreign Legion loom large on the early Twentieth century literary landscape. A kepi-clad bugler and a deserted fort was, for decades, all that most people knew about the Sahara, or cared to.

With the dawn of cinema, the literary visions were added to and exploited mercilessly by filmmakers who understood the instinctive attraction of a shot of sand dunes stretching as far as the eye could see.

One of the best-known writers on the Sahara, Paul Bowles of “The Sheltering Sky” fame, very publicly announced that he wished the film of his novel had never been made. Others were less chary.

And in spite of the critics, famous and anonymous, the Sahara continues to attract visitors; to awe strangers and residents; to prove most alluring when revealing itself to those who have the desire to know it, over time.

For my own part, the journey that began on my father’s knee reached fruition 20 years later, when I first entered the Sahara. And now, after nearly another two decades, I am delighted to have sanctified my love for the world’s greatest desert in my book.

The Sahara in which I roamed, first with the Bedu and later alone, but in the company of my camels – Osama, Ibn Kelb, and Baby – was physically demanding. The journeys were tough. They built character and left scars. Today, I look back on those sacred days and nights with love without compare.

Whilst resident of the oasis of Siwa, Egypt, recovering from amoebic dysentery after one of my more adventurous travails, I met my now wife. Such a priceless find, in the midst of the seeming wasteland, daily reminds me of the importance of the Sahara in my life. In this world, it pays to be alive to both one’s physical and imaginary landscapes.

Eamonn Gearon is an Arabist, analyst and author who has lived and worked in the Greater Middle East – from Kabul to Casablanca – for the past twenty years.

Eamonn’s life in the region started in the Sahara, where he lived and travelled with the Bedu, learning a vast amount of desert lore from them before engaging on a number of lengthy solo, camel-powered expeditions in the Great Desert.

His book “The Sahara: A Cultural History” came out in the UK in June 2011 (Signal Books), and is being published by Oxford University Press in the USA in October.

Eamonn is now writing a cultural history of Kabul, to which city he took his wife for their honeymoon, in 2008, during the Taliban’s resurgence in Afghanistan.

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