27-year-old Indian was among two telecommunications professionals who recently died in the harsh Rub’ al Khali desert in Saudi Arabia. Mohammad Shehzad Khan, from Telangana, and his Sudanese colleague were on a mission to repair a cellular tower when they got stranded there following a series of unfortunate events.
Their GPS signal failed, their mobile phones had no battery, and their vehicle ran out of fuel, leaving them exposed to the scorching desert conditions. The incident occurred between August 19 and August 21, and despite efforts to survive, the duo succumbed to dehydration. Their bodies are being repatriated to their respective countries.
Rub’ al-Khali Desert
The Rub’ al-Khali desert, also known as the Empty Quarter, is the world’s most dangerous desert, spanning 650 square km across Saudi Arabia, Oman, Yemen, and the UAE. It is a vast expanse of nothingness, with extreme heat, navigation difficulties, and scarce food and water.
The desert is known for its isolated dunes, horned vipers, burrowing snakes, and boas. The notorious sabkhas, or salt flats, pose a massive challenge for drivers, and the absence of internet and help at hand makes it even more daunting. The Rub’ al-Khali desert is unforgiving, with temperatures soaring to extreme highs and lows. The lack of landmarks, combined with the harsh weather conditions, makes it a treacherous terrain for travellers.
‘Arabian Sands’ by Wilfred Thesiger
Despite the risks, adventurers and travellers continue to be drawn to the desert. Wilfred Thesiger, a British explorer, crossed the desert in the 1940s, and his book, Arabian Sands, chronicles his journey.
“To return to the Empty Quarter would be to answer a challenge, and to remain there for long would be to test myself to the limit. Much of it was unexplored. It was one of the very few places left where I could satisfy an urge to go where others had not been… The Empty Quarter offered me the chances to win distinction as a traveller,” read an excerpt from the book by Wilfred Thesiger. “For this was the real desert where differences of race and colour, of wealth and social standing, are almost meaningless; where coverings of pretence are stripped away and basic truths emerge.”
Mr Thesiger’s approach to exploration was distinct, as he embraced physical challenges and chose to travel in a way that was unconventional for his time. He walked barefoot in the desert, preferred camels to cars, and spent extended periods with the Bedouin people, despite his privileged upbringing.
“I pondered on this desert hospitality and compared it with our own. I remembered other encampments where I had slept, small tents on which I had happened in the Syrian desert and where I had spent the night. Gaunt men in rags and hungry-looking children had greeted me, and bade me welcome with the sonorous phrases of the desert,” he wrote in Arabian Sands. “In the desert, I had found a freedom unattainable in civilization; a life unhampered by possessions, since everything that was not a necessity was an encumbrance.”
Before his journey, only two people had successfully crossed the Empty Quarter: Bertram Thomas in 1931 and Harry St John Philby in 1932.
‘Sabkhas’ or salt flats
The Empty Quarter is characterised by its sabkhas, or salt flats, which form when landlocked seas evaporate, leaving behind salt deposits. These salt flats, situated between dunes, pose a significant challenge for drivers due to their soft and expansive nature. Razia Ali, a geophysicist and maths teacher who travelled through the Empty Quarter in February 2023, described her experience with sabkhas as “daunting” and noted the risk of cars becoming stuck in the soft sand.
Ms Ali also highlighted the challenges faced by modern-day travellers. In a post on Medium, she described the lack of internet as “like cutting the umbilical cord and leaving you without food and oxygen.” She pointed out how deeply modern society was tied to social media and digital communication, saying, “People of this century are slaves of social media. We can’t go to sleep without surfing through social media, we can’t get out of bed without browsing through WhatsApp, Instagram, TikTok, Snapchat, YouTube and other apps.”
The Rub’ al-Khali remains an unforgiving environment, with extreme heat, navigation difficulties, isolation, and scarce resources. Despite technological advancements, travellers in the region remain vulnerable to the harsh conditions, where a single GPS malfunction can have severe consequences, even death.
