In Rub’ al Khali, world’s largest sand desert, see dreamlike dunes and meet modern nomads

When the sun rises over Rub’ al Khali, the world’s largest expanse of sand, the dunes glow gold like in a painting, rising up into the blue sky in a landscape resculpted by the wind overnight. The smell of breakfast drifts over as guide Mohammed Mussallem Al Mahri prepares the meal, sitting next to an off-road vehicle. Tracks show a desert fox has been prowling around the camp. “Rub’ al Khali translates as ‘empty quarter’, but it is not empty, it is full of life,” he says. That is not entirely true, because Rub’ al Khali is tough terrain, encompassing most of the southern third of the Arabian Peninsula. Part of it belongs to Oman. Here, aided by an experienced guide like Al Mahri, you can immerse yourself deep in the desert as a temporary nomad. You can spend a few days exploring, with all the comforts of the present, travelling by car, guided by GPS and staying overnight in tents or hut camps. This modern form of nomadism is just one of several options on offer in the Omani desert. Al Mahri knows all of them and leads us to the people who reveal the true face of Rub’ al Khali. Forget any notions of Bedouin or nomads as hooded figures wandering around with their camel herds braving the harsh climate, because traditional ways of life are a thing of the past. People have settled down. Nevertheless, Salime Hussin Al-Rashdi says, “I am still a Bedouin.” Al-Rashdi, 60, lives on the edge of the desert in Al Hashman and has seen rapid development, he says while welcoming us with coffee and dates, an Omani tradition of hospitality that remains unchanged. He used to sleep with his family in a Bedouin tent, but then the state provided free houses with air conditioning. “Life used to be really difficult, now it’s luxurious,” he says, glancing occasionally at his mobile phone. He is a busy man. In the village of Al Hashman, with its 100 inhabitants, he is the government representative who takes care of everything from the school and mosque to the infirmary and children’s playground. The roots of the ancient nomadic era live on in his home in the form of Al-Rashdi’s father, Hussain Ali bin Ramidh Al-Rashdi, whose exact age is unknown. “No less than 115 years,” his son says, producing historical photos. Thanks to his knowledge of the desert, Al-Rashdi senior accompanied the legendary expedition of the British explorer Wilfred Thesiger (1910-2003), who crossed the entire Rub’ al Khali in 1946. But even the modern Al-Rashdi junior remains connected to the desert. After his office job and lunch, he drives out to his camel herd every day. The black camels are special, he says, beaming. “When I’m with my animals, I forget everything else.” What does he miss? “The big gatherings when we all sat together.” These days, every house has its own private area. Al Mahri’s love of the desert is infectious. The guide describes its hidden treasures as he lets air out of his tyres to glide better over the slopes. We learn that this seemingly hostile environment is full of surprises. Al Mahri knows how to read the sand and its pitfalls. He knows where dunes rise up to 300 metres (984ft) high and where to see geodes the size of tennis balls – petrified cauliflower stones that sparkle in the light. He stops at the skeleton of a dead camel and points out traces of skinks and desert jerboas, lizards and desert rodents – here, all life has adapted to extremes. This adaptation is also evident in man-made oases. Al Mahri knows of a sand rose field and a warm spring that only came to light because an oil company tapped into the water at a depth of 200 metres during test drilling. The inflow is open to everyone, can be opened via a valve and even used as a shower in the desert via a hosepipe. Here we meet Leyqed Ali, who is filling a tanker with 3,000 gallons (11,365 litres). His destination is a herd of camels belonging to a wealthy Omani who keeps them as a status symbol. A few hours’ drive away, somewhere in the middle of nowhere, we find Shear Ahmed, a young father of four, and Nasir Ahmed. Both are camel herders from Pakistan who are part of a team of four who together are responsible for 250 camels. “They are modern nomads,” guide Al Mahri says. “Omanis would not do this work,” he adds. Like their ancestors, they move with their herds every two to three months, though these days, they go by truck. They go home once every 12 to 18 months. Otherwise, they stay in constant contact with their families through WhatsApp using a satellite dish that is anchored deep in the sandy ground. In solitude, they live in a camp made from transportable room modules, like residential containers. They welcome guests to the communal trailer, which is equipped with a carpet and air conditioning. Their refrigerator runs on solar energy. Outside, they have tied a black baby camel to a truck. Its mother cannot provide milk, so they are taking care of it. The afternoon sun is blazing down. After saying goodbye, Nasir and Shear retreat into the shade. Their experience of the desert is quite different to ours as temporary nomads. For us, the view into the distance with its dunes is as dreamlike as it was from the tent in the morning.

In Rub’ al Khali, world’s largest sand desert, see dreamlike dunes and meet modern nomads

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}In the Omani part of Rub’ al Khali, tourists can explore a constantly changing landscape with all the comforts of the present

In the Omani part of Rub’ al Khali, tourists can explore a constantly changing landscape with all the comforts of the present