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Introduction Thesiger on his First Crossing of the Empty Quarter in 1946-7 stopped at Bir Balagh to the south of Liwa (see Chapter 6, p.116+). He subsequently visited Liwa when he passed through Qutuf and Dhaufir on his Second Crossing of the Empty Quarter (see Chapter 12. From Sulaiyil to Abu Dhabi, on p.261). Thesiger was there from 4-7 March 1948, and says.... "We were now on
the western edge of Liwa, which our guide said extended eastward for
three days's journey. I should have liked to explore this famous oasis,
but our camels were exhausted and we ourselves were worn out. Our food
was nearly finished and it was difficult to buy anything here but dates.
I knew that we must go direct to Abu Dhabi, and could only hope that
perhaps I should be able to come back later. We passed through the settlements
of Qutuf and Dhaufir. Palms were planted along the salt-flats, close
under high steep-sided dunes, and in hollows in the sands. The groves
were fenced in, and other fences were built along the dune-tops, to
try to control the movement of the sands, which in a few places had
partly buried the trees. They were carefully spaced, and evidently well
tended. There was no other cultivation, probably because of the salt
on the surface of the ground. Water was abundant at a depth of between
seven and twenty feet. It was scarcely brackish, tasting only a little
flat. Links Series
of Liwa pictures taken by Salwa Ghaly. Press Publications |
