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Embracing
the epic
Oliver Eliot
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W
ilfred Thesiger immortalised the Rub’ Al Khali, or Empty Quarter,
the desert with sand dunes that rise as an ever-shifting Arabian
alpine-esque barrier between Abu Dhabi, Oman, Yemen and Saudi Arabia.
The largest uninterrupted sand desert in the world, the Empty Quarter stretches across
most of the southern third of the Arabian Peninsula and is defined by its Bedouin
tradition as much as by its geography. As one of the most inhospitable environments on the
planet, the Empty Quarter extends across an area larger than France. It has been crossed,
but never settled.
The British explorer Sir Wilfred Thesiger put the barren land on the map when he explored
the area several times between 1945 and 1949, mapping large parts and subsequently
publishing his classic adventures accompanied by photos that are now the stuff of legend
that came at the time from a world totally unknown.
Thesiger lived until 93, but the Empty Quarter nearly despatched him at a far younger age.
In 1946 he lay starving on a sand dune for three days waiting for his trusted Bedouin
companions to return with life saving food. When his ordeal was over he wrote, “I would rather
be here starving as I was than sitting in a chair, replete with food, listening to the wireless and
dependent on cars to take me through Arabia.”
April/May 2010
Photo: Courtesy Anantara.
Since time began the shifting sands of the world’s deserts have
inspired writers, artists and photographers and many have endured
hardship and worse in attempts to capture and convey the essence
of majesty and mystery therein. Today it’s possible to enjoy the
wonders of the desert with none of the hardship. Some desert
destinations are indeed the stuff of dreams.
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Photo: Courtesy Anantara.
Photo: © Lucy Monro.
Photo: Courtesy Anantara.
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Qasr Al Sarab rises and rolls beneath the
imposing towers of the ever-shifting sands
as a seemingly impossible mirage.
Qasr Al Sarab Facts
Distance from Abu Dhabi: 240km
Nearest international airport: Abu Dhabi
Restaurants: Four
Rooms: All rooms are fitted with rain showers, oversized
bathtubs and are available with either king-sized or
twin beds.
Suites: All suites boast king-size beds, oversize bathtubs,
and breathtaking desert views.
Private villas: Separate from the main building, each villa
offers a private entrance and a personal butler.
Qasr Al Sarab sits at the gateway to the Empty Quarter, the vast
expanse of desert that has lured many an explorer, including the
great Wilfred Thesiger.
Photo: Courtesy Anantara.
Photo: Courtesy Anantara.
Thesiger was born in Addis Ababa and honed his camel
riding skills in Darfur, but it was in the Empty Quarter that he
made his name. He was not the first to cross the barren sea of
sand, but he was the first to explore and map it comprehensively.
He crossed the Empty Quarter twice with Bedouin companions
and his trek across the western sands from the Hadhramaut,
in what is now Yemen, to Abu Dhabi was the last and greatest
expedition of Arabian exploratory travel. Among Thesiger’s
many discoveries was the Liwa Oasis.
Gateway to the Empty Quarter, Liwa is one of Arabia’s
largest oases and the traditional home of the Bani Yas tribe, the
forefathers of today’s UAE and Abu Dhabi ruling family, the Al
Nahyans. The Great Liwa Desert lays at the edge of the Rub’
Al Khali and, until recently, had everything to attract those in
search of massive adventure but little to offer in the way of
creature comforts, let alone exquisite luxury. But that was then
and this is now...
Built at the edge of the Great Liwa Desert, Qasr Al Sarab
Desert Resort by Anantara brings the immensity of the Rub’ Al
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travelled for untold generations across the deserts, dependent
for their survival on the endurance of their camels and their own
inherited skills.”
Survival is not a concern to guests at Qasr Al Sarab, but
experiencing the wonder of the desert from the back of camel
is possible, and indeed a wonderful way in which to spend an
early morning or witness the marvel that is a desert dawn.
Those who do not share Thesiger’s loathing of all things
mechanised can enjoy the thrill of more modern desert transport
options. Dune bashing in an air-conditioned 4X4 may not be
as traditional a way to explore, but it’s guaranteed to get the
adrenaline pumping.
Exploring is the raison d’être of the Rub’ Al Khali, but for
those for whom getting there is exploration enough, Qasr
Al Sarab boasts a choice of four gourmet restaurants and a
Middle Eastern-inspired spa provides a welcoming haven
of tranquility in which to imbibe ancient elixirs and enjoy
time-honoured rituals.
A destination resort that is as magnificent as its surroundings
are barrenly beautiful, Qasr Al Sarab opens a door onto a
new dawn in desert travel.
Photo: Courtesy Anantara.
Photo: Courtesy Anantara.
www.qasralsarab.anantara.com
Photo: Courtesy Courtesy Anantara.
Photo: Courtesy Anantara.
Lose yourself in the shifting sands in the hotel's Arabianinspired spa or take an early morning desert trek Bedouin style.
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Photo: Courtesy Anantara.
Photo: Courtesy Anantara.
Photo: Courtesy Anantara.
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Khali within splendid reach. Opened in the last quarter of 2009,
the property was rapidly hailed as the ‘ultimate luxury desert
destination’ with even the most spoiled and cynical travel hacks
returning from its sumptuous splendour dribbling superlatives.
Dwarfed only by the immensity of the backdrop against
which it stands, Qasr Al Sarab rises and rolls beneath the
imposing towers of the ever-shifting sands as a seemingly
impossible mirage. But this is no vision, Anantara’s new Abu
Dhabi spectacular is breathtaking reality.
The resort takes indulgence to new levels with 24/7 butler
service throughout 154 luxury rooms, 42 exquisitely furnished
villas and ten sumptuous royal villas - each of which resembles
a small private palace with expansive living and dining, private
pool and outdoor terraces. The new jewel in the Rub’ Al
Khali’s crown stands proud against a backdrop of immense
magnificence just 240km from Abu Dhabi, bringing the most
alluring desert dreams practically to the doorstep. This is a
place in which to embrace the epic.
“I was exhilarated by the sense of space, the silence, and
the crisp cleanness of the sand”, Thesiger said of the pull of the
desert. “I felt in harmony with the past, travelling as men had
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