The Jewel of Arabia Expedition

The Jewel of Arabia Expedition was planned with legacy and enduring impact in mind. In this, the final podcast we hear once again from project patrons HRH The Prince of Wales and HRH Theyazin Al Said and learn how several legacy projects are now evolving in Oman, and around the world. Stay connected with The Jewel of Arabia online and on social media to hear about the international lecture series...

Dr. Mohab Al Hinai, Vice President of Sustainability and Circular Economy at Oman Environmental Services Holding Company - Be’ah is a self-confessed sustainability junkie, leading transformative initiatives that drive sustainability and circular economy principles across The Sultanate. His diary is so busy that I only managed to catch up with him at the end of our Jewel of Arabia, but it was worth...

From the massive wetland reserve of Bar al Hikmann to the man made reed beds filtering polluted water. From Oman’s first wind farm to the opening of raptor restaurants. From camera trapping hyenas to the rapturous welcome and start of the expedition legacy at Knowledge Gate International School Muscat. In this second of a two-part podcast, Expedition Leader Mark Evans looks back on some of his per...

From the shores of The Indian Ocean to the starlit skies of 1000 night camp. From the sounds of the desert to the call to prayer. From protected turtles to the very first all-terrain wheelchair in The Middle East.  In this first of a two-part podcast, Expedition Leader Mark Evans looks back on some of his personal highlights from the 30 day expedition starting on the beach near Ras...

In the days after the end of the expedition the team have dispersed and travelled home. Nigel to the Lake District in England, Ana-Maria to Switzerland, Dikra and Ibrahim to their families in Oman. But before they left, Mark, took a moment to get them all to look back on the expedition, their personal highlights, and the things that have really struck them about the drive for a more sustainable an...

Now the physical expedition has drawn to an end the legacy and engagement aspects of the Jewel of Arabia ramp up. Over the last 3 days Mark and the team have spoken to over 1,500 young Omani’s about the expedition, how they have been following it, but most importantly, how they will look to the future from what they have learnt. To find out what young people have been learning Mark visited the Kno...

Mark and the team have arrived at their destination, the 2nd city of Oman, Salalah. The last couple of days have been a whirlwind of visits from students from British School Salalah, joining The British Council hackathon and something very special captured on the daily trail cameras set near their overnight campsites. In amongst all of this, the team were formally received in Salalah by His Highne...

On the last walking day of the expedition, the team followed Thomas’s diary notes to trace his route down into Wadi Darbat, Which during the monsoon season becomes raging torrent of a river. Of course, this amount of water brings with it life. So after the team had scrambled and crawled their way down to the wadi bed through thick thorny undergrowth, they were treated with the sight of azure blue...

Now in the southern region of Oman, Mark and the Jewel of Arabia team have arrived in the region Bertram Thomas referred to as Arabia Felix. Mark describes this as one of his favourite places in the world. The landscape has changed from rough, rocky and arid desert to rich, lush green, almost tropical looking . The wildlife has changed too, they caught the first bat on their camp trail camera last...

Oman lies on a major migratory flyway between Arabia and Asia. It is also blessed with a huge diversity of indigenous birdlife. But for many species over many years, the easiest and most abundant source of food was found at landfill sites. For many reasons this wasn’t ideal. But furthermore as Oman has reduced the amount and type of waste sent to landfill there was a consequential knock on effect...

Spread across 3,500 acres in Oman’s Dhofar region, Wadi Dawqah is home to the world’s largest protected  Boswellia sacra  forest, a place where thousands of frankincense trees have flourished over the centuries. This is where the most sustainable, ethical and transparent source of frankincense begins its thousand-year-old journey into the world. After visiting the site, Mark talks t...

From the edge of the Rub’ al Khali Mark tells the story of the ancient lost city of Ubar, the legendary lost city in the largest sand desert on earth. In his previous expedition, The Heart of Arabia , Mark retraced Philby’s effort to find Ubar, which ultimately failed, but considering the significance of the place, the Jewel of Arabia team wanted to visit some of the possible locations. Possi...

Today the team passed the Harwheel wind farm, which is Oman’s first wind farm and made up of 13 turbines. With a target of achieving net zero by 2050, the transition to a renewable and sustainable future is underway; Oman has set itself the challenge of becoming a global green energy hub, and a regional and world leader in the production of green hydrogen, a journey overseen by inspirational indiv...

The British explorer, Wilfred Thesiger wrote that it’s impossible to be alone in the Arab world. This is a sentiment echoed by Mark and the team as they have travelled through Oman. After the toughest day of the expedition so far yesterday, day 20 of the expedition was the complete opposite. The day started with a walk along a beautiful, deserted beach of white sands and azure, blue water before t...

At the end of a long and tiring day, Mark talks to us from one of his favourite campsites in all of Oman. He is sitting in a cave, ospreys are circling overhead and the team are about to bed down, exhausted. 24 hours ago they were looking at looking at night sky when they noticed the stars disappear and felt the first drop of rain. The rain came and was followed by strong winds which led them to t...

After a tough day yesterday walking face into a sandstorm, Mark and the team have headed inland to learn about the Bauer Nimr Reedbeds. Visible from space, the Bauer Nimr reedbeds are the largest manmade reedbed on earth. Their role is both fascinating and vital. The plantation is a multi-award winning flagship project for the biological cleaning of polluted water from oil production at the Nimr o...

From their camp on the shore of The Indian Ocean last night, today the Jewel of Arabia team headed inland to Jiddat al-Harasis. A 3000km2 reserve working to protect, breed and reintroduce the Arabian Oryx to Oman. In Bertram Thomas’s time the Arabian Oryx was fairly widespread. But the Oryx become a prized trophy for hunters. Numbers fell almost to extinction in the wild. A captive breeding progra...

Mark and the team have had a recharge and wash day at their beach camp on the shoreline about 40 kms north of Duqm where they visit tomorrow. But this evening they are joined around the beach campfire by Mission Spiritus expedition leader, Alan Chambers. Bertram Thomas wrote that stories start where the road ends and around the fire Mark and Alan share stories about their two expedtions. After a c...

Today Mark is joined by Scott McDonald, CEO, The British Council and Thomas Lloyd, Country Director Oman, British Council who have both joined the expedition for 48 hours. Resting under an acacia tree in a wadi that Thomas described as lush, green and over a kilometre wide, Mark , Scott and Thomas talk about the role of The British Council as it celebrates its 90th year, the work it does in Oman,...

After camping last night at Bar Al Hikmann the expedition team have travelled west to try and cross over to Mahoot island. Mahoot island has one of the largest mangrove habitats in Oman and is a biodiversity hotspot. The mangroves harbour fish nursery grounds, they provide nesting grounds for birds, some of which are only found on the island, but they also provide coastal storm protection from the...

The Bar Al Hikmann wetland reserve is an internationally recognised site for migratory birds. Its mudflats have some of the highest densities of shorebirds in the world and it’s geographical position makes a key point on the West Asian – East Africa flyway route for migratory waterbirds. With its rich biodiversity and local efforts to protect, conserve and record the wetland, this was going to be...

Day 9 started with an emotional goodbye for the team as Amour and the camels left the expedition as planned. Mark and Amour have done several expeditions together and their goodbyes are always difficult. Later in the day, the team have travelled over a short sea crossing to Masirah Island, about a third of the way down the Omani coast. Unlike Thomas who was welcomed by the local Sheikh on the main...

Oman is home to 5 of the world’s 7 different species of turtle. The coastline provides the ideal beach nesting conditions for turtles, which during the laying season come ashore in vast numbers to lay their eggs in their sand nests. But like almost all wildlife they are under various threats. Climate change, light pollution and uncontrolled tourism all pose a risk to the resident species. Mark and...

Last night’s camp was about 8 kms from the coastline, it was much colder than previous night which led to a heavy dew and the whole team waking through the night very wet in their sleeping bags. But sunrise bought warmth and the desert dawn chorus which (loudly) serenaded them during breakfast. As they walked today they came across a mosque in the desert. The local caretaker was happy to open it u...

As the team leave the Sharqyia Sands behind them and continue back towards the Indian Ocean Mark reflects on desert travel. Thomas referred to the monotony of the days travelling in his book Arabia Felix. Thomas would spend long days in the saddle, sometimes noting in his diary he found himself bored. But for the Jewel of Arabia team slow travel in the desert is anything but boring. Marks describe...