The Empty Quarter · Dunes That Move on Their Own

The Empty Quarter is the desert of the southern Arabian Peninsula, larger than many countries; at its deepest it runs hundreds of kilometres without water.

Caravans here carried a set of old rules: dunes change position, so the dune that sheltered you yesterday may have moved off the camp by tomorrow, and the wells that save lives can be buried under sand.

The old people say that to walk the Empty Quarter by night you must steer by the stars and not by the sand. Sand is alive.

Natural Mysteries / Liwa · United Arab Emirates / Time immemorial