Looking at Wilfred Thesiger today, a dignified elderly Englishman, one would not suspect that he had been an adventurer and explorer in the tradition of T.E. Lawrence of Arabia. He grew up in Ethiopia, where his father was ambassador. From 1945-50, in the company of Bedouins he crossed the Arabian desert twice, including the "empty quarter" which had not been explored by outsiders. He revealed to the world the existence of tribes that were unknown, and mapped the Rub'al Khali, now in Oman.

This film is based on his published memoir (Arabian Sands), old photographs, archival footage of the desert tribes, and interviews with aging sheiks who recall the hardships of their journeys. Thesiger fulfilled his lifelong ambition to explore the desert and live among the Bedouin. Although he endured extreme hunger, thirst, and exhaustion, he felt privileged to have experienced the silence and remote mystery of the endless dunes. Even now, fifty years later and retired in Kenya, he feels the desert in his blood.

Sadly, he realized the Bedouin way of life which gave him such contentment, was doomed by encroaching civilization. "I shall always remember those illiterate herdsman whose generosity, courage, endurance, patience and light-hearted gallantry made me feel humble."

Middle East Studies Association, 1997