In the final days and nights of the Heart of Arabia Expedition the team, and Philby, faced some of the hardest terrain of both their expeditions. Vast open expanses of desert dunes followed by the ancient volcanic fields of harat. As Mark, Reem, Ana-Maria and Alan get closer to their goal of Jeddah, their minds are drawn to the Red sea coast, but i…

Re-join Mark and The Heart of Arabia Expedition Team at the ancient site of Old Diriyah, the birthplace of the first Saudi state, historical crossroads of pilgrims and traders. It is also where Philby left Riyadh behind and followed the Pilgram Road west to Jeddah. The terrain, climate and geology of the second leg of the expedition are very differ…

Just like Philby, the Heart of Arabia Expedition used camels for some of their journey. In the eastern deserts of Saudi Arabia, Mark introduces us to their camels and explores the role the camel has played in Arab history and culture with their guide from the Camel Club of Saudi Arabia. As the expedition moves west towards their goal of Riyadh in t…

After some time to reflect on the Heart of Arabia Expedition Mark looks back over some of the key moments of the early parts of leg one of the expedition, a place Philby described as being the threshold of Arabia. Following the celebration of the expedition’s launch, Mark, Reem, Ana-Maria and Alan are leaving Al Uqayr to start retracing Philby’s ro…

Journey with Purpose. That is expedition leader, Mark Evans’ great ambition for the Heart of Arabia expedition. To inspire others to travel with a reason, to learn, to understand, to appreciate. It’s an attitude that mirrors what Harry. St. John (Abdullah) Philby did when he set off on his own expedition across Arabia. In this first podcast we’ll m…

In our last update for the time being, Heart of Arabia Expedition leader, Mark Evans looks ahead to how the story of the expedition will now be told around the world. Encouraging us all to Journey with Purpose. Subscribe and follow to the podcast in your app so you don’t miss future, in depth podcasts exploring the Heart of Arabia, learning more ab…

Reem Philby, granddaughter of whose footsteps the expedition has been following in, reflections on what the two expedition legs has meant to her and the Philby family. Expedition website: The Heart of Arabia Expedition Follow the Expedition on social: Twitter Instagram Facebook The Heart of Arabia Expedition podcast is produced by Adventurous Audio…

Photographer Ana-Maria Pavalache reflects on capturing the expedition through the lens of her camera Expedition website: The Heart of Arabia Expedition Follow the Expedition on social: Twitter Instagram Facebook The Heart of Arabia Expedition podcast is produced by Adventurous AudioDoor Heart of Arabia Expedition

Expedition logistics lead and route planner, Alan Morrissey reflects on the Heart of Arabia Expedition just before the team reach Jeddah Expedition website: The Heart of Arabia Expedition Follow the Expedition on social: Twitter Instagram Facebook The Heart of Arabia Expedition podcast is produced by Adventurous Audio…

48 whirlwind hours after their arrival in Jeddah Mark brings us up to date with the team’s reception on the Red Sea coast. He describes a cultural melting pot of people, sights, sounds and smells that are very different to what the team have been used to and left behind in Al Uqayr on the Arabian Gulf coast. The expedition team were officially welc…

Mark meets some pupils from the Jeddah Prep and Grammar School, the oldest British School in Saudi Arabia. Through their conversations Mark hears how the expedition has inspired the pupils to learn more about the history, geography and culture of Saudi Arabia, of Philby, of the current expedition. Mark’s ambition for the Heart of Arabia Expedition …

Talal Al Unaizi, a journalist with the Saudi Press Agency is travelling with team. Mark has been inspired by his poetry recitals during their time together so he asks Talal to recites a poem for the podcast. Expedition website: The Heart of Arabia Expedition Follow the Expedition on social: Twitter Instagram Facebook The Heart of Arabia Expedition …

After 2 days exploring Taif, Mark and the team, like Philby before them are full of the hustle and bustle of the urban area and are yearning for the open space of the desert again. Skirting round Mecca, they travel through Wadi Al Laimun, the valley of the lemons. Meeting a local they discover his grandfather met and talked to Philby as he passed t…

On their arrival at Taif the expedition team visited the Shubra Palace, just as Philby did 106 years ago. Today it’s a heritage site looked after by the Museum Commission of the Saudi Arabian Ministry of Culture. Mark sits down with Heritage Manager, Hasan Al Noumari to discover the history and heritage of the palace and its significance both local…

Like Philby 106 years before them, Mark and the team have arrived in Taif on Christmas Day. They first visit the Shubra Palace which today is engulfed by Taif, the 6th largest urban area of Saudi Arabia. This is where Philby first arrived, but then it was still a distance from the town walls. Philby spent 2 days in Taif. His original plan to return…

A huge sandstorm battered the team yesterday, so Mark is up early this morning to update the podcast. The expedition team are on the brink of Taif and will arrive there later today. Yesterday’s going got harder and harder underfoot as Mark and Reem cross the crevassed lava fields of harat. Although uncompromising terrain for our expedition team the…

The team leave the Uruq Sabai behind them and make their way to Khurma, a small but historically significant settlement. Mark reflects on Philby’s journey all those years ago, when Philby was close to exhaustion after an 11.5 mile hike, eating only rice and dates after his camel went lame. For both Philby and the Heart of Arabia team there was a we…

Mark wakes early to the sound of the hoopoe lark then the expedition team set off to cross the Uruq Sabai – an extensive mountain of desert sand stretching some 70 miles in length. Once they’re all safely across they head north to re-join the Philby line and Mark reflects on how different Phiby’s crossing was to their own. For Philby the vast expan…

Mark and Reem walk across a vast plain of desert before coming to rest before tomorrow’s crossing of the Uruq Subai sand barrier. It’s a landscape that seems to offer up little, no landmarks, not even a hint of greenery and only a bit of wildlife in the form of some birds when they break for lunch. Mark reads Philby’s diary, who found it a similarl…

After hours searching the team are rewarded with an extraordinary find – several hand axes, hundreds of thousands of years old and invaluable evidence of desert occupation in the distant past. Mark then reflects on Philby’s time in the desert highlands to compare with their own experiences of this extraordinary landscape and draws on Philby as sayi…

After an incredible night under the stars, camped in a wadi bed, watching Jupiter, Saturn and Venus, Mark and the team reflected on the peace and serenity of the desert. How the simplicity of life and movement through the desert bought them joy. Having received some sad news from home, Mark considers the power of the wilderness to help us with our …

The Royal Geographical Society in London was Philby’s second home. On returning to London, he would offload all the information he had gathered on his travels to the cartographers who would update their maps of the region. Today’s expedition team were excited to hear yesterday that Reem will now also take to the stage of the RGS in London on the 8t…

The weather has been tough on the team for the last 24 hours. Sand has got everywhere. On day 2 of this leg, Mark and the team visited Graffiti Rock 1 and photographed the ancient rock art, going back 3000 – 8000 year, that tells the story of how some of the early Arabians lived and what they hunted. One of the key science projects of the Heart of …

The team are back together and have some very special guests with them. Some of Philby’s British family have travelled to Saudi Arabia for the start of the next leg of the expedition. This is the first time the two families have met. After a great send off, with eagles soaring above them, Mark and Reem set out on foot from Old Diriyah UNESCO World …

Welcome back to the Heart of Arabia Expedition podcast. Like Philby, Mark, Ana-Maria, Reem and Alan paused their journey in Riyadh. While Philby went into deep conversation with Ibn Saud, today’s team went back to their homes to recharge, refresh and to recap on all that leg 1 bought them. But now their sights are very firmly lodged on 16th January…

Mark and the team have arrived in Riyadh, 105 years after Philby. For Philby, this was the start of his hugely influential relationship with Abdulaziz Ibn Saud. Over the course of many hours of conversation these two men became great friends and influential over each other. For Mark, Reem, Ana-Maria and Alan it marks the end of leg 1 of the Heart o…

Inspiring young people to journey with purpose is the ambition of the Heart of Arabia expedition. So, on the last the desert camp before Mark and team arrive in Riyadh, they are joined by staff and pupils from the British International School, Riyadh and discuss the benefits of outdoor education to young people. Students Zena, Haneen and Christian …

Mark considers what is resilience and leadership in today’s society and how has it changed since Philby’s day. He recalls a conversation with leadership expert, Jo Owen at the expedition launch in London and how that has made him rethink his perceptions of modern leadership today. Expedition website: The Heart of Arabia Expedition Follow the Expedi…

Sitting under an acacia, 1 day’s travel from Riyadh and under a starlit night sky Mark compares his visit to the Abu Jifan watering hole to Philby’s. While today they were able to draw up some dirty water in Philby’s day his camels engorged themselves at the well. Mark is drawn to Philby’s descriptions of the wildlife he recorded in his journal. It…

Camped near Abu Jifan Fort Mark takes time to reflect on how he became interested in exploring the world and the people who have inspired him over the years. He also reflects on what he calls the ‘oldest university on earth’, that process of learning through listening, sharing and discussing life around the campfire in the desert. Expedition websit…

Now only 2 days trekking from Riyadh, Mark and Reem are closing in on the Abu Jifan Fort. Another place that Philby visited as he approached Riyadh and his meetings with Abdulaziz Ibn Saud. Mark and Reem look back on some of their highlights of the last 12 days and ahead to the second leg of the expedition in January. Expedition website: The Heart …

The expedition’s camels from The Camel Club have arrived. Mark and Reem sit down and talk to the camel herder about the camels they will be riding tomorrow as they head for the Abu Jifan watering hole that Philby visited. Expedition website: The Heart of Arabia Expedition Follow the Expedition on social: Twitter Instagram Facebook The Heart of Arab…

The expedition team’s photographer Ana-Maria Pavalache takes a turn at recording her thoughts for the podcast. She reflects on her developing relationship with Reem and how much the expedition is allowing her to capture intimate and moving moments with her camera, not just of Reem and of the people they are meeting on their journey but of the lands…

Hiding from the wind on a shingle plain, the team pause for the night, light the fire and cook. With thoughts of crossing the Ad-Dahna dunes tomorrow, an exhausted Mark reflects on how Philby must have felt when he travelled day after day by camel. Expedition website: The Heart of Arabia Expedition Follow the Expedition on social: Twitter Instagram…

After the coldest night so far, sleeping directly under the stars on a mat in the sand, the team put up the drone to do some research then start to make their way back towards the Philby 1917 journey line to continue their expedition. With them, they have tucked away a very special Explorers Club flag. In this episode Mark talks about the significa…

Sitting under the stars in the empty quarter, Reems shares the feelings of deep connection she’s had when she’s found herself standing in the exact places her Grandfather stood. Expedition website: The Heart of Arabia Expedition Follow the Expedition on social: Twitter Instagram Facebook The Heart of Arabia Expedition podcast is produced by Adventu…

In the middle of the empty quarter, Mark and the team navigate their way to the site where Philby had hoped to find the ‘Lost city of Ubar’, instead he found one of the best-preserved sites of a meteor impact in the world. Mark describes the massive meteor’s impact, so fast and powerful, it turned the desert sand to liquid. Expedition website: The …

Resting under an incredible starry sky, Mark tells the story of how Philby came to be crossing the biggest sand desert on earth and the challenges it presented, not just to Philby, but to his travelling companions who had to contend with Philby’s relentless pushing on. It was a journey of bickering, negotiation, arguing, all in search of a fabled A…

½ way through the first leg of their expedition, Mark and the team leave the 1917 Philby route and fast forward 15 years to follow in the footsteps of a later Philby journey. Heading into the ‘empty quarter’ by car, Mark talks to the team’s regional expert Alan Morrissey. Expedition website: The Heart of Arabia Expedition Follow the Expedition on s…

After 48 hours exploring the Al Ahsa oasis, Mark and the team start to feel an increasing connection to Harry St. John (Abdullah) Philby as they recreate some of his original images, standing in the exact spot he stood in 105 years ago. Expedition website: The Heart of Arabia Expedition Follow the Expedition on social: Twitter Instagram Facebook Th…

Meticulously following Philby’s travel notes we have arrived at Al Ahsa, a lush, rich oasis of 2.5 million palm trees. Expedition website: The Heart of Arabia Expedition Follow the Expedition on social: Twitter Instagram Facebook The Heart of Arabia Expedition podcast is produced by Adventurous Audio…

Mark and Philby’s granddaughter, Reem have an early start to make as much progress into the desert dunes before the heat of the sun increases too much. Expedition website: The Heart of Arabia Expedition Follow the Expedition on social: Twitter Instagram Facebook The Heart of Arabia Expedition podcast is produced by Adventurous Audio…

Sitting watching the sunset at the Arabian Gulf port of Al Uqayr, Mark and the team have arrived at the start point for the expedition after their send off from Riyadh. Expedition website: The Heart of Arabia Expedition Follow the Expedition on social: Twitter Instagram Facebook The Heart of Arabia Expedition podcast is produced by Adventurous Audi…

The Heart of Arabia Expedition is a two-stage 1,300km journey across Saudi Arabia, loosely following the route of the remarkable and pioneering explorer Harry St John (Abdullah) Philby. Here, Expedition Leader Mark Evans and podcast producers Dan Holland and Pennie Stuart from Adventurous Audio outline the background to the expedition and how the s…