Saudi Arabia
The
worst sandstorm in over thirty years hit the Rub’ al-Khali desert. The largest
sand desert in the world with a single dune stretching for twenty five miles
and measuring a hundred feet tall, was being dispersed by the winds, only to be
reformed miles away. It was an ongoing process as the sand swirled miles up
into the sky, blocking out the midday sun and turning it into twilight.
Bedouins,
the desert people from the Bedu tribe, were used to the harsh conditions of the
desert, but this storm was unusually cruel. Atop their camels, they sheltered
their skin from the stinging sands with pieces of cloth and only left small
openings for their eyes. The mighty beasts they rode were also covered with
protective cloth over their heads to prevent breathing in of the sand and dust.
The camels, referred to by Arabs as ships of the desert, navigated blindly and
were only guided by the tugs from the hemp reins to keep them on course. The
caravan moved at a slow pace and the knobby-kneed creatures sometimes stumbled
as the sand piled up in front of them. After a few miles, the winds began to
subside, and the sun started to lighten the desert.
They
looked ahead through their facecloths and pulled on the reins to stop the
camels. The winds became almost silent as they pulled their face cloths down
for a better look. They turned their heads to one another, almost beckoning for
agreement that they were all seeing the same thing. In front of them were human
skeletons, unearthed from under the desert sand by the howling winds. As the
intermittent gusts would come and go, the sand blew away and exposed more
corpses, lots of corpses. As they moved forward and tried to avoid the piles of
bones, it became clear that there were thousands of bodies scattered across the
desert terrain, almost as far as the eye could see.
They
chattered in their native tongue at the horror surrounding them, and were
confused at the conditions of the bodies. They weren’t all skeletons. Some were
in different stages of decomposition. The dry, hot climate had mummified some,
and others looked like they had only been there a short while. They wondered
how this could be. Who were these people, and how did they get here? Had there
been a war and they didn’t know it? They were located hundreds of miles from
civilization, and only small villages of nomadic tribes dotted this area of the
desert. As the stench became overwhelming, they pressed on. They traveled miles
before the odor of death finally blew away.
As
darkness fell, they decided to camp for the evening. They set up their tents
that were woven from goat’s hair. The camels huddled together for warmth as the
night desert air became frigid. The women prepared flat bread made from flour
and salt, while the men talked of the terrifying experience they had witnessed
that day. No one could come up with a logical explanation. The answer seemed
illusive, like a desert mirage.
