Of Faisal and the Bedouins (Part I)
Once ago in the holy city of Mecca, there was a Prince. His name was Faisal bin Husei bin Thanid Al-Heijr. He was the son of the Sheik. Faisal was raised in the Palace of Mecca, where he lived with his family for many years. His father was so worried about him, that he tried to have him by his side all the day. When he was twelve he was allowed to leave the palace for the first time. Bearded on a platform and surrounded by 36 royal bodyguards he couldnt see much of the city, but still he was fascinated by the world outside of his nursery. The wide main road interested him almost as much as the innumerable narrow alleys. The jumble of fragrances at the markets and the dusty air of the smiths, the magnificence of the upper-class buildings and the misery of the poor everything was new for him. In the following years Faisal explored the secrets of Mecca most thorough. Although the Sheik always tried to hold him back, but even attempts to cage him away in his nursery were sabotaged by the clever mind of the prince, who always found a way to get out of his room.
When Faisal was 16 the Sheik realized that he couldnt hold his son back anymore. He gave him a splendid mare out of his very own breed, one with gold garnished sabre and fine bow which was the so-called bow of a Hyskos King. Together with 36 bodyguards, he was allowed to explore Macoroba. For several years he visited the big cities of the realm and he even built a house in Medina. But when his father already started to think that his son was coming home again, the little adventurer turned his interest towards the dessert. There are three big desserts in Arabia. In the north is the Nefud, which is covered with red sand. In the south is the Rub´al-Khali, a very wide and unexplored dessert, where only the Bedouins are able to survive. Between those two desserts is the Dhana, which connects both. These desserts are deadly to the inexperienced. If you want to survive there, you have to know about the few water places and the Oases, you have to know how to protect yourself from the sun, you have to know what to do if you are in the centre of a sandstorm and maybe the most important thing you have to know about the Bedouins.
The Bedu as they are called by the Arabs are the Kings of the dessert. They know more about it then any foreigner could learn in his whole life. Bedouins are nomadic people. They move on to fresh pastures when their grazing lands are exhausted. They cannot afford to sit tight where water is not plentiful. Their herds are primary of goats and sheep. Sheep need water daily and goats need water every two days. Therefore Bedouins have to navigate from water place to water place carefully. But over the centuries the Bedouins have learned to travel the dessert with safety. In the day the Bedu try to use footprints, the shadows of themselves and (if you are familiar with the local winds) the shape of the dunes to find their way through the dessert. At night the starts are the best guides.
On his adventure through the Nefud, Faisal and his 36 bodyguards (who had become were experienced too) were surprised by a sandstorm. When the storm had stopped, the group had no idea where they were. But suddenly a lonely Bedu appeared. The Bedouins are well known for their hospitality and soon the lonely warrior brought the prince to the shelter of his Sheik. The Bedouins tent is divided into two parts. For the men and guest reserved place is the living place. The other part is for the women, where they cook and take care of female guests. The prince was of course lead in the living part. Feisal was greeted by the Bedouin Sheik and they talked about the dessert, horses and their descent. At the end of the day, the Bedouin asked the Prince, if he wanted to live them in the dessert and learn the way of the Bedu. Faisal agreed and for the next two years he learned the secrets of the Bedouins. But even more important, he became friend with the Bedouin Sheik.
