Title: Jauf and the North Arabian Desert. Author: H. St. J. B. Philby Publisher: London: Edward Stanford, Royal Geographical Society, 1923. Item is in Original Condition, with Blue Wrappers - As Issued, Complete with All the Ads! Notes & Condition: Philby recounts a journey made in 1922 together with railway engineer Major Holt, through Jordan to Jauf [Al Jawf Region, Al-Jouf] and into Iraq as far as Karbala, for the purpose of investigating the area's unstable political situation, and to examine possibilities of building a railway in the Wadi Sirhan valley. Beginning with a fascinating summary of a most unstable government indeed, Philby describes an ongoing power struggle between two dynasties, inter-tribal raids, a slave governor being murdered, betrayals and quarrels over land, so forth. The pair travelled to Medina, to the volcanic lava field of Harrat al-Shamah where they found some Safaitic inscriptions on stone, then to Sakaka where they stayed for nine days, and eventually arriving at the Al-Ukhaidir Fortress and the city of Karbala [Iraq], to be hosted by the Arab governor. Choosing a safe route was imperative as rebel holdings were prolific, particularly in the Al-Jawf Region. Once their mission was accomplished they made their way north for Ramadi, from where a flight would take them back to Amman. Interesting accounts describe inhospitable places and encounters, most notably the house of Sha'lan whose members were able to impede the expedition for some time. Philby's observations further include the important village of Kaf and its citizens, the Quraiyat salt -pans which are worked by the Badawin [Bedouins]; the plain of Ithra and its settlement of the black tents of the Ruwalla; the vast, dazzling, white salt marsh of Nuqrat al Hadhaudha, the prominent landmark of Kharana; Shaib Shanmari and in Jauf itself, the great medieval Arab fortress of Qasr Marid, the ruins of the hamlets of Suq and Suq al Hattab, the Safaitic inscriptions at Harrat; at the Sultan's invitation, a visit to Sakaka; the oasis of Qara; Suluba; the wells of Abal Dufuf; the magnificent ruins of Ukhaidir; Abu Dibis and Amadi. Photographic plates provide excellent visuals from the journey. Philby's account is accompanied by a large highly detailed fold-out colour map and a report by Major A. L. Holt titled, "The Future of the North Arabian Desert," which outlines his work in terms of developing communications through the desert, and a compelling argument promoting the desert as an important trade route. Holt accompanied Philby on his extraordinary Arabian adventure. At the time of this expedition, Philby was chief head of the Secret Service in Mandatory Palestine (since November 1921), working with T. E. Lawrence and meeting his American counterpart, Allen Dulles. 8vo. Two reports, 39 pages combined, plus a large fold-out colour map measuring approximately 59 x 34 cm, and photographic plates for illustration. Original condition with blue wrappers, titles to front, and containing all the ads. This is a complete issue, seldom found in such good and original condition. Excerpt from the text: "We left Amman on 10 March 1922... my personal preference... camels over mechanical transport in the real desert... in country where no organized route exists" "... The introduction of modern firearms has been a curse and veritable scourge to Arabia and its independent, individualistic denizens... the Arab social code of raid and rapine has not shown any signs as of yet of adjusting itself..." "... the northern desert of Arabia is at the present moment unsafe in the widest sense of the term - unsafe for the innocent traveller, the merchant, and the shepherd - there are already signs of a welcome change in the south, where Ibn Sa'ud has created a well-knit polity on a religious basis and has found himself strong enough to prohibit tribal raiding within his borders." "Our reception by the authorities of Kaf was cordial enough though guarded.... We were not allowed to visit the natural fortress ... called Qasr Sa'idi... a small guard of some twenty-five men with machine guns... Kaf is commanded by this eminence..." "... within a month of our sojourn at Jauf, we heard of the downfall of the house of Sha'lan at the hands of Ibn Sa'ud. As rulers they were detested by their own people, whom they treated with insolent harshness..." "Every human seen in the desert is an enemy, and the weaker party must make its best speed away if it would escape death." End Excerpt. Harry St John Bridger Philby, Order of the Indian Empire (CIE) (1885-1960), also known as Jack Philby or Sheikh Abdullah, was a British Arabist, explorer, writer, colonial office intelligence officer, and adviser to the first monarch of Saudi Arabia. Philby joined the British Foreign Service in 1917 and was the first European to visit the southern desert of Arabia. He was the first European to enter Abha, the capital of Najran, the frontier district between the Wahhabis and the Yemenites, and the second to visit Shabwa, although he was the first to explore the ruins where he discovered the great temple of Astarte. During Philby's explorations of Arabia, he came into contact with Ibn Saud, and was greatly influenced by the Wahabi ideology and culture, converting to Islam and renouncing his faith in Christianity.
