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 meet the expedition team and discover more about Philby from his family.  The team is small, dynamic and fast moving but all experts in their field. They’re led by Oman based, British explorer Mark Evans, MBE. Mark is a lifelong explorer and geographer, as much at home on ice as he is in the desert.  Ana-Maria Pavalache is the expedition photographer who will capture the sights of the desert and the stories of the people they meet. Riyadh based Alan Morrissey is leading on logistics and a study into ancient lithic artefacts. The final team member is Reem Philby, Philby’s granddaughter. Reem is a natural explorer and looking forward to introducing the team, and us through these podcasts, to her homeland. In front of the Expedition Patron HRH The Princes Royal, with support from Ambassadors from the UK and Saudi Arabia, Diplomats, fellow explorers and geographers, the Heart of Arabia Expedition was launched in London at The Royal Geographical Society. The very place that Philby returned to to tell the world of his own expedition, so that is where we pick up the story of the Heart of Arabia in our podcast. The Heart of Arabia expedition started on 15th November 2022 when Mark and his team travalled the same route as Philby did exactly 105 years earlier. Over the next few weeks, join us as we take a deep dive into the Heart of Arabia. Subscribe now to join us on every footstep of the way in the Heart of Arabia Expedition podcast. 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