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 Heritage site, a place Philby wrote about. They walk along the Wadi Hanifa and are quickly away from the hustle and bustle of modern Riyadh. Back...

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 when leg 2 will begin, leaving from Riyadh and making their way to Jeddah. So join Mark, sitting on the coast in Oman for this look ahead to leg 2...

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 of Arabia Expedition and a time to get washed and prepare themselves and their kit for leg 2 which starts on January 16th 2023. Expedition website:...

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 who are all doing their Duke of Edinburgh International award explain that outdoor learning in the desert gives them much wider life skills than...

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 Expedition on social: Twitter Instagram Facebook The Heart of Arabia Expedition podcast is produced by Adventurous Audio

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 describes a rich biodiversity. But on leg 1 of the Heart of Arabia expedition, to date, the team have seen very little wildlife. Expedition...

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 website: The Heart of Arabia Expedition Follow the Expedition on social: Twitter Instagram Facebook The Heart of Arabia Expedition podcast is produced...

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 of Arabia Expedition Follow the Expedition on social: Twitter Instagram Facebook The Heart of Arabia Expedition podcast is produced by Adventurous...

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 Arabia Expedition podcast is produced by Adventurous Audio

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 landscape, both in day but also at night when the team are bathed in stars.  For Ana-Maria observing the trip through her lens is powerful, moving and...

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 Facebook The Heart of Arabia Expedition podcast is produced by Adventurous Audio

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 significance and history of the Explorers Club flag no. 112 and why they’re so proud to have been allowed to take it with them.         Expedition...

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 Adventurous Audio

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 Heart of Arabia Expedition Follow the Expedition on social: Twitter Instagram Facebook The Heart of Arabia Expedition podcast is produced by...

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 Atlantis of the sands – Ubar. Expedition website: The Heart of Arabia Expedition Follow the Expedition on social: Twitter Instagram Facebook The...

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 social: Twitter Instagram Facebook The Heart of Arabia Expedition podcast is produced by Adventurous Audio

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 The Heart of Arabia Expedition podcast is produced by Adventurous Audio

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 Audio

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....

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 story of the journey will be captured by Mark through audio postcards and podcasts. Expedition website: The Heart of Arabia Expedition Follow the...