Sir Wilfred Thesiger

Connected Sites: 26

Sir Wilfred Thesiger (1910-2003). British explorer and travel writer who "specialised" in Arabia/Iraq/Abyssinia/Sudan/East Africa/Morocco. Did most of his travelling between the 1930s to the 1950s including war service in "Special Operations" during which he was involved in the liberation of Ethiopia. Was friends with rulers such as Haile Selassie and Sheikh Zayed of Abu Dhabi. Has been called "the last of the great Victorian travelers, born half a century after his time." and continued the British "Arabist" travelling tradition by bonding with the tribes whose lands he travelled through and adopting their values. His collection of photographs is held by the Pitt-Rivers museum and many are available for viewing on line. see http://www.prm.ox.ac.uk/thesiger.html For more about his life also see http://www.bigbillkruse.com/thesiger.htm

Connected Sites

  • Al Ain
    Al Ain
    United Arab Emirates
    Inscribed: 2011
    2.55
    140
    8
    "Thesiger's Travels Frequently Took Him Through The Emirate, Through The Southern Oasis Of Liwa, Through The Capital City, And To Al Ain Itself, Where He Formed An Enduring Friendship With Sheikh Zayed, The Future Ruler Of Abu Dhabi And The 'Father' And First President Of The United Arab Emirates." See:
    See Www.Newstatesman.Com
  • Shibam
    Shibam
    Yemen
    Inscribed: 1982
    3.95
    25
    2
    His Travels There In The 1940s Are Described By Thesiger In "Arabian Sands" . "Whenever I Was In The Silent Alleyways Under The Sheer Walls Of These Houses I Felt As If I Were At The Bottom Of A Well"
  • Konso
    Konso
    Ethiopia
    Inscribed: 2011
    2.90
    42
    3
    Thesiger Suggested The Tribe For An Anthropological Phd Thesis "While Enquiring About The Possibilities Of Fieldwork In Ethiopia, Wilfred Thesiger Drew His Attention To The Konso, Among Whom Hallpike Lived From 1965-67. His Doctoral Research Was Published In 1972 As The Konso Of Ethiopia. A Study Of The Values Of A Cushitic People." From His Photo Collection:
    See Www.Prmprints.Com
  • Lakes of Ounianga
    Inscribed: 2012
    3.61
    8
    2
    Describes His Visit In "A Camel Journey To Tibesti" (1939)
    See Reseau-Tchad.Org
  • Harar Jugol
    Harar Jugol
    Ethiopia
    Inscribed: 2006
    2.85
    50
    2
    Visited In Dec 1930 During His Visit To Haile Selassie's Coronation (There By Personal Invitation). Wrote In Danakil Diary That "Except For A Few Corrugated Iron Roofs, It Still Looked The Same As When [Burton] Had Been There"
  • Kilimanjaro National Park
    Inscribed: 1987
    3.92
    103
    7
    Climbed It In Feb 1962 (Aged 51). Described Here
    See Www.Sundaytimes.Lk
  • Ngorongoro
    Ngorongoro
    Tanzania
    Inscribed: 1979
    4.35
    160
    4
    "In April 1961 Thesiger Travelled In Tanganyika (Now Tanzania) With Another Friend, John Newbould, The Pair Walking For A Month Around Ngorongoro Crater With Donkeys Hired From Local Maasai. For Thesiger, The Maasai Embodied Traditional Africa, Yet He Feared For Their Future: 'They Have Scorned Everything Which The West Has Offered Them, And How Right They Are. The Tragedy Is That Others Who Have Not... Are Bound To Win In The Modern World, Though They Lose Their Souls In The Process.' See
    See Www.Prm.Ox.Ac.Uk
  • Land of Frankincense
    Inscribed: 2000
    2.81
    78
    10
    Visited Shisr In 1946 During One Of (4 In All Between 1945 And 1950) His "Crossings" Of The Empty Quarter Which Started In (And Returned To) Salalah. ("The Archaeological Site Of Shisr, Which Some Believe To Be The Legendary Lost City Of Ubar, Was Formally Identified And Recognized In The Early 1990s By Sir Ranulph Fiennes And A Team Of Archaeologists. This Identification Gained International Attention, Although Debate Continues Regarding Whether Shisr Is Indeed Ubar. While The Site Was Explored By Bertram Thomas In The 1930s And Thesiger In The 1940s, Its Official Identification As A Potential Lost City Came Later"). See
    See Web.Prm.Ox.Ac.Uk
  • Lalibela
    Lalibela
    Ethiopia
    Inscribed: 1978
    4.14
    92
    6
    "Following His Celebrated Travels In Arabia And Iraq During The Late 1940s And 1950s, Thesiger Returned To Ethiopia In 1959, Visiting The Remarkable Rock-Hewn Churches Of Lalibela, Now A Unesco World Heritage Site, And Thereafter He Based Himself For Much Of Each Year In East Africa."
    See Philipgrover.Blogspot.Com
  • 'Uruq Bani Ma'arid
    Inscribed: 2023
    2.59
    11
    1
    Travelling The Empty Quarter (Rub' Al Khali)
    See Prmprints.Com
  • Medina of Fez
    Inscribed: 1981
    3.71
    339
    9
    Circa 1930s
    See Prmprints.Com
  • Meknes
    Meknes
    Morocco
    Inscribed: 1996
    2.97
    275
    6
    1961
    See Prmprints.Com
  • Fasil Ghebbi
    Inscribed: 1979
    3.13
    68
    3
    1960
    See Prmprints.Com
  • Medina of Marrakesh
    Inscribed: 1985
    3.73
    452
    11
    1965
    See Prmprints.Com
  • Jaipur City, Rajasthan
    Inscribed: 2019
    3.39
    274
    3
    September - October 1983
    See Prmprints.Com
  • Taj Mahal
    Inscribed: 1983
    4.24
    351
    7
    1978
    See Prmprints.Com
  • Meidan Emam, Esfahan
    Inscribed: 1979
    3.80
    131
    2
    1949
    See Prmprints.Com
  • Yazd
    Yazd
    Iran
    Inscribed: 2017
    3.59
    113
    3
    1964
    See Prmprints.Com
  • Lut Desert
    Inscribed: 2016
    3.40
    33
    3
    1964
    See Prmprints.Com
  • Gonbad-e Qâbus
    Inscribed: 2012
    2.72
    16
    3
    June - August 1964
    See Prmprints.Com
  • Petra
    Petra
    Jordan
    Inscribed: 1985
    4.60
    387
    21
    1941
    See Prmprints.Com
  • Damascus
    Inscribed: 1979
    3.87
    104
    5
    1942 - 1943
    See Prmprints.Com
  • Lamu Old Town
    Inscribed: 2001
    2.94
    42
    5
    1961
    See Prmprints.Com
  • Mount Kenya
    Inscribed: 1997
    2.93
    51
    3
  • Ennedi Massif
    Inscribed: 2016
    4.06
    8
    2
  • Ahwar of Southern Iraq
    Inscribed: 2016
    2.98
    28
    4