Like him, I have carried the belief that tranquility was to be found there.
I went toOmanto find it for myself.
I started my visit on the northeastern coast, in the capital city of Muscat.
Sunset in the Empty Quarter, a desert region in western Oman.Credit:Chris Wallace
The next day, I traveled with Ghassan Almaasharia guide arranged by my hotel, the newSt.
I still think about it almost every day.
The grass promenade along the sand, shaded by coconut palms, is a favorite for locals.
The Riyam Censer in Muscat, a memorial modeled on an incense burner.Chris Wallace
The property has a reputation amonghotel enthusiastsfor being a wonderfully remote hideaway.
(I survived without incident.)
(Even the designationsultanfor Omans monarch is a holdover from Ottoman days.)
A pool at Six Senses Zighy Bay.Chris Wallace
But the future is coming.
Oman Vision 2040, as the project is called, seeks to incorporate green technology and diversify the economy.
Salalah at that time, he wrote, was a small Arab village adjoining the sultans palace.
The Sultan Qaboos Grand Mosque, in Muscat.Chris Wallace
Though undeniably fun, this wasnt exactly the baptism of solitude Id come in search of.
It comes from the Arabicbadawi,which means simply desert-dweller.
The next day, I decided to venture farther into the dunes.
From left: The Gulf of Oman as seen from the Mandarin Oriental, Muscat; the hotel’s pool.Chris Wallace
On the car stereo, he played me songs by the Lebanese singer Fairouz.
In response, I played him classical Iraqi oud music.
Finally we came through the canyons to Al Fazayah Beach, maybe 40 miles from the border.
From left: The natural swimming hole at Wadi Shab; postmodern design by Ibrahim Jaidah Architects at the St. Regis Al Mouj Muscat resort.Chris Wallace
Here I again gravitated toward a crowd of camels.
Wading into the water with them, I noticed just how happy I was, how perfectly unencumbered.
It wouldnt have looked out of place in a John Ford western.
From left: Taqah Castle, an archaeological site in Dhofar; a camel at Al Fazayah Beach, near Salalah.Chris Wallace
I was sitting there at that very moment because of that book.
Arabian Sandswas a valuable artifact, he said.
Thesiger managed to capture their incredible strength and humor, as well as how loud and irascible they were.
From left: The souk at Nizwa; the Magic Camps site in the dunes of Dhofar.Chris Wallace
Besides, times were very tough back then.
Why would you ever want to go back?
He went on to study meteorology, and eventually became a French- and English-speaking guide.
He held his up and shook it in the air, marveling.
Now Oman and this entire region are preparing for another new, but more sustainable future.
I hope someone is writing a book.
