Travels in the Upper Egyptian deserts

The book invites listeners into the sun‑baked heart of Upper Egypt, where the author, a government inspector, records his official duties alongside moments of quiet wonder. Riding camels across stark wadis, he notes the resilient desert vegetation, the occasional oasis, and the trace of ancient peoples etched into rock faces. Each stop becomes a small tableau, from abandoned sarcophagi to the subtle shifts of light on granite hills.

Guided by a trio of Victorian painters and aided by local antiquities officials, the narration is enriched with vivid visual detail that the listener can picture even without the plates. The journey threads through Roman forts, Greek inscriptions at Wady Abâd, and the silent grandeur of sites like Kessair and Gebel Dukhân, offering a blend of scholarly observation and personal reflection. The result is a measured, lyrical travelogue that captures both the rugged landscape and the fragile remnants of civilizations that once thrived there.