I was once given some invaluable advice: ‘To achieve great things, you must surround yourself with great people.’ No expedition, of course, is a one-man show. I think it is clear to the reader that such a long journey anywhere, let alone one through such a contested region, must require the help and assistance of a great team, and as a result the acknowledgements for this book require more than any other I’ve undertaken.
There are many people that I must thank for their advice, help and assistance before during and after the expedition. This journey really began way back in 2003, when the late Alex Coutselos and I set off to backpack home from Cairo. Alex is sorely missed, and his legacy lives on in so many ways.
The planning for such a mammoth task took months of bureaucracy, emails and logistical wrangling, and all of this was down to the tenacity and sheer guts of two people: Dave Luke and Simon Buxton. They were both instrumental in the making of this journey, which would not have been possible without them. I’m only sorry that there wasn’t enough space in this book to recount all our adventures together. In addition, I must thank Neil Bonner for his filming and directorship; Tom Cross, who joined for the second half; and Charlotte Tottenham for her invaluable assistance throughout.
I would like to humbly thank HRH the Prince of Wales for his sage advice before embarking. The start of my expedition was made smooth with the help of my old friend, Omer ‘Chomani’ Hussein, as well as Dr Nawzad Kameran Al-Salihi, Sheikh Karwan Barzani, Jim Fidell, Saad Wadi Khamis and the Kurdistan Regional Government. I owe my security and access in Iraq to Amar Jabar Ali. In the Iraqi marshes, I was well looked after by Jassim Al-Asadi, Azzam Alwash, Razzaq Jabbar Sabbon (Abu Haider) and Salwa Um Haider. In Bahrain, I was warmly welcomed by Jesus Florido-Banqueri and all the team of the Bahrain Tourism board. In the UAE, Charlie Taylor at Jumeirah and my friends, Griff Freedman and Katherine Kearsey, gave me some much-needed R&R.
I received extensive Omani expertise from Major General Richard Stanford MBE, Nabs El Busaidy, Mark Evans, Charlie Dalziel, Major Dom Dias and Major Nick Le Crerar, and ‘Mahrouqi’ Ahmed Haroub Hamed guided me safely through the Empty Quarter desert. Hadi Al Hikmani and his skilled troop of Jebeli guides – Ali Said Al Hikmani, Salim Suhail Al Hikmani, Saïd Suhail Al Hikmani and Saïd Salim Al Hikmani – kept us safe in the mountains of Dhofar. I was accompanied by Matthew Fisher, Michael Greep, Emmanuel Ansah, Nutan Rai, Stephen Turner and Harry Card, courtesy of the Endeavour Fund, and these brave warriors made the steep escarpments of the Dhofar peninsula even more of a joy.
In Yemen, I am indebted to my fixer, whom I have called ‘Abshir’ for security reasons, to Sultan Abdallah bin Essa bin Ali Al Afrar, Colonel ‘H’, and the invaluable advice of a man whom I will simply call John.
Through the HALO trust team, I was introduced to Hersi Abdirizak, who was a great help in Somaliland. My access to Saudi Arabia was arranged with the help of HRH Sultan bin Salman, as well as the very helpful Richard Wildash, Jim Tanner, Richard Cowley and Jamana al Rashid. It was my knowledgeable guide, Khaled Al Took, who truly brought the sands of the kingdom to life.
I am indebted to HRH King Abdullah II of Jordan and his chief of staff, Jafar Hassan, for their hospitality and assistance, and George David and Ahmad Ashour at the Royal Film Commission of Jordan. Also, to Mustafa Khalifeh, Qais Tweissi, Salem Sabah Al Zalabia, Aude Eid Salem and above all, to Mishael al Faqueer for being my guide through his beautiful lands.
In the West Bank, I was looked after by Salah Abu Laban and Fadi AbouAkleh, and in Israel by Shani Amihay Boneh. In Syria, I was enormously grateful for the wisdom and insight of my guide, Nada Kettunen. In Lebanon, Hadi Obeid and the staff of the British Embassy in Lebanon were all a great help.
I am grateful too for the support of all those companies and organisations who helped out: Sicuro, Global Rescue, Horus, Rotana Hotels, Jumeirah Group, the Bahrain Tourist Board, Nomad Travel, Leica, Belstaff, IWC, Oliver Sweeney and Sky Vision.
Across the Arabian Peninsula, I was helped by a number of generous individuals and organisations from the charity sector, including Camilla Kinchin from UNICEF and the staff at Zaatari Camp; Richard Scott at the HALO Trust; Chris Forbes at Save the Children; Ole Solvang at the Norwegian Refugee Council; Matt Timblin, Belkis Wille at Human Rights Watch; and David Wiseman of the Endeavour Fund.
And in no particular order, to all of the following for their words of wisdom, floor space, companionship on the trail, or just a cup of tea: Nigel Winser and Shane Winser at the Royal Geographical Society, Ben Wright, Charles Dalziel, Patrick Mark, Steve Tidmarsh, Tracey Saunders, Josh Baker, Nadia Hardman, Lottie Gimlette, Paddy Nicholl, Sam Browne, Rich Bowyer, Ruthie, Ronnie, Dahlia and Dana Markus, Imran Zawwar, Doc McKerr, Ben Ross, Isobel Abdulhoel, Oz Katerji, Colonel Sharon Gat, Noam Shalev, Julia Civettuolo Haddad, Tom Bodkin, Mary Martin, Luca Alfatti, Chris Wright, Doug Muirhead, Toby Woodbridge, Jude Carnegie, Ceci Alonzo, Claire Arrowsmith, Tes Mendoza and Elin Kongevold.
It was reassuring to know that I was in the safe hands of Mike Kennedy, Elinor Buxton and Sean Nelson, who kept tabs from afar.
Thanks to all of those who came to visit and boost morale over Christmas and New Year – my wonderful parents and my brother Pete, and my friends, Ash Bhardwaj, Andrea Thompson, Lian Michelson, Ali Naushahi, Janessa Wells, Michael Walford-Williams, Harry Pilcher; and to Alberto Caceres, who also joined for parts of the expedition.
As ever, I owe the book to my fabulous agent, Jo Cantello, and Rupert Lancaster at my publisher, Hodder & Stoughton, as well as all of the team involved, especially Kerry Hood, Cameron Myers and Barry Johnston.
I’d like to thank Jenny Walker for giving me a critic’s eye from a local perspective, Neil Gower for the fabulous maps, and Ella Jackson, to whom I must give special thanks for the beautiful cover and wonderful times throughout the writing of this book.
Finally, my gratitude to the people of Syria, Iraq, Kuwait, Bahrain, the UAE, Oman, Yemen, Somalia, Somaliland, Djibouti, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Palestine, Israel and Lebanon for their generosity and kindness.