For centuries, the Sahara has drawn Europeans like a magnet. Daring women and men
Many European nations set out for the most varied of motives on the arduous and dangerous journey to unveil the secrets of the desert.

The first few - if they could afford it - probably drove a thirst for adventure and a thirst for knowledge, coupled with the urge for personal freedom and independence, into the distance.

Others hungered for fame: as explorers, geographers and naturalists or just they were looking for treasure. Still others were on the road on behalf of scientific institutes or magazines. Including those on the hunt for sensations of all kinds in order to satisfy the hunger of the local readership for sensations of all kinds. In addition, those who felt called to spread their faith not only among the people in the desert, but also in the countries that should lie behind it ...

​

And not to forget the kind of travelers who roamed the Sahara on behalf of their governments: in search of new sales markets for the local economy, paired with the intention to colonize the explored areas later.

​

Much has changed since then ...
The large caravans that regularly crossed the sea of sand on routes only familiar to the locals disappeared. They were replaced by trucks, buses and automobiles, which now reduced the great distances within the Sahara from months to days on paved tracks and well-developed roads. In addition, there were airlines that connect the main locations with each other.
Forgotten are the king of the desert and the leopards, who threatened the life and limb of travelers. This also applies to the warnings in some travel guides at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries to limit yourself to the military roads when traveling in the Sahara beyond the Atlas and to seek military protection or even yourself if you deviate from them to arm.

​

... but one thing has stayed the same as always ...

​

- The desert still awakens the feeling of freedom ... a freedom ... as far as the eye can see.
- The sun still rises blood-red over the horizon every day and drives away the cold of the night.

- The ever-blowing wind still sweeps over dunes and rugged rocks, relieves the glow of the sun wandering across a blue cloudless sky and gently hums people to sleep.

- The desert still grants us the grandiose spectacle of the setting sun and rewards us with the refreshing coolness of the evening.
- The stars still shine like sparkling gemstones in the majestic canopy and give us a silence that is not loneliness.

- The allure of the Sahara still persists and invites you to marvel at its fascinating landscapes and testimonies from prehistoric times, be it on foot, on the back of a desert ship or on board a car ...

                                                                                         Text: E. Fehlau