Ziane Achour University – Djelfa – Algeria

Abstract

      God Almighty has distinguished humankind with reason, enabling continuous reflection on the surrounding world. Since ancient times, the desert has occupied human thought as a vast, mysterious, and unfamiliar space, filled with hidden and astonishing aspects. Humans lived within the depths of the desert, exploring its paths across different eras, leaving traces of those who passed through it over long periods of time. Various journeys and caravan trips emerged for multiple purposes, including the pursuit of knowledge, trade, exploration, and the discovery of natural resources such as gold and oil. At certain historical stages, the desert also served as a passage for pilgrims performing religious duties. In other instances, travel aimed at easing personal concerns and psychological burdens. These diverse motives and experiences were reflected in travel literature, where travellers documented their observations and encounters. Their writings preserved a cultural and human balance by recording wealth, customs, environments, and lived experiences across desert spaces. This study seeks to trace travel literature within the heart of the desert, as it represents a window through which hidden worlds of specific historical periods can be observed. By following the images and realities portrayed by travellers, this research highlights how these writings revealed both the harshness and compassion of the desert as experienced and recorded in the literature of journeys.

Keywords: Desert, Journey, Adventurous Man, Literature