Philby's travels in Riyadh and the southern extreme of Nejd

Philby, Harry St John Bridger. Southern Najd (In: The Geographical Journal Vol. LV, no. 3. March 1920).

€ 300.00

First edition. A brief elucidation of the author's own journey from Riyadh - today the modern capital of Saudi Arabia - to the southern extremities of Nejd, including a brief description and plan of Riyadh and photographic plates of scenes of his travels.

St John Philby (1885-1960), also known by his Arabian name "Sheikh Abdullah", was an Arabist, explorer, writer, and British colonial office intelligence officer. Educated at Trinity College, Cambridge, he studied languages and was a friend and classmate of Jawaharlal Nehru, later prime Minister of India. Philby settled in Jeddah and became famous as an international writer and explorer. He personally mapped on camelback what is now the Saudi-Yemeni border on the Rub' al Khali; in 1932, while searching for the lost city of Ubar, he was the first Westerner to visit and describe the Wabar craters. At this time, Philby also became Ibn Saud's chief adviser in dealing with the British Empire and Western powers. He converted to Islam in 1930. The personal contacts between the United States and Saudi Arabia were largely channeled through the person of Philby.

Very slight exterior browning.