Muhammad al Auf

Portrait of Muhammad al Auf, a tribesman of the Bayt Mbarik lineage of Rashid Bedouin.Muhammad al Auf, a tribesman of the Bayt Mbarik lineage of Rashid Bedouin, joined Wilfred Thesiger's party for only two of his Arabian journeys - Thesiger's First Empty Quarter Crossing in 1946–7, and the following journey from Salalah to Al Mukalla in the spring of 1947. Nicknamed Muhammad "the Bad", 'because he isn't' (1960: 89), Thesiger found Muhammad al Auf to be an extremely knowledgeable and agreeable travelling companion. Noted as an exceptionally skilled guide (1960: 89), Thesiger wrote that Muhammad al Auf gave 'an immediate impression of controlled energy, of self-confidence and intelligence' (1960: 89). Muhammad al Auf held an important role during Thesiger's First Crossing of the Empty Quarter. When most of Thesiger's Bedouin travelling party turned back at Ramlat al Ghafah, Muhammad al Auf decided to risk the journey and continue on with Thesiger, sharing responsibility for guiding the party with Musallim bin Tafl. Without two such a skilled guides, Thesiger would not have been able to complete the crossing.

Reference

Wilfred Thesiger, 1960. Arabian Sands, Longmans, Green and Co Ltd: London.

Photographs of Muhammad al Auf