- Zerzura
Zerzura ( _ar. زرزورة) was a mythical city or
oasis .The rumor
Zerzura was long rumored to have existed deep in the desert west of the
Nile River inEgypt orLibya . In writings dating back to the thirteenth century, the authors spoke of a city which was "white as a dove" and called it "The Oasis of Little Birds".Who|date=September 2008More recently, European explorers made forays into the desert in search of Zerzura but never succeeded in finding it. Notable twentieth-century explorers
Ralph Bagnold of Britain, and the Hungarian László (Ladislaus) Almásy led an expedition to search for Zerzura from1929 -1930 using FordModel-T trucks. In 1932 the Almásy- Patrick Clayton expedition reconnoisance flights discovered two valleys in the Gilf Kebir. In the following year, Almásy found the third of the "Zerzura" wadis, actually rain oases in the remote desert. On the other hand, Bagnold considered Zerzura as a legend that could never be solved by discovery.Fact|date=September 2008The participants of the Zerzura hunt created the
Club Zerzura in a bar inWadi Halfa upon their return in 1930. Many of the club's members remained friends and several went on to serve as officers in theBritish Army duringWorld War II . Many served in theLong Range Desert Patrol during theNorth African Campaign . Only Almásy served in theAfrika Korps and possibly assisted the Italians. [Kelly, Saul, "The Lost Oasis", p. 121]Books About Zerzura
* "The Hunt for Zerzura and World War II" about members of the Zerzura Club in World War II by
Saul Kelly
* "The English Patient " byMichael Ondaatje was loosely based on Almásy's lifeNotes
References
*Kelly, Saul. "The Lost Oasis: The Desert War and the Hunt for Zerzura". Westview Press, 2002. ISBN 0-7195-61620 (HC)
External links
* [http://www.washtimes.com/books/20030531-092816-4946r.htm Washington Times book review of Saul Kelly's "Hunt for Zerzura"]
* [http://www.euronet.nl/users/frank.desmalen/ENGLISHPATIENT.HTML Excerpts from the "English Patient" about Zerzura]
* [http://www.passionfruit.com/zerzura.html Quote from the 15th Century about Zerzura]
* [http://www.saudiaramcoworld.com/issue/200206/searching.for.zerzura.htm "Saudi Aramco World" Searching for Zerzura]
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