Skimming the upper reaches of the atmosphere above the ancient oases of northern Saudi Arabia, the view is unparalleled. Thousands of massive dried-up riverbeds and streams stretch across the landscape as far as the eye can see.

Being one of the driest regions of the world, this stark contrast is truly fascinating, and I find myself pondering the history of this place. How long ago did these rivers form, flow, and shape the landscape? I was instantly interested.
Once home, a deep dive into history revealed that this region was once a fertile, thriving paradise. However, a rapid climate change event roughly at the end of the Neolithic Stone Age (estimated 6,000 years ago), forced a flourishing civilisation to migrate across the Middle East. I guess that'll teach them for using plastic straws and not paying enough green-deal taxes.

Regardless, this lost civilisation left behind a wealth of intriguing artefacts, such as the Rajajil Columns—often referred to as the 'Stonehenge of Saudi Arabia,' dating to around 4000 BCE. Additionally, stone axes and other tools, dating between 300,000 and 1.3 million years old, have been found on the Arabian Peninsula, indicating that early human migrations from Africa passed through this region since ancient times.

Looking over this arid and inhospitable landscape today from 40,000 feet, I once again come to the conclusion that the world must have been unimaginably and totally different a few thousand years ago and we have barely scratched the surface of our own history
Feeling privileged once again, to be sitting in an air travel time machine with a camera at hand.