The Sizzling Sahara
This is a short story of two good friends who have known each other
all of their lives. They go on an adventure together to test their
friendship by travelling across the Sahara desert and dealing with the
many problems associated with it.
…We eventually made it to the start of our expedition, although
getting here was our own mini expedition. It was around 12 noon when
Dave and I began our journey across the infamous Sahara dessert. We
had been planning our journey for years but after a lot of persuasion
I convinced Dave, who had been my best mate all my life to join me. He
was quite a reserved person who never really liked a challenge but in
the end I forced him into coming with me.
With a spring in our step we set forward on our crusade. There was a
feeling in the air, a type of anxiousness, as we didn’t know what
would happen on our journey. The midday heat was immense; it felt like
our skin was just burning away. We had only been travelling for a
while but were already encountering problems. Our feet began to
blister every time we took another step into the furnace. Well, I call
it a furnace- the hot golden sand rushed between my toes; eroding away
the skin. This made it harder to climb those notorious sand dunes,
which can be up to 100ft high. The sun was now beginning to set. It
was only at this point I realised what an eerie place this is. There
was mixed emotions running through me. There is a certain stillness or
you could say hostility about the Sahara. I then began to admire the
beauty of the dessert. Although it was nothing but sand I enjoyed the
peacefulness of the area. Then in the background I heard a penetrating
scream from Dave who was now some distance behind me. I turned around
and yelled.
‘Are you ok?’
After a short silence he replied. ‘Yeah, except the little bugger got
August. C. Krey, The First Crusade: The Accounts of Eyewitnesses and Participants, (Princeton: 1921), 42-43
Thomas F. Madden’s The New Concise History of the Crusades is an invaluable account of the crusades that bases its arguments off of factual evidence and draws from historical accounts. Although his arguments may be flawed because of preconceived biases, Madden is still able to present the history of the crusades in an interesting and professional manner. The themes he addresses accurately portray the crusades as both a religious and territorial endeavor. Overall, Madden successfully summarizes and analyzes the crusades in his historical review, infusing his own ideologies in the text while still maintaining a professional voice.
The year is now 1096 and Peter the Hermit is assembling the People’s Crusade! Although Peter’s sermons were great at pulling people together, his army is very disorganized
With all the events which were occurring in the world, Urban had successfully chosen to launch the crusade at a time when the Christian West was ready to put a stop to the fighting in the East by eliminating all opposition to the Christians. It was also the perfect time for the Pope’s message of ‘guiltless, meritorious violence’. To an audience bred on fighting but fearful of hell the promise of an Indulgence was irresistible.
Riley-Smith, Jonathan. The First Crusade and the Idea of Crusading. The United States of America: University of Pennsylvania Press, 1986.
The First Crusade, for instance, was justified as being a response to the plea for help from Emperor Alexius Comnenus in repelling the Seljuk Turks who had invaded Byzantine territories in Anatolia. Equally, the Third Crusade was called to reconquer the lands captured by Saladin in an effort to preserve Christian rule in the region. In this essay I will argue that the Crusades were a complex series of campaigns which cannot be arbitrarily defined as solely defensive or expansionist exercises. Rather, their interpretation should be more nuanced; with each Crusade intended for both the expansion and defence of Christian territories to varying degrees. I shall be primarily investigating the expansion or defence of the boundaries of Christendom from a Traditionalist perspective within the First and Third Crusades, before taking a Pluralist view in studying the Iberian campaigns to determine whether Holy
May, William F. "Rising to the Occasion of our Death." The Christian Century Jul 11 1990: 662.
On top of this, news of an approaching Egyptian army had reached the camp. They knew that had to act fast but with out the necessary siege machines their fighting would just be in desperation. However, all was not without hope, a priest by the name of Peter Desiderius had a divine vision that the crusaders would indeed capture Jerusalem but not until they repented through a fast and to walk in procession barefoot round the walls of Jerusalem (Madden, 1999). If they did all this, they would succeed within nine days. After several noble families gave their support to the priest, a fast was commanded and the procession underwent—the bishops and priests of the Crusade went first, bearing crosses and holy relics, followed by the princes, knights and then foot soldiers; all were barefoot. The Moslems on top of the walls mocked the procession but the crusaders had found a source of inspiration and were fully enthused (Madden,
Just as the Second Crusade began with two different figures, the mission continued to grow into an increasingly disjointed and divided project. ...
The year was 1095; Pope Urban II was caught in a war with Germany, and he had multiple conflicts in France as well as amongst his countrymen. In the midst of all this chaos, the Pope still wanted to recapture Jerusalem from the Muslims who occupied the city. So he decided to start a pilgrimage to the holy land in order to regain it back. This pilgrimage was called The First Crusade. The Pope led a rally at Claremont, a town in France in 1095, to gain the support of the christian community. In his speech he said, “Arm for the rescue of Jerusalem under your captain Christ. Wear his cross as your badge. If you are killed your sins will be pardoned." He made men feel obligated to fight for this cause as if Christ himself was being defiled. These pilgrims were also given benefits such as exemption from taxes and their protection by the church. The trip to the Holy land proved to be difficult, for the Crusaders could not use the Mediterranean Sea because it was controlled by the Muslims. Instead they had to cross the land in scorching heat and also deep snow in order to reach their destination. They soon ran out of fresh water and had to resort to drinking blood and their own urine in order to survive. They suffered from heat stroke and dysentery caused by drinking the di...
In the article, “The Great American Desert”, Edward Abbey (1977) is trying to convince the general public that the desert is not a place for humans to explore. He talks a lot about the dangers of the desert and tries to convince the readers that the desert is not worth wasting your time and going and visiting. I disagree with Abbey. Anyone who has some knowledge about the desert and takes a class or is accompanied by an expert who knows a lot about the desert should be able to venture out in the many great American deserts.
... "The Roots of Lay Enthusiasm for the First Crusade." History 78, no. 254 (October 1993): 364. Academic Search Premier, EBSCOhost (accessed March 14, 2012).
The Namib Desert The Namib Desert is a parched and rippled desert, an endless expanse. It stretches along the southwest coast of Africa from Angola in the north. through Namibia, into South Africa. The name Namib means “emptiness.”
During 1994 in Morocco, a runner named, Mauro Prosperi, was lost during a race through the Sahara Desert and survived 9 days alone. During this time, he showed many survivor traits by doing what was necessary to stay alive. The Sahara is tough to survive in due to intense weather and potential predators. Mauro was alone and unprepared with no food, water or shelter. I believe Mauro Prosperi survived 9 days in the Sahara desert due to a combination of luck, survival knowledge, and his strong will to live.
its journey, which begins on land and then ascends into the sky and clouds only to