Jet - Rashid (Wise Adviser) - Cairo, Egypt

Entry 1: Today is the day I embark on my journey from Cairo, Egypt to

Timbuktu, Mali! Its October and the blistering summer heat is coming to an
end. I am moving to Timbuktu in hope of seeking my fortune, given the
wealth created by the current emperor Mansa Musa, inshallah (if god wills)! I
have already packed my saddle bags with gold, salt, rubies, silver, and a few
iron weapons to protect myself. I hear someone calling for me from the
outside of my mud brick hut. Hurrying toward the entrance, I am greeted by
the Berber nomad who will be guiding me on my journey. He looks at me,
smiling and says, alssalam ealaykum which, I have just learnt, is Arabic for
peace be with you.
I reply, (as I have just been taught to say), wayumkin 'an yakun alssalam
maeakum, which also means, and may peace be with you. After
introductions, he tells me his name is Ahmed, which means highly praised.
We will converse mainly in Arabic, as Ahmed does not understand my African
dialect and I do not know his Berber dialect.
Ahmed helps me carry the saddlebags to the camels, awaiting us. He has
selected the best camels from the local camel market, for the difficult
journey ahead. We take seven camels in total, two for both of us to ride and
one to carry goods for trading, another to carry our food and water, and
three spare camels. Here in Cairo, we experience an arid desert climate.
This time of year it is still very hot but at night the temperature will
drastically drop.

Ahmed tells me we should head to Bilma, an oasis town, for they have
natural resources such as salt and water. He tells me he packed supplies for
pitching small tents along the way. As we trot off into a new day we leave the
majestic greatness of Cairo behind. I will miss waking up to see the pyramids
loom before me with the powerful sphinx guarding the city.
As we leave the hustle and bustle of the busy city Cairo behind us, we enter
a world of golden sand ripples and dunes. We are protected from the intense
heat and glare by our head scarves, for this is one of the harshest
environments in the known world. At least our camels are well fed and can
last two weeks without food and water. We must be vigilant of dangerous
desert creatures such as the horned viper and the deathstalker scorpion.
Entry 2: After long, exhausting days trekking through the blinding heat, we
look forward to settling down at night under the star-filled sky. Our routine is
to set up a small tent utilising multiple cloths. We place small rugs on the
ground, for it is very cold at night. If we are lucky we find palm trees to
support the tents. Ahmed and I create a small campfire to keep us warm
during the nighttime. Sitting around the campfire Ahmed brings me some
mint tea. It tastes very sweet and delicious. As we drink our tea, we talk late
into the silence of the night. Ahmed describes the history of his nomadic
Berber tribe, originally from the Atlas Mountains in Morocco, and their travels
of hardship across North Africa.
On our last morning before reaching Bilma, I awoke with the stars still
beaming through the cloth above me. I quickly jump off the ground in a
panic, only to discover Ahmed already taking the tent down. He told me if we
waited any longer to dismantle the tent, it would be too hot. After packing
up the camels we finally set off, well before dawn. As day breaks, even with
my headwrap, the Sahara sun still scorches my skin, as if it was igniting a
fire. Within hours my lips were parched dry.
Entry 3: When I get a glimpse of palm trees on the horizon, I knew we were
close to Bilma. I could dream of sitting under a date palm feasting on the

sweet dates. After ninety two harsh days in the Sahara, we are finally
nearing the Wadi (valley) that forms the oasis of Bilma. As we approach we
notice large jagged cliffs surrounding the beautiful oasis town. The palm
groves shine a brilliant green against the golden sand. A dozen camels
stamped and snorted and herds of goats graze. First stop is to refill our
water skins as we are desperately parched. We visit the vibrant colorful
bazaar. I trade two rubies with a slim arab man, in an ankle-length jallabiyya
(long traditional gown) and turban, named Hassan for a Quran. He told me it
was a the text of Islam from the prophet Muhammad. After a short stop to
replenish our food and water supplies, we must continue on our journey onto
Timbuktu. As we prepared to leave we notice a giant haboob approaching
(Sandstorm)! This means our trip will be delayed by at least a day, and we
quickly seek refuge from the storm, red clouds of dust engulfing everything
around us. It is hard to see and breathe.
Entry 4: When we wake, we perform our first prayer of the day: Salat al fajr
(before sunrise). Ahmed has adopted the Muslim practice of prayer (Salat)
five times a day.
We are about to embark on our last one thousand miles of our journey across
the desert. Our camels have renewed energy after their rest. As we enter
the territory of the Tuareg nomads and see their caravan of camels ahead,
Ahmed feels nervous and hopes they will be open to trading with us. We
search among the Tuareg men dressed in their indigo robes, to trade our
treasures for sheep and goats to feed us all the way to Timbuktu.
Entry 5: As we get closer to Timbuktu we are weary, but filled with wonder to
finally experience the home of the Mali empire, made famous by Emperor
Mansa Musa. This new center of Islamic culture, flourishes with its trade of
gold and salt, boasting beautiful mosques. Our first plan is to visit the site of
the future great mosque, Djinguereber.
Entry 6: After a long six months, Ahmed and I have finally reached the home
of the Mali empire. At first glance, the city appears to be more wealthy than
Cairo. There is quite a difference in temperature, for here in Timbuktu it is

cooler. Ahmed and I visit the glittering, lively bazaar and we trade our
remaining rubies for some gold, with an Arab whose name is Mustafa. We
learn from Mustafa that the Emperor Mansa Musa would be soon departing
on a pilgrimage to Mecca. Apparently the Emperor was planning to be
accompanied by a large camel caravan and would be making a stop in Cairo.
When I told Mustafa I had just traveled all the way from Cairo , he exclaimed,
We should arrange for you to meet the Emperor immediately, so you may
describe the legendary city to his highness.