Friday, March 20, 2009

the one with the magi in al fahdli

I trekked on a journey with some of my students somewhere in the middle of the Kingdom and Kuwait. We arrived in Al Fhadli just before sundown.

Amidst the vast sand and the heat of the afternoon sun, I conquered my dessert quest. It was pure euphoria in the making as we stepped down from our trucks. Bench and I looked at each other and said, "This is worth the freakin' wait."

We met a couple of locals who are called Bedouins. With their broken English and our broken Arabic, we perfectly made sense with each other. Abu Mohammed introduced us to a Magi (pronounced as ma-ji). A Magi is a title given to a wise man. Abu Salim was his name. We circled around as Sultan prepared the traditional Arabic coffee served with dates. And Abu Salim started his talk. He ventured on topics of life and existence. The befores and the nows. He spoke straight Arabic which should have been difficult for me to understand but surprisingly, I surprised myself by getting a word or two and then ending up understanding the verse.

As the sit down was getting its way. The wind was getting its share of blowing. Abu Salim stood up and without a single word started his chant. We followed him and there as we crept out of our tent, the camels came from their long walk. It was just a sight to see.

Al Mujana Tent. This was the haven that we took shelter in.

Sultan, preparing the traditional Arabic coffee just before the sit down.

Al Magi. The wisdom of the old and the wise. Abu Salim as he was approaching Abood the camel.

The three wise men with the Mahjudin camels as they were comin back to their stables.

Abu Mohammed feeding them with water.

As the sun drew to a close, the perfect silhouette was cooking up by itself.


And the sun was stabbed by a dagger. Its blood ran down the vastness of the sand.

I went home later that night with an exhausted feet and a fulfilled heart. Nothing is more perfect than the experience I just had.

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