<![CDATA[Desert & River]]> https://rss.com/podcasts/desert-and-river Desert & River is a podcast about slow travel, ancient history, and everyday life in Dahab and the Sinai desert, Egypt — hosted by Joseph, an Egyptian guide who has spent two decades leading journeys through Sinai's mountains and valleys, and Annet, a Dutch historian who first came to Sinai as a traveller and never left.

Each episode is a real conversation between the two of them — about the desert's ancient trade routes, temples, and inscriptions, about daily life in the coastal town of Dahab, about the animals and land they've spent years protecting, and about the everyday rhythms of life in Sinai today. It's history and the present meeting in the same conversation, told by two people who actually live it.

If you're curious about Egypt beyond the usual tourist trail — Dahab, the Sinai desert, the Red Sea coast, ancient history, and what it's really like to live slowly, or visit one of the world's oldest landscapes — this is for you.

New episodes every week.

**All our episodes also has a video version on YouTube — Desert & River — with the visuals, photos, and everything we're talking about here. Worth a look if you want to see it as well as hear it. https://www.youtube.com/@dahablive9360

Planning a journey to Sinai, or just want to say hello?

find us at desertandriver.com

or send us a message

WhatsApp: +201063864837

or if your looking to book a trip why not book a video call

Book a call: calendly.com/desertandriver2026/30min

]]> RSS.com 2026.721.95756 Wed, 05 Aug 2026 11:37:50 GMT en a713a723-2e21-5580-938f-dd1a6d06dc7c https://media.rss.com/desert-and-river/podcast_cover_20260805_080109_226987b95a56ef10f6a128b422510d3c.png Desert & River https://rss.com/podcasts/desert-and-river no Desert & River 2026 Desert & River Desert & River false episodic podcast false <![CDATA[From the desert to the sea]]> Pick up a rock on the beach in Dahab and you're holding something 600 million years old — formed before Africa and Arabia even existed as separate continents.

Joseph and Annet pick up a piece of red granite and a smooth black basalt on the beach and unpack what makes them different, why one lets water through and the other doesn't, and how that knowledge was used to find wells in the desert. You'll also learn why the Red Sea might have gotten its name — and it's not what most people think.

Chapters:

00:00 — Episode intro & disclaimer

00:55 — Welcome to Dahab

01:09 — The rock in Joseph's hand

01:19 — Red granite: hundreds of millions of years old

02:17 — How the rock got smooth: wadis and floods

03:15 — What's inside granite (minerals)

04:03 — The tiny white circles — a marine animal

05:08 — The second rock: black basalt

06:34 — Spotting basalt lines in the mountains from above

06:58 — Finding water using these two rocks

08:01 — Why granite filters water and basalt doesn't

09:35 — Why is it called the Red Sea?

09:52 — The algae explanation 10:19 — Wrap up

Watch the video version on YouTube — you'll find us at @dahablive9360

Want to say hello?

Find us at desertandriver.com

or message us

WhatsApp: +201063864837

Planning a journey to Sinai?

Book a call: calendly.com/desertandriver2026/30min

The views and information shared on Desert and River are for entertainment and informational purposes only. While we do our best to get it right, some details may be imperfect — we're storytellers, not academics! If you spot anything, drop a comment on the YouTube video. For full terms, disclaimers and copyright information please visit desertandriver.com

]]> https://rss.com/podcasts/desert-and-river/3048803 4648c950-fc68-416e-af5d-d5a8668da034 746 full 1 1 Wed, 05 Aug 2026 11:37:52 GMT false false Dahab, South Sinai, 45214, Egypt