時尚高潮旅遊記 – 沙烏地最大的紅沙漠 – 述說著阿拉伯歷史上最早的梁祝式愛情故事的觀光旅遊景點 /Fashion Ecstasy Travel Blog – Travel to the Biggest and Most Romantic Golden Desert, Saudi Arabia

(英譯：殘編 / English translation by Tanya)
(Scroll down for English Version / 英文版向下看）

浪漫壯觀

– 旅 –

沙烏地最大的紅沙漠 – 述說著阿拉伯歷史上最早的梁祝式愛情故事的觀光旅遊景點 / Travel to the Biggest and Most Romantic Golden Desert, Saudi Arabia

沙烏地紅沙漠 – 一望無際的觀光旅遊景點 / Travel to the Biggest and Most Romantic Golden Desert, Saudi Arabia

沙烏地紅沙漠 – 浪漫壯觀的觀光旅遊景點 / Travel to the Biggest and Most Romantic Golden Desert, Saudi Arabia

時尚高潮旅遊記 – 沙烏地紅沙漠 – 一望無際的觀光旅遊景點 / Travel blog – the Biggest and Most Romantic Golden Desert, Saudi Arabia

儘管沙烏地阿拉伯的地理景觀非常多元，但或許它的沙漠才是旅客最深刻的記憶。
的確，探訪世界名勝古蹟，其間隱藏再多的歷史事件與動人的故事，最終卻僅殘留片段、模糊的記憶。我想自古人類的創意與努力無論如何偉大，也大不過宇宙的自然產物，而紅沙漠更是我最嚮往的宇宙一隅。

English Version / 英文版:
While Saudi Arabia‘s topography is diverse, its deserts probably mark the most profound memories among travelers.
Although visiting UNESCO world heritage sites can be overwhelmingly beautiful, the histories and stories fade away over time in our memories.
When it comes to traveling, there is nothing more mesmerizing than nature. The golden deserts are one that impresses me the most.

「魯卜哈利」- 世界最大的砂質沙漠 / Empty Quarter (Rub’ al Khali) – Covering Over 640,000 km² of The Arabian Desert

沙烏地阿拉伯得天獨厚，擁有許多浩瀚的沙漠，或許人們耳熟能詳的是世界最大的砂質沙漠–「魯卜哈利」（ar-Rub’ al-Khali）大沙漠。它坐落在阿拉伯半島南部，長約1200公里，最寬處約640公里，總面積達六十四萬平方公里，阻隔了沙烏地阿拉伯和葉門、阿曼。阿拉伯歷史文明因為它的阻隔，許多現象呈現兩極化。

English Version / 英文版:
Saudi Arabia is blessed with numerous beautiful deserts, with the Empty Quarter (Rub’ al Khali) being one of the most famous ones. Empty Quarter is located in the southern Arabian Peninsula, encompasses over 1,000 kilometers in length and over 500 kilometers in width. Its total area measures up to over 640,000 square kilometers, dividing Saudi Arabia from Yemen and Oman. Its obstruction since ancient times results in polarization between the neighboring countries.

內夫得沙漠閃閃發光的沙丘，阿拉伯人稱「金沙漠」/ The Nefud (Al Nufud Al Kabir)’s Sparkly Dunes, Known as “The Goolden Desert

然而，最令人驚艷的沙漠是在內志高原，利雅德北部大片的「內夫得」沙漠」（an-Nufud）沙漠，面積六萬五千多平方公里，東邊綿延到伊拉克、西邊到約旦南部，我之前介紹過約旦「月亮谷」漠地便是這片沙漠的延伸。這個大沙漠以紅沙漠著名於世，「紅沙漠」顧名思義，它的沙是紅色的。阿拉伯人稱紅沙漠是「金沙漠」，因為在陽光下，沙丘會閃閃發光，非常美麗壯觀。若你眼前經常呈現綿延不絕、直通天際的火紅沙丘，你對人生的看法肯定不一樣。

English Version / 英文版:
However, the most spectacular desert is The Nefud (Al Nufud Al Kabir)desert located in the north of Riyadh, Najd covering ​​over 65,000 square kilometers of Saudi Arabia and stretching to the east of Iraq and west of Jordan. My past article about Jordan’s “Moon Valley” desert is also an extension of this desert. This vast desert is famous for its brick-reddish color sand, hence, known as “the Red Desert” in Chinese. However, the Arabs call it the “Golden Desert” because the dunes glow in the sun. The scenery is stunning to the point that it will change your view of the world.

• 阿拉伯歷史上最早的梁祝式愛情故事 – 安塔拉 / The Earliest Love Story Told in Pre-Islamic Arabia – The Tale of Antarah

在這片金沙漠裡，歷史上曾發生許多動人的故事。最著名的是在六世紀伊斯蘭出現之前詩人安塔拉和他情人的故事。這是阿拉伯歷史上最早的梁祝式愛情故事。

English Version / 英文版:
Stories are told in this golden land, with the most famous being the romance of poet Antarah ibn Shaddad (aka Antar) and his lover during pre-Islamic Arabia in the 6th century, the earliest love story told in Arab history.

安塔拉居住在這片沙漠的南邊，是一位文武雙全的詩人。他的父親是部落酋長，母親是黑奴，因此他的膚色黝黑。古時候阿拉伯部落習俗，若是奴隸之子便終身為奴，無法認祖歸宗。奴隸在部落裡地位低微，平日做的是打雜粗工。有一天一群強盜來到安塔拉的部落裡打劫，他的族人死傷慘重。安塔拉父親見安塔拉還蹲在駱駝下面擠著駱駝奶，大怒斥喝他，問他為何驍勇善戰卻不起身作戰？安塔拉不理會他，幽幽地回應：「我是奴隸，只能做奴隸的事情。」他父親立即答應他，只要他起身退敵便讓他認祖歸宗，享有父親的姓氏。憑安塔拉的勇猛終將強盜打得落花流水。在歷史上他不僅是第一騎士，也是一位用情專一的情人和詩人。他詩裡的情人永遠只有他的堂妹阿卜莱，他的愛情因為膚色與出身而異常坎坷。原本阿拉伯半島部落習俗，堂兄娶堂妹是堂兄的權利，但他向艾卜拉父親提親時，叔叔索取一千隻駱駝當聘禮。安塔拉為了湊足聘禮，到處奔走，當他越過這片沙漠到伊拉克時便險些喪生。

English Version / 英文版:
Antarah was born in born in Najd and is known as a famous poet and courageous knight. His father was a respected warrior; however, his mother was an Ethiopian slave, so his complexion is dark. In Pre-Islamic customs, descendants of a slave could not gain status and were bound to do manual work. When Antarah‘s tribe was invaded one day, his father saw him milking the camels and lectured him for not defending his tribe. He responded that slaves were no good for fighting and only knew how to milk and serve. To encourage Antarah to stand up for his people, Antarah‘s dad promised him to regain his status if he won the war. It turned out, Antarah was not just a romantic poet, but also a great warrior. Antarah was a faithful lover; his poems were always dedicated to his cousin and lover, Ablah. Marriages between cousins were common in the Arabian Peninsula. However, when Antarah sought to gain permission to marry Ablah, he was asked to present unique camels from Iraq. Antarah knew the journey to cross the big desert was harsh, but his love for Ablah gave him the determination to embark on this life-risking journey.

• 奔向沙漠 – 我們週末的秘密遊樂場 / Desert – Our Secret Playground on Weekends

在沙烏地，我們每逢周末都會奔向紅沙漠，總是算好時間在黃昏時抵達，因為那時候沙子雖燙，但已經降溫不少，不致燙傷。車上我們會帶著塑膠板和紙板。別小看這簡單的行頭，它們會讓我們度過最美麗的黃昏。沙丘綿延無止盡，我們通常會落腳在附近最高的山丘，如此才能俯視附近的景觀。來到沙丘底下要赤腳往上爬，腳下踏的是溫暖、柔軟如棉的沙子。抵達稜線上我們就各取所需，有些人喜歡坐在紙板或塑膠板上，從最高處往下滑；有些人特別喜歡破壞稜線，順著稜線一步一步的將自己印在沙丘上，象徵征服世界。我特愛埋在沙裡，只露出一個臉，埋得越深越舒服，尤其是在秋天，沙子暖烘烘的，有時會不知不覺睡著。如果精神好，仰望天空還可以同時看到太陽和月亮，還有數不盡的星辰。無論如何都會忘記人的世界，因為此時你的世界只剩天空的世界，凡間都在你看不見的地底。有時候我會在沙丘裡看見蠍子和不知名的昆蟲，但牠們會躲著你，完全無須擔心被傷害。

English Version / 英文版:
Our days back in Saudi Arabia, visiting the golden desert is a weekly routine on weekends. We’d always arrive at dusk because that’s when the sand has already cooled down and would not burn our feet. We would bring plastic boards and cardboards. These simple gadgets would turn our destination into a wonderland full of fun activities. The dunes stretch endlessly, and we usually settle on the highest point to get a good angle overlooking the landscape. We climb up barefoot in the warm, soft sand When we reach to the top, we turn our cardboards and plastic boards into slides and slide down from the highest point. Some people like to destroy walk and create their own footprints if they are conquering the world. I like to bury myself in the sand, exposing only my face. The sand is like a warm blanket. The deeper I sink, the more comfortable I feel. In autumn, it tucks me in and puts me to sleep. Visitors who don’t fall asleep can admire the sun and the moon in the sky simultaneously, accompanied by countless stars. This is when I’d forget about the real world because my world at this time would only be the sky I see. Sometimes I there’d be scorpions and other insects crawling, but they’d be more afraid of me than I them, so I need not be concerned. I’d continue to stay in my moment of zen.

夜幕低垂時就可以打道回府了，除非準備了帳篷準備過夜，但沙暴的殘酷和夜裡的酷寒，總讓我們寧願捨棄美麗的星空，回到屬於人的世界。
When night falls is our call to go home, unless we prepare a tent. But the sandstorm and the cold weather at night can be harsh. So despite how intriguing the starry night, we’d always pack our bags and face reality.