Desert & River

Desert & 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

Episodes

  1. Aug 5

    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

    From the desert to the sea

About

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