Scientists reveal secrets to Earth’s magnificent desert star dunes, found in Asia, African –– and on Mars

Star dunes, or pyramid dunes, have fascinated historians and captured the imaginations of indigenous people seeking wisdom and meaning. They can be found in Asia, Africa and on Mars and they move around from time to time, rising up to about 1000 feet at their peak. Scientists believe they understand the mechanics of star dunes, by observing a star dune in eastern Morocco called Lala Lallia, meaning ‘highest sacred point’ in local Berber tongue.

The researchers used radar to look inside the dune applying luminescence dating to determine how long Lala Lallia has taken to form, a method that looks at the amount of energy trapped inside the grains of sand. The answer: it started growing about 13,000 years ago, shifted directions and 900 years ago started accumulating roughly 6,400 metric tons of sand annually as wind relentlessly blows sand through the desert.

Read Also: Can you believe the world is running out of sand?

Only about 10% of the world’s sand dunes are star dunes. Driving on sand dunes is a past-time in the Sahara and the Middle East. But Green Prophet’s writer Ajmal bashes dune bashing saying it destroys nature. Trekking by camel or on foot is better, and if you are flexible, watch what you can do on sand dunes below.

“I first encountered star dunes in Namibia 20 years ago, and was instantly amazed at the size of them. I have a vivid memory of the long climb to the top, struggling up very loose sand in the heat of the day,” said geographer Geoff Duller of Aberystwyth University in Wales, co-author of the study published in the journal Scientific Reports.

He told the Deccan Herald:

“I find desert dunes very beautiful,” Duller added. “The sight of the sinuous curves, and the way that the light and shadow changes with the sun mean that they always look different, whether that is in the cool of the morning, the midday sun or near sunset. The different colours of sand in different deserts are also very striking, with yellow, white, red and even black dunes in different parts of the world.”

Earth’s largest star dunes can be found in the the Badain Jaran desert in western China. There are also sand seas in Algeria such as the Grand Erg Oriental and Grand Erg Occidental, and Rub’ al Khali in Saudi Arabia.

Want more on sand? This artist’s work blows back to the sand in Saudi Arabia. 

The post The secret of Earth’s incredible moving star sand dunes appeared first on Green Prophet.

Mountains host about half of the global biodiversity hotspots and are home to a growing number of the world’s hungriest people, according to a new United Nations study.  The study shows that the number of mountain people vulnerable to food insecurity in developing countries increased from 243 to almost 350 million between 2000 and 2017.

Mountains provide between 60 and 80 percent of the world’s freshwater, which is essential for irrigation, industry, food and energy production and domestic consumption. Many of the world’s most important crops and livestock species also originate in mountain regions and are a source for food and medicine.

Yet the joint study found that mountain ecosystems are becoming increasingly fragile, under pressure from changes to land use and climate, overexploitation, pollution, demographic shifts and other factors which threaten livelihoods and food security.

“The vulnerability to food insecurity of the mountain people in the developing world is compounded by the presence and occurrence of natural hazards and armed conflicts that disrupt livelihoods or put strain on the natural resources on which mountain people depend,” the study concluded.

It also noted that environmental degradation affects mountain people disproportionately. Climate change has increased the degradation of mountain ecosystems and the incidence of natural hazards such as landslides and droughts.   

Around 275 million rural people vulnerable to food insecurity were estimated to live in mountain areas that have already been affected by natural hazards.

The COVID-19 pandemic has added urgency to an already difficult situation as restrictions imposed by various countries have amplified the vulnerabilities of mountain communities that depend on agriculture and tourism for their survival.

“One in every two rural mountain people in developing countries do not have enough food to live a healthy life and they are now dealing with the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. We must protect our mountains and the livelihoods of those who depend on them,” said FAO Deputy Director-General Maria Helena Semedo, commenting on the study’s findings.

The joint study recommended urgent action to address climate change and remove food insecurity and malnutrition in mountain areas. It called for policies to improve the resilience of mountain ecosystems and promote sustainable food systems that support innovation, research and community involvement.

“Ultimately, the goal of this study is to call on decision-makers and others stakeholders to strengthen cooperative action to reduce the vulnerability of mountain people, in particular local communities and indigenous people, and of the most vulnerable among them, often women and children,” the study said.

Who are the mountain people of the Middle East?

Taurus People of Turkey, Iraq and Iran

The Taurus Mountain range extends through southern Turkey to the Iraqi and Iranian borders. The famous Mount Ararat, seen in the Bible as the resting place of Noah’s Ark, is located in the eastern part of the range, and is the highest peak of the Taurus Mountains at 16,583 feet (5137 meters), according to the resource Teach Middle East. The Tigris and Euphrates Rivers both originate in the eastern Taurus Mountains, and are fed by snowmelt as they flow toward Iraq.

The Taurus Mountains give us a good example of transhumance, or seasonal nomadism, in the Yoruk people. Over thousands of years, nomad herders like the Yoruk have wintered their animals on the southern side of the Taurus closer to the Mediterranean, away from the bitter cold of the mountains and the plateau, and then moved them to summer pastures in the cooler heights to escape the blistering heat and insects of the plain.

The Taurus Mountains have also acted as a natural political boundary between states over the centuries. They marked the boundary, for example, between the Byzantine Empire and the Islamic state founded after the rise of Islam from the seventh century until the Battle of Manzikert in 107, when the Seljuk Turks defeated the Byzantines and moved decisively into Anatolia.

The Zagros and Elburz People of Iran

The Zagros and Elburz Mountains run along the western and northern borders, respectively, of Iran. The Zagros extend about 1000 miles from northern Iraq through western and southern Iran. The Elburz run over 600 miles across northern Iran along the coast of the Caspian Sea.

In both ranges many peaks exceed 9,000 feet, with Zard Kuh being the highest point of the Zagros at 14,921 feet (4,548 meters), and the dormant volcano Mt. Damavand the highest peak in the Elburz Mountains at 18,602 feet (5,670 meters) high. See the Mountain Watchers of Iran here.

The Hijaz and Asir Mountain People of Saudi Arabia

Running along Saudi Arabia’s border with the Red Sea, the Hijaz and Asir Mountains form an escarpment along the cleavage of the African and Arabian plates. This escarpment lifts the western edge of the Arabian plateau, which then slowly slants downward and eastward toward the Persian Gulf and Indian Ocean. The mountains of the Hejaz and Asir ranges average 6,000 to 7,000 feet (1,829 – 2,130meters), with Mount Sawda’ in the south rising to just over 10,000 feet (about 3000 meters) in the south.

The Red Sea Mountain People

Along the Tihamah, the narrow coastal plain between the Red Sea and the mountains, there is enough rainfall, although floods often occur during the monsoon season, to support agriculture in this watershed, but too little moisture crosses over the mountainous barrier to support farming on the desert of the central Arabian plateau.

The Atlas Mountain People of Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia

The Atlas series of mountain ranges in northwestern Africa extend 1200 miles southwest to northeast across the North African countries of Morocco, Algeria, and Tunisia. In northern Morocco, the Rif Mountains receive enough rainfall to support forests and a great diversity of wildlife; to the east, this range becomes the Tell Atlas. 

Further south, the broad belt of the Middle Atlas and then the High Atlas (peaking at Mount Toubkal, standing at 13,665 feet or 4165 meters) and then the Saharan Atlas ranges separate the Mediterranean basin from the Sahara Desert to the south. On the north-facing slopes of this great climate barrier, rich farmland exists.

The Atlas mountain ranges not only restrict the passage of water from the verdant Mediterranean edge to the Sahara, but also have played a role in restricting the movement of humans. In this difficult terrain, over the centuries of conquest by new groups such as the Arabs and the French, the indigenous culture of the various Imazighen peoples (or Berbers) has survived centuries.  

The Lebanon Mountain People

The Lebanon Mountains, along with the Anti-Lebanon Mountains further to the east, parallel the Mediterranean coast from southern Lebanon into Syria. Between the two ranges lies the fertile Bekaa Valley. In ancient times, Lebanon was famous for the huge cedar trees that grew in the Lebanon Mountains and which still appear on its flag, although there are very few specimens remaining.

Like the Atlas, the Lebanon Mountains have long been a refuge for minority groups wishing to escape both persecution and assimilation into the dominant culture. In this case, the mountains have provided refuge over the centuries for Christians, particularly the Maronites; the Druze; and communities of Shi’a Muslims.

Want a mission in life to help the planet? Look to find a way to help the mountain people. In areas like crafts, artisans, regenerative agriculture you can restore livelihoods and repair the earth.

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You are at a hotel in Morocco wondering what delights might await you around the corner in Casablanca. Maybe you are going to pass Richard Branson’s eco-hotel in the Atlas mountains and land at a Berber hotel, where a quaint donkey ride will lead you up to your room.

This all makes you feel good because you are in touch with local culture and are having an adventure of a lifetime. 

But if you weren’t at 5 Star Four Seasons Casablanca or Marrakech – what would you know about the local people in Morocco? A video produced by Greenpeace helps show some of what happens as a byproduct to climate change. The deserts are getting even drier. 

Palm trees at the heart of the oasis

This short video above (3.5 minutes) lets you explore the challenges that nomadic Bedouin Moroccans face from disappearing oases.

The desert may look dry but it is very much alive to these people. Every year these nomadic people starting in 1995 noticed less and less water at their wells. Where once they could dig down a couple of yards to create a well now they need to dig about 10 or 15 or more to reach water. This effect is causing not only hardship but their culture to disappear. Invest a few minutes in learning about their plight. 

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The argan tree is a Berber identity icon, and production of its oil is traditionally a woman’s job.  But as with many folkways, interest in argan began to dwindle. It’s a finicky process with low yield. Unless marketed wisely, it’s hardly worth the effort to produce.

The Slow Food Foundation of Biodiversity, funded by Italy’s Piemonte Regional Authority, established argan oil workshops in Morocco, reviving the ancient skill and giving village women an opportunity to earn money.  Read how argan oil is  empowering Moroccan village women.

Argan oil is now considered a culinary and cosmetic treasure in upscale homes world-wide. Consequently, preserving the native argan forests has become an important economic issue in Morocco – just in time to prevent erosion of their environment. Recent successful efforts to cultivate the argan tree in Israel also improve the species’ chances for survival.

Hopefully this cookbook, written in charmingly accented English and lavishly illustrated with beautiful watercolors, will inspire you to do some exotic argan oil cooking.

Historical notes and traditional stories polish the recipes, which cover sauces, salads, couscous, soups, tajines and desserts. Scattered throughout the text are little gems like advice on how to tell if saffron is good quality; how to cook with a tajine pot; what oudi butter is (a type of ghee, or smen).

You can download the PDF for The Gold of Arganeraie by clicking on this link. <—update 2021, and the link no longer works. And to give you a taste, here’s a simple dessert.

It would make a good finger-food for a party too.

Dates Filled With Cheese and Walnuts

Adapted from The Gold of Arganeraie

For 15 dates

15 stoned dates

30 grams walnuts, finely chopped

100 grams ricotta cheese

80 grams Roquefort cheese

1 teaspoon argan oil

salt

Preparation time: 1⁄2 hour

Mix the ricotta with the Roquefort and argan oil using a whisk. Salt to taste.

Add half the chopped walnuts and put in a pastry bag.

Fill the stoned dates with the cheese mixture and finally decorate with the remaining walnuts.

Some surprising Moroccan recipes:

• Recipes: Got Argan Oil?
• Moroccan Love Potion Spiced with Pot

Images from The Gold of Arganeraie.

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The Medicinal Plants Association in Egypt helps preserve biodiversity and is one of the 25 winners of the Equator Prize 2012.

Policy making within the realm of “development” is often burdened by an excessively westernized design resulting in unintended consequences on the welfare of local populations. For example, a previous Green Prophet article “Morocco’s Berbers Had Water Management Sorted“, reveals how water management interventions led by the Word Bank replaced traditional water systems and eventually resulted in even poorer social and environmental outcomes.

Fortunately it is becoming increasingly popular for multilateral development initiatives to provide incentives for traditional practices in environmental preservation and economic development rather than replacing, renewing or reforming existing practices which have been built on years of knowledge and perfected after generations of creative design. The Equator Initiative: A partnership for Resilient Communities, is an example of this movement in the “development” world which honors practices that aim to create societies and socio-economic landscapes that are resilient to environmental destruction and cultural erosion.

Through the biannual Equator Prize, the Equator Initiative recognizes 25 outstanding local projectsthat work to advance sustainable development solutions for people, nature and resilient communities. To date 152 community organizations have been awarded the Equator Prize and in June 2012, representatives of winning communities participated in the UN Conference on Sustainable Development (Rio+20), which was held in Brazil. This year the Middle East North Africa region was well represented by two Equator prize winners: the Medicinal Plants Association St. Catherine from Egypt and Amsing Association from Morocco.

In Egypt the Medicinal Plants Association St. Catherine supports the development of livelihood alternatives for the Bedouin populations of Sinai’s St. Catherine Reserve, through the protection of its genetic medicinal plant heritage and cultivation of endemic species. The reserve is home to roughly half of the country’s botany, four hundred and seventy two different species of plants of which more than one hundred are used for medicinal reasons and many are unique and endangered species which have been threatened by overharvesting and overgrazing. The Medicinal Plants association promotes home gardens, provides alternative energy solutions, gives hands-on training on sustainable harvesting techniques, and creates market supply chains for locally produced medicinal herbs, handicrafts and honey. For example part of the livelihood program focuses on supporting female Bedouin farmers from planting through to the marketing phase of the products, the revenues from the activities are then invested in a rotating fund which allows the community to access small loans. So far, the project has created over two hundred jobs, and has improved the living conditions of over one thousand people.

In Morocco Amsing Association was created by the villagers of Elmoudaa, an Amazirght (Berber) community located in the High Atlas Mountains, to address economic isolation, a lack of social services, and harsh climatic conditions. The association has successfully regenerated degraded lands surrounding their village through a traditional land management practice called ‘azzayn’ which bans herders from grazing in protected lands.

The reintroduction of this regulatory system has allowed native grasses and shrubs to thrive, reduced soil erosion, and prevented flooding. The association has also undertaken a number of infrastructure projects to promote community-based adaptation to climate change and resilience in the face of climate variability.

A ‘water chateau’ stores fresh water for use in times of drought or when floods wash away irrigation ditches, while a water tower provides local residents with access to clean drinking water.

It is encouraging to see these projects flourish and it would be nice to see more winners from the MENA region in the next cycle of prizes in 2014. If Green Prophet readers know of projects that would fall in line with the Equator Initiative’s objectives then invite them to apply for the Equator Prize in 2014! Here is the list of eligible countries, eligibility requirements and selection criteria from the Equator Prize 2012.

Images of Medicinal Plants Association and Amsing via The Equator Initiative and Egypt Independent

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You can visit travel websites for all-inclusive holidays where you can find week-long or two-week sun holidays in Sharm, Sinai; You can also find loads of ways to  hang out in Agadir, Morocco at exclusive resorts; but not every all-inclusive option can give you the right eco spirit you are aiming for.

Normally planning an eco holiday requires a lot of looking around online, reading articles on Green Prophet if you are headed to the Middle East, or a lot of money if you hire a specialized travel agent who can cater to your every whim and desire.

But if you have a week or two to spare, if you can book the flight there are some pretty remarkable opportunities right under your nose. And here we’ll give you some ideas, based on a little alternative thinking. Just by visiting the Middle East in these troubled times helps boost the local economies, especially if you visit eco resorts and hotels that are owned by the locals.

Nile Cruise in Egypt: A must for your bucket list is a cruise down the Nile River. The cruise will let you take in all the must-see Egyptian sights including the Giza pyramids, but from a home base cabin that slowly travels down the Nile.

These kinds of cruises include accommodation, food and in some cases flights depending on where you are booking from. Look around online for the best deals or contact your local travel agent for what’s available from your country. Knowing more about Nile people can help you protect their way of life.

Taking on different trips like this will help you explore not just new places, but new cultures and customs along the way. Make sure to read through all the cruise ship reviews Middle East is offering to get a sense of what experiences align best with your expectations and travel style. Reviews can highlight everything from onboard amenities to the quality of shore excursions. This way, you’ll be better prepared and more confident in your choices.

Stay with some Berbers: A number of hotels in Morocco offer the all-inclusive deal, getting there, staying there, and travelling around there. Our favorite Morocco-bucket-list destination is the Kasbah du Toubkal in the Atlas Mountains.

Even though you are in a remote location there is more than enough going on nearby, from hikes to the top of Toubkal, to learning more about argan oil, to listening to a local show before a soccer match, to being a paparazzi for the nearby swank Branson eco-lodge for millionaires. We could stay at the Kasbah for a week or more full board, and never, never be bored.

Tour the desert and the Dead Sea. The world’s ancient beauty secret, there is plenty of time to laze around and catch some UV-filtered sun’s rays at the lowest place on earth.

Whether you are on the Israeli side or the Jordanian side of the Dead Sea, almost every hotel there offers all-inclusive deals, some even with exclusive spa treatments. The Dead Sea offers a great health retreat for people with Crohn’s disease, arthritis, asthma and skin disorders such as exema. While there’s not much to offer in the way of eco, some resorts are finding ways to use more solar energy, and ways to recycle much-needed water. Going there can help you find out why the Dead Sea is dying.

Cruising the Nile, the Atlas Mountain Berber’s and the Dead Sea: Three places you must add to your bucket list. Going there will help you know more about the local issues and pressures in the Middle East. There are many other places to visit. Add your bucket list destination in the comments, explaining why.

Related: Greta Thunberg is travelling to Gaza by a diesel fueled schooner

The post Wild ways to travel the Middle East appeared first on Green Prophet.

The benefits of earth architecture have been well-documented on Green Prophet, so we were very excited to discover these wonderful adobe granaries called Ksar (Ksour is plural) on our Tunisian journey. Possibly built as early as the 12th century by ancient Berbers, who had water management and agricultural skills that rival any modern farmer, these multilevel structures keep food cool without any kind of mechanical intervention!

Staying cool with the earth

In the southern Tatouine district of Tunisia, there are numerous examples of ancient adobe granaries in varying states of disrepair.

Ksar Ouled Soltane featured in these images, which has been restored using the same techniques used to build them, may be recognizable to some readers as the slave quarters of Mos Espa in Star Wars: The Phantom Menace.

More than a gimmicky tourist destination for giddy Star Wars fans, however, ksour were typically placed on top of a hill and fortified to prevent raiders from pilfering food supplies.

Surrounding one or two courtyards, ksour are up to four stories tall and are reached using narrow staircases. Navigating the dark, earth-cooled ghorfas or cellars is like crawling through a hobbit hole, but more importantly, these granaries kept precious food fresh during even the hottest summers.

Passive design Berber style

Making use of passive design techniques that are significantly more  sustainable than turning on high-energy cooling technologies, the Berbers understood that the deepest cellars are also the coolest as they are shielded from sunlight.

Smaller and less popular than the Ksar featured in Star Wars, Ksar Megabla remains in its original state and can be reached by taxi or on foot (not necessarily recommended) from Tataouine.

Although their homeland has become somewhat overrun after being featured in Star Wars, the Berbers living in Southern Tunisia are friendly and kind, and have much to teach us.

Image credits: Wikipedia

More on the Benefits of Earth Architecture:

Earth-Loving Kibbutzniks Help Build Luxury Hotel in Jerusalem

Free Movie: First Earth – Uncompromising Earth Architecture

Why we Need an Earth Architecture Revolution

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