Only a narrow ridge lies between the original way of life of the desert inhabitants and their incorporation into civilization. Pampered by the beauty of the desert, its people are also aimless wanderers in search of the unattainable, of God and a poetry that could capture the mystery of the desolate wilderness beyond their illusions. Hermits, adventurers, and treasure hunters have succumbed to it, but also holy warriors who prepare to fight against modernity under its protection. Where death is omnipresent in the bones of dead animals and in the thirst of the forsaken, hope for paradise is closest. The desert has always been a place of extreme experiences between fascination and threat. The anthology brings together selected texts by renowned Arab authors that focus on the desert as a habitat.