The Sahara with Eamonn Gearon

Personal Landscapes

If you think the world's largest desert is an empty wasteland, then you’re in for a surprise.

The Sahara has been home to cattle pastoralists, mighty empires, and trade routes that connected the Mediterranean world with sub-Saharan Africa.

I’m joined by Eamonn Gearon, author of a wonderful cultural history of the Sahara.

We talk about desert whales, fossil water, astonishing rock art older than history, and a few of the travelers who explored this vast region and returned to tell the tale.