The man who knows every sand dune in Abu Dhabi’s Liwa Desert

Liwa Desert, Abu Dhabi (CNN) — When Salam Almazrouei was a boy, he and his friends would play a game out in the desert that most people would find terrifying.

In the dead of night, despite being too young to drive in most countries, they would take cars out into the huge sea of sand dunes stretching from Abu Dhabi to Saudi Arabia, then turn the headlights off.

With only the moon to light the way, they would then race to see who could make it home in the fastest time.

It was clearly a game fraught with peril. Take a wrong turn, break down or get stuck in soft sand and you’d be on your own, miles from civilization, left to the mercy of a rising desert sun that could bring oven-like temperatures during the day.

“But we never got lost,” he says.

For Almazrouei, these seemingly identical dunes, stretching as far as the eye can see, are as familiar as streets are to a city dweller. Although occasional high winds can blow the sands around, the terrain, he says, never loses its familiarity.

This corner of Liwa Desert, also known as Rub’ al Khali or the Empty Quarter, has been home to Almazrouei’s Bedouin family for generations. Although they’ve now set up homes and businesses in Abu Dhabi’s towns and cities, the desert remains in their hearts and they return regularly.

And now the 46-year-old wants to share it. Inspired by his own extensive travels as a student and engineer, he’s tried to brainstorm ways to help people from beyond the UAE engage with and enjoy the magic of Liwa.

“At first, I came up with the idea of setting up a camp in the US, in California, complete with 70 Arabian camels,” he says. “But they didn’t allow it because of concerns over foot and mouth disease. And so we then said, ‘let’s set it up here.'”

Swallowed by sand

“Here” is a spot of almost otherworldly beauty. A smooth blanket of sand that gently ruffles out as far as the eye can see. At night, it basks under inky skies alive with stars. During the day, bright sunlight and blue skies.

It’s truly the middle of nowhere. It’s a two-hour drive south and west from downtown Abu Dhabi, through the small city of Zayed and then another hour south until the road…