The Bystander

Ranulph Fiennes, an explorer and adventurer, was a member of Clapp’s expedition. He believed the spot where Ubar was, as proved by satellite photos that Clapp had gotten, was identified on an ancient map of Arabia by Claudius Ptolemy in about 150 AD.”

Hassa looked around to be sure she had everyone’s attention. She didn’t mind that Ace and Olen were still eating. In the Arabic tradition, every time the two finished a dish another one appeared. After all, they returned to sit beside her, munching and seeming to hang on her every word.

“I am almost finished with the history.”

“Will there be a test?” Ace’s question made Amy wince, but she made no apology for her cousin’s sense of humor.

Hassa sighed, and continued, “There’s a lot of dissent regarding this site being Ubar. Some think it is in the northern part of the Arabian Peninsula. Some think it refers to a region or a group of people. Some think it is a myth. Scientists have been swayed into wishful thinking.”

And she closed the folder.

“Hassa, that was a great background,” said Audrey. “I did some reading flying in here and know Nicolas Clapp had no doubts about what he found. He was convinced, as are others, that over the centuries building on the stone fortress undermined the limestone base, and caused the site to collapse. He found the viper snake famous for guarding the frankincense fields in the area around Ubar. For me, Ubar is the Atlantis of the Sands.”