Desert Research Papers - Academia.edu (original) (raw)

I knew architecture grew since the ages of prehistoric and was the goal of the appearance of architecture at first in order to meet the need and protection from surrounding risks, but with the evolution of architecture through the ages,... more

I knew architecture grew since the ages of prehistoric and was the goal of the appearance of architecture at first in order to meet the need and protection from surrounding risks, but with the evolution of architecture through the ages, and the concept of civilization that appeared with the development of architecture gave a special identity to architecture. like Mesopotamia in Iraqi architecture, Egyptian architecture shows African, Romanian Greek, and Islamic architecture. The Byzantine Empire which covered most regions of the world saw the emergence of a very Christian architecture in Italy and the Vatican Gothic factor was the development of this architecture. Prothera next to the religious and ideological thought and philosophy closer to the god of, this architecture was thought the mainstream has actually contributed to the development of architecture during the ages. In this study, we will study the Islamic building in the North Africa region, which spread in the 10th century and was founded by The Abadites who were Kharijites and spread in the north of the Algerian desert, specifically in the city of Ghardaia in Wadi M'zab. 550 km from Algiers. This city is designed for social life, and this city is an inspiration for urban planners today. This city has been described in the Book of Lights Mazab of the French Orientalist where he said that her charm attracts visitors to it in one of the pages of this book. This architecture was characterized by: an inherent system of architecture, a mixture of practical creativity, which was characterized by steadfastness so as to stay adapted and adapted to the difficult climate and nature of the region, and the maintenance of the neighborhood rights supported by a arsenal of ethical systems and customs expressed in the harem. Both inside the palace or at specific distances outside their walls ... Which is covered by a beautiful aesthetic touch and an almost unique architectural feature. Through this study we will explain how They were affected of the building and the urban fabric of the area and the inhabitants of Wadi M'zab affected the religious dimension, how did urban fabric Wade M'zab preserve his building authenticity in terms of the form and mix of art and creativity that appears in urban and Wadi M'zab.

According to the Book of Exodus (13:17-18), after the exodus from Egypt, the Children of Israel did not take the shortest and most logical route to Canaan, which would have been the one on the North of Sinai, that goes by the cost of... more

According to the Book of Exodus (13:17-18), after the exodus from Egypt, the
Children of Israel did not take the shortest and most logical route to Canaan,
which would have been the one on the North of Sinai, that goes by the cost of
the Mediterranean from Egypt to Gaza, through the territories of the philistines,
known as “The Route of the Land of the Philistines” or simply as “Via Maris”.
The chosen route was described as the “Route of the Red Sea Desert”. The
children of Israel headed to the South in the direction of the middle of the desert
to the areas external to Egyptian ruling. The proximity to Egypt, the risk of starting a war with the philistines, the existence of Egyptian fortress in that
region, the existence of a Divine plan, tests, the search for spirituality, the
preparation of an army to conquer Canaan and the creation of a nation are
some of the reasons that prevented the Israelites from choosing the shortest
way.

In recent years, the world music scene has seen the birth of a new musical style, the ‘desert blues.’ This music, represented by musicians such as Malians Ali Farka Touré and Bassekou Kouyate, Tuareg Tinariwen and other desert cultures... more

In recent years, the world music scene has seen the birth of a new musical style, the ‘desert blues.’ This music, represented by musicians such as Malians Ali Farka Touré and Bassekou Kouyate, Tuareg Tinariwen and other desert cultures such as the Saharawi, claims to be key to discovering the origins of the African-American blues. Similar instrumentation, scales, melodies and playing techniques have led many to believe in a linear evolution, easily traced from Africa to America. However, the story of the blues, closely linked to slavery, is one of musical conversations and exchanges across the Atlantic. While its roots can be found in West Africa and the musical traditions slaves took with them to the new world, the term ‘desert blues’ appeared much later, when the desert musicians were fully aware of the existence of the blues and the rock ‘n’ roll. It was, thereforeThis paper is an exploration of the academic and musical theories that link Africa to the blues. It does so by analysing, first, to what extent the blues is an American creation and how much of it has its origins in West Africa, second, what elements of the African-American blues can be found in African music, taking examples from different cultures of the African Western Sahel, and third, the construction of the “desert blues” genre and Ali Farka Touré’s musical mediation.

As means of locomotion, mount animals, sedan chairs or chariots are known from ancient Egypt for overland travel (Köpp, 2008b, 401-412; Köpp- Junk, 2013: 6-9; 2014: 199-276). The oldest mode of travel, however, was simply to walk... more

As means of locomotion, mount animals, sedan
chairs or chariots are known from ancient Egypt
for overland travel (Köpp, 2008b, 401-412; Köpp-
Junk, 2013: 6-9; 2014: 199-276). The oldest mode
of travel, however, was simply to walk because it
was the easiest and cheapest way to move, even
though it was the slowest. The very reverse applies
to the chariot. Compared to all other means of
travel, except for horseback riding, the chariot was
the fastest, but also the most expensive one. Be-
sides the chariot, the owner has to purchase horses
as well as have a personal staff for maintenance
and care of both. Therefore, at the beginning of the
18th Dynasty, only the king and
a few high officials could afford them (Hofmann,
1989: 33). However, about 2,000 chariots are esti-
mated for the Egyptian army of the 19th Dynasty
(Langenbach, 2009: 347). This figure provides indication of the increasing use of the chariot. How many additional chariots were privately owned is uncertain, but several tomb scenes
as well as textual evidence from the New Kingdom
show them as an obvious component of daily life
as a mode of locomotion.
This contribution discusses the general use of
chariots in civil contexts. Additionally, its radius
of action with regards to overland travel is analyzed, as well as how chariots were transported by
water. This is followed by on overview of the traveling speed of the vehicle.

Successful development of cuisine as a niche tourism product has been portrayed in various countries in the world. The paper argues that the Karoo provides evidence of a substantial culinary resource base and an established local food... more

Successful development of cuisine as a niche tourism product has been portrayed in various countries in the world. The paper argues that the Karoo provides evidence of a substantial culinary resource base and an established local food identity. This, in turn, can be promoted as a tourism destination by means of culinary mapping. Geographic Information Systems (GIS) tools are used, supported by a culinary database with information compiled from various sources in literature, the internet, lifestyle magazines, recipe books, census data and tourism structures. A proposed culinary route/itinerary synthesizes the data, identifying authentic food experiences as a niche tourism product, based on a regional cuisine.

What Fernand Braudel once said of the Mediterranean sea can be said of the Sahara desert: drawing up boundaries is a difficult task. However, some geographers attempted to do so, and their endeavors were part of what may be termed the... more

What Fernand Braudel once said of the Mediterranean sea can be said of the Sahara desert: drawing up boundaries is a difficult task. However, some geographers attempted to do so, and their endeavors were part of what may be termed the “invention” of the Sahara. In our introduction we pointed out some key figures of this invention (Leo Africanus, Eugene Daumas, Emile Carette, Henri Duveyrier, Robert Capot-Rey ...) then briefly presented the various contributions to the project, from a historical perspective. Indeed the Sahara-inspired dreams of today’s solar engineers are every bit as wild as the utopias of technicians from the colonial era. Similarly, the rumors fueled by media about AQIM are not very different from those once spread about the Senussi brotherhood. In the same way, the political thinking of the Tuareg in Mali and Niger is not so far remote from the thinking of the Moorish scholars of the seventeenth through nineteenth centuries. And again, the current migrations in the Sahara desert were preceded by other migrations, even if those took place under the duress of the slave trade. We cannot say that the Sahara has remained unchanged for centuries, but the movements and ideas that travel through it were not born yesterday.

V magistrskem delu obravnavam vprašanje (ne)možnosti metafizične svobode in moralne odgovornosti, in sicer s posebnim ozirom na zloglasni argument filozofa Galena Strawsona. Analizo pričnem z orisom povezave med svobodo, moralno... more

V magistrskem delu obravnavam vprašanje (ne)možnosti metafizične svobode in moralne odgovornosti, in sicer s posebnim ozirom na zloglasni argument filozofa Galena Strawsona. Analizo pričnem z orisom povezave med svobodo, moralno odgovornostjo in dejavnikovo zmožnostjo, da nad samim seboj in svojim delovanjem izkazuje relevantno vrsto nadzora. Razmejim med tremi pomembnimi vprašanji, ki obkrožajo filozofsko razpravo o svobodi: »Vprašanjem možnosti«, »Vprašanjem obstoja« in »Vprašanjem združljivosti«. Sledi kratek očrt (sodobne) razprave, zlasti z vidika teh vprašanj. Nato ponudim nekaj dodatnih terminoloških pojasnil in natančneje opredelim nekatere osrednje pojme dela, kot so »kompatibilizem«, »inkompatibilizem«, »libertarizem«, »imposibilizem«, »determinizem« in »moralna odgovornost«. V središče razpravljanja postavim svobodo, ki je potrebna za moralno odgovornost v smislu »osnovne«, nepragmatično pojmovane zaslužnosti. Sledi predstavitev Strawsonovega »osnovnega argumenta« (OA), k...

In the year 24 BCE, Roman Emperor Caesar Augustus ordered the Prefect of Egypt the beginning of a military campaign to seize control of Arabia Felix rich and important trade routes is controlled. In this article we will discuss the... more

In the year 24 BCE, Roman Emperor Caesar Augustus ordered the Prefect of Egypt the beginning of a military campaign to seize control of Arabia Felix rich and important trade routes is controlled. In this article we will discuss the circumstances surrounding this mission and its unexpected outcome, which from Rome conditioned not to think again the dominance of that region.

The climate and energy advantages of underground dwellings have long been praised. In many cases such praises have been based on qualitative assessments, whereas in others the existence of numerous such examples in specific geoclimatic... more

The climate and energy advantages of underground dwellings have long been praised. In many cases such praises have been based on qualitative assessments, whereas in others the existence of numerous such examples in specific geoclimatic regions – such as deserts – has been assumed to indicate their positive characteristics. This paper presents three case studies from three distinctly different geoclimatic zones of the Israeli deserts, assessing the appropriateness of underground spaces for living in each one of them, and discussing briefly strategies for indoor microclimate improvement.

In November 1983, eight hundred women converged in the central Australian desert to stage a two-week protest against the presence of the U.S. military installation at Pine Gap. Part of a global women's protest against militarism and the... more

In November 1983, eight hundred women converged in the central Australian desert to stage a two-week protest against the presence of the U.S. military installation at Pine Gap. Part of a global women's protest against militarism and the dangers of nuclear war keenly felt in the early 1980s, I argue that in its organisational practices and ideological conflicts this event can be regarded as a microcosm of second-wave Australian feminism. In this paper I look at the function of maternity. While Pine Gap is often publicly remembered for its lesbian presence, when mothers became protestors their political agency was often recognised at the cost of their maternity. And yet maternalism was a major discursive argument for the protest. Drawing on newspapers and newsletters, pillowcases and poetry, mothers and memory, this paper seeks to create a sense of the controversial place of maternity, its uses and limits, in this particular event of 1980s feminism.

The application of optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) dating in the Namib Desert is casting new light on late Quaternary environments. OSL has been applied to: (i) complex linear dunes, alongside ground penetrating radar stratigraphy... more

The application of optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) dating in the Namib Desert is casting new light on late Quaternary environments. OSL has been applied to: (i) complex linear dunes, alongside ground penetrating radar stratigraphy in order to establish dune migration rates, (ii) fluvial lithofacies associations that distinguish between flood deposits and river end points, in order to constrain the timing of periods of higher discharge and conditions relatively drier than present and (iii) aeolian sand interbedded with carbonate deposits in order to provide chronologies for water-lain interdune sediments. We present and review the contribution of these data to enhancing reconstructions of the palaeoenvironments and palaeohydrology of the west coast of Namibia, particularly the increased confidence in interpretations provided by lithofacies analysis of the river deposits. This includes major silt deposits, which have had a contested palaeohydrological interpretation, such as the Kuiseb River Homeb Silts. We conclude that OSL should remain a key chronological technique to further elucidate the palaeoenvironmental history of southern Africa

Central cases of moral blame suggest that blame presupposes that its target deserves to feel guilty, and that if one is blameworthy to some degree, one deserves to feel guilt to a corresponding degree. This, some think, is what explains... more

Central cases of moral blame suggest that blame presupposes that its target deserves to feel guilty, and that if one is blameworthy to some degree, one deserves to feel guilt to a corresponding degree. This, some think, is what explains why being blameworthy for something presupposes having had a strong kind of control over it: only given such control is the suffering involved in feeling guilt deserved. This chapter argues that all this is wrong. As evidenced by a wider range of cases, blame doesn’t presuppose that the target deserves to feel guilt and doesn’t necessarily aim at the target’s suffering in recognition of what they have done. On the constructive side, the chapter offers an explanation of why, in many cases of moral blameworthiness, the agent nevertheless does deserve to feel guilt. The explanation leans on a general account of moral and non-moral blame and blameworthiness and a version of the popular idea that moral blame targets agents’ objectionable quality of will. Given the latter idea, the morally blameworthy have harmed the standing of some person or value, giving rise to obligations to give correspondingly less relative weight to their own standing, and so, sometimes, to their own suffering.

AfrikaBurn is a South African version of the Burning Man festival, held annually at Black Rock, Nevada, USA. AfrikaBurn is a participatory explosion of creativity, art, and innovation, which arises for a week on a remote desert floor in... more

AfrikaBurn is a South African version of the Burning Man festival, held annually at Black Rock, Nevada, USA. AfrikaBurn is a participatory explosion of creativity, art, and innovation, which arises for a week on a remote desert floor in the Tankwa Karoo. The central focus is a set of wooden sculptures, which are burnt in a celebration of destruction and rebirth. This paper provides the findings of an on-site survey of 188 participants, in terms of the demographic characteristics, as well as their views about the AfrikaBurn festival. The interviewees were predominantly middle-class professionals, white people, and involved in a variety of creative careers. There was a strong international contingent from Europe and the USA. The survey also explored their ideological and normative views, and compared them to the official AfrikaBurn values. The study found that most participants were committed to values such as creativity, generosity, community, communal effort, and self-reliance. These post-modern values are also strongly felt at Burning Man in the USA, suggesting that the urban middle class in South Africa may share a great deal of values and priorities with urban middle class people in the United States.

Presentación de mi tesis doctoral: «Las Ermitas del Desierto de Las Palmas. Historia y actualidad de una idea». Departamento de Proyectos Arquitectónicos. Escuela Técnica Superior de Arquitectura (ETSAV), Universidad Politécnica de... more

Presentación de mi tesis doctoral: «Las Ermitas del Desierto de Las Palmas. Historia y actualidad de una idea». Departamento de Proyectos Arquitectónicos. Escuela Técnica Superior de Arquitectura (ETSAV), Universidad Politécnica de Valencia (UPV). Valencia 2016. 1.140 fols. Inédita.

Urban water consumption in Israel is on the rise. However, the direction of change differs by consumption sector. In the domestic sector, per capita water use tends to grow faster in “thinly” consuming places than in localities with high... more

Urban water consumption in Israel is on the rise. However, the direction of change differs by consumption sector. In the domestic sector, per capita water use tends to grow faster in “thinly” consuming places than in localities with high per capita rates of water consumption, indicating that water consumption rates tend to converge over time. Concurrently, in the non-residential sector (municipal consumption), water consumption tends to diverge, with heavily water-consuming places raising their per capita water consumption rates more rapidly. According to the explanation proposed, the observed convergence trend in the domestic sector is likely to stem from two major factors – the saturation of water consumption in affluent places, and the rising standards of living in poor localities, enabling them to consume more water for household use. Recent improvements in the level of infrastructure development in the peripheral areas of the country may have also contributed to the convergence of water consumption rates for domestic use.

The long-lived columnar saguaro cactus (Carnegiea gigantea) is among the most studied plants in the world. Long-term studies have shown saguaro establishment to be generally episodic and strongly influenced by precipitation and... more

The long-lived columnar saguaro cactus (Carnegiea gigantea) is among the most studied plants in the world. Long-term studies have shown saguaro establishment to be generally episodic and strongly influenced by precipitation and temperature. Water limitation through lower-than-average seasonal rainfall and elevated temperatures increasing evaporative loss can reduce survivorship of recent germinates. Thus, multi-year, extended drought could cause populations to decline as older saguaros die without replacement. Previous studies have related establishment to temporal variation in rainfall, but most studies have been on non-randomized plots in ideal habitat and thus might not have captured the full variability within the local area. We studied how saguaro establishment varied in space and which habitat features may buffer responses to drought on 36 4-ha plots located randomly across an elevation gradient, including substantial replication in landscape position (bajada, foothills, and slopes) in the two disjunct districts of Saguaro National Park in southern Arizona, USA. Recent, severe drought coincided with drastic declines in saguaro establishment across this ~25,000-ha area. Establishment patterns derived from the park-wide data set was strongly correlated with drought, but the Park's two districts and diversity of plots demonstrated substantially different population outcomes. Saguaro establishment was best explained by the interaction of drought and habitat type; establishment in bajada and foothill plots dropped to near-zero under the most severe periods of water limitation but remained higher in slope plots during the same time span. Combined with saguaro density estimates, these data suggest that the most suitable habitat type for saguaro establishment shifted to higher elevations during the time span of the recent drought. These results place into context the extent to which historical patterns of demography provide insight into future population dynamics in a changing climate and reveal the importance of understanding dynamics across the distribution of possible local habitat types with response to variation in weather.

Using GIS and remote sensing tools, the current dissertation shows the impact of agricultural mutation in drylands and highlights the effect of date palm (Phoenix dactylifera) plantations (DPP) on desertification phenomenon in oases of... more

Using GIS and remote sensing tools, the current dissertation shows the impact of agricultural mutation in drylands and highlights the effect of date palm (Phoenix dactylifera) plantations (DPP) on desertification phenomenon in oases of the Algerian Sahara Desert. The spatiotemporal survey was conducted using three Landsat satellite images (TM-1984, ETM+-1999, and OLI-2013). Likelihood supervised classification was used to quantify DPP change over three decades, whereas four remote sensed indices were extracted as indicators of desertification process in the study area: Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), Normalized Difference Moisture Index (NDMI), Salinity Index (SI-T), and Crust Index (CI). Generalized linear mixed models (GLMMs) were applied to test the effects of year and DPP ‘presence/absence’ for NDVI; year, DPP and NDVI for both CI and NDMI; year, DPP, NDVI and NDMI for SI-T. DPP area and tree numbers quadrupled over the last three decades with a surface increase of 4822 ha and more than 0.5 million trees. DPP presence positively influenced NDVI, NDMI and CI, but negatively affected SI-T. Highly significant positive relationships were found between NDVI—DPP, NDVI—NDMI, and NDVI—CI, although negative relationships were obtained between SI-T—NDVI and SI-T—NDMI. DPP areas indicated higher NDVI, NDMI and CI values, but with lower SI-T values compared to the rest of the desert habitats. Our results highlighted the potential role of DPP in controlling and mitigating desertification in hot drylands. This arises from the effectiveness of strategic agricultural policy programs. Landsat series data provided a cost-efficient tool for monitoring change in oases and arid environments.

In this paper, I explore the idea that someone can deserve resentment or other reactive emotions for what she does by attention to three psychological functions of such emotions – appraisal, communication, and sanction – that I argue... more

In this paper, I explore the idea that someone can deserve resentment or other reactive emotions for what she does by attention to three psychological functions of such emotions – appraisal, communication, and sanction – that I argue ground claims of their desert. I argue that attention to these functions helps to elucidate the moral aims of reactive emotions and to distinguish the distinct claims of desert, as opposed to other moral considerations.