H. Saint John Philby, in full Harry Saint John Bridger
Philby, (born April 3, 1885, Saint Johns, Badula, Ceylon [now Sri Lanka]—died
September 30, 1960, Beirut, Lebanon), British explorer and Arabist, the first
European to cross the Rubʿ al-Khali, or Empty Quarter, of Arabia from east to
west.
Philby was educated at Trinity College, Cambridge, and
joined the Indian Civil Service in 1907. In 1917, as political officer of the
Mesopotamian Expeditionary force, he was dispatched on a diplomatic mission to
ʿAbd al-ʿAzīz ibn Saʿūd. After meeting with the future king of Saudi Arabia, he
crossed the desert from Al-ʿUqayr to Jidda—an exploit recorded in his book,
Heart of Arabia (1922). Philby succeeded T.E. Lawrence as chief British
representative in Transjordan (1921–24) but resigned to establish a business in
Arabia. He was an unofficial adviser of Ibn Saʿūd and converted to Islam in
1930.
After an unsuccessful foray into politics in England
in 1939 and a brief incarceration there in 1940 because of his antiwar views,
Philby returned to Arabia in 1945. Ten years later he was expelled because of
his public criticism of the inefficiency and extravagance of the oil-enriched
Saʿūdi regime. Philby made important contributions based on his Arabian
explorations to the fields of archaeology, cartography, and linguistics. His
son, Kim Philby, became a Soviet agent within the British intelligence service.
Sem comentários:
Enviar um comentário