The Incense Route Expedition 2025 explores the legacy of storytelling that lies at the intersection of ancient trade routes, and at the heart of all future foundations based upon sustainability and creative interaction. As expedition artist, Arabella joins explorers Rosie Stancer & Pom Oliver in the Incense Route Expedition, which will be the third in a trilogy of female-led desert expeditions that began in the Aral Sea (2022) and continued across the Sinai Peninsula, Egypt, (2023). Showcasing female-led innovation in culture and conservation, these expeditions explore how heritage and creativity might look back to the lessons of the past, so as to fuel a sustainable future of tomorrow.

You can follow our journey here.

Sketching portraits is the most amazing way to connect and learn one another, especially with the barriers of language since my Arabic is almost non existent and the sitter’s English often very limited

We have been fortunate enough to meet the beautiful Flower Men who live in in the Asir region, in the foothills of the Habala Mountains that straddle Saudi Arabia's southern border with Yemen.

Dr Yusar Asiri (pictured below) gave the flowers to us as a gift from his garden in the Asiri Mountains - Al Soudah.

The rock art we encountered in the Hima region was a revelation. Southern Arabian petroglyphs are ancient rock carvings primarily found in Saudi Arabia’s Najran region, with sites like the Himā Cultural Area being significant examples. These petroglyphs, which date from the Neolithic period to pre-Islamic times, depict daily life, hunting, and animals, providing crucial insights into the region’s history and culture, and are recognised as globally important archaeological sites.

I was compelled to pay a second visit to Hima to revisit, and work with, the Arabian petroglyphs. It was a long journey back down south, but I couldn't get these extraordinary carvings out of my mind and knew that I couldn't leave Saudi without coming back. What an honour to trace the lines of these rock carvings that have been here for over 3,000 years.

I was lucky enough to be introduced to Naif Al Mansour who has single handedly restored his family home in Zahran Al-Janub. It is a glorious and joyful celebration of tribal and regional traditions, an artistic link between a way of life in Southern Arabia that has almost disappeared, and the rapidly encroaching modernity that heralds Saudi’s future.

He was incredibly generous with his time showing me around the beautifully restored house, and was happy to stand for a photo with me and my wonderful driver Faisal Al Mansour. The photo was taken at the entrance of his next restoration project.