Everything is relative. The meaning of youth or that of childhood. 
In the desert, age is just a number. One is born an adult, with responsibilities. One is soon a man or woman who actively contribute to the community or to the family. This doesn’t mean I haven’t seen children play in the desert, but it’s not normality. 
We were crossing the palm grove of Tichit on foot. 
It extends for about two kms towards the NW. I saw some kids between the palm trees playing and joking with each other. One of them was carrying a bundle of dry palm leaves over his head while the others laughed and chased each other. It was almost noon; the sun was high and beating down on our heads. The scene reminded me that no matter how hard life can be, no matter where you are, it doesn’t take much to smile. I couldn’t help but capture the simplicity, but power of this moment framed in this surreal context. 
A young palm grove crossed by young boys, The Palm Boys. 
To make the scene even more dramatic, the strong wind moved the crown of the palm trees while everything below them moved slower.

The Palm Boys

Giulio Aprin

Regular #2044

The sole lifeline tethering existence to this planet is water, chemically known as H2o. The two-month expedition through the Sahara's most remote corners in Mauritania vividly revealed water's indispensable essence. Entire civilizations, along with their rich tapestry of culture, customs, and traditions, hover perilously close to extinction due to water's scarcity; both as a vital resource for sustenance and as a climatic phenomenon. Consequently, wells stand as the ultimate bastion, holding the promise of survival for these places, their inhabitants, and the legacies they carry.

Life is Water

Lost. Lost for three days wandering in the Aoukar; an infinite, almost impenetrable, expanse of high sand hills that stretch for hundreds of kilometres. Here, life ends. There is no trace of civilization, no wells to drink from, nothing but sand, dry brush and a few naked trees. While crossing the most risky and challenging parts of this desert region, I felt like nature had also given up and lost inspiration to create. We survived the adventure. From out of nowhere, we see appearing from behind the dunes, the fascinating ancient town of Tichit. Almost like a mirage, the distinct stone town rises on a small promontory, with a flourishing palm grove wrapped at its base. The city is surrounded by a long sandstone cliff formation to the north and large white dunes to the south. Here, with the help of man, nature had returned to shine. Not far from this enchanting place, a gap opened between the cliff formation, like a hole in a bucket. And the sand that was contained by the rock, made its way to the opening, and poured through, in the most peaceful way, like sand drops.

Sandrop

All Time High in the Desert

Better to walk without knowing where than to sit doing nothing.

Dunes Hunter

Terjit is an oasis 45 km by road south of Atar, the capital of the Adrar Region deep in the Saharan Desert of Mauritania. The Terjit Oasis is nestled in a gorge on the western edge of the Adrar plateau, covered by a rich palm grove stretching a few hundred meters alongside a stream which emerges from a spring. The oasis was known to the locals as paradise in hell. For hundreds of years it had been a place of rest and shelter for caravans and insanely brave lone wayfarers who decided to travel through the vast Sahara Desert. DATE MINTED:

Terjit Oasis

A triangular building lays right in the middle of the Sahara, at the eastern border between Mauritania and Mali. This region is one of the most remote and hostile environments on earth. Now abandoned, this was once the main prison of Walatah, an important caravan city in the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries which played a crucial role as the southern terminus of the trans-Saharan trade route.

Desert Prison

Editions by Giulio Aprin

<p>The apparent calm. After two long days driving entirely in the desert straight from the capital, following old tracks cut through by vehicles that sometimes passed, we arrived in this place so unique and beautiful. Soft and sinuous waves of dunes alternate with stretches of flat ground. Everything seemed perfect. Not a breath of wind, which is usual in the Sahara. Time to set up camp and organise dinner. The sun was now setting, temperatures were dropping drastically, it wasn't cold, but the sand no longer retained heat, and a light breeze heralded the unexpected. Almost as if we were surrounded or attacked, perhaps drawn by the light or maybe by the water, some alien-looking insects resembling spiders began to appear from all sides. On our vehicle and then on the tent. Spiders of sizes never seen before, semi-transparent, running strangely very fast. We didn't know what they were or if they were dangerous. It became a nightmare of a night in seconds, fearing they might enter the tent or appear under our feet while we were eating. They were Camel Spiders, but we didn't know that yet. That night was restless, filled with apprehension. The next day we hastily ventured further into the desert, leaving the unsettling encounter with those swift, unfamiliar creatures as a vivid memory etched in the sand.</p>

Camel Spiders

A slow pace and constant march crossing the desert dunes in the Sahara with our caravan of three camels and our chameliers. It was exactly how I imagined and visualized it back home. An extraordinary adventure. Twelve kilometres of walking under the scorching sun going up and down these towering sand hills. The silence, the looks and the simple smiles accompanied us until we arrived at this elevated point from which a depression extends between the dunes, a dry area, probably an ancient basin of water. In the middle a large palm grove appeared, almost like a mirage, the Oasis de La Gueila. The oasis represents life, and the possibility of finding food as well as water. Before descending we stopped to admire the sinuosity and elegance of these desert curves, the beauty of nature in its simplicity. Small, in the immensity of the desert we let ourselves go into its greatness where we carry only our shadows, a reflection of our souls.

The Shadow Bearer

SuperRare

A single tiny obstacle in the vastness of the desert can change the course of the sand.

Desert Rock

1/1 by Giulio Aprin

"Camel", a desert version reinterpretation paying homage to Grant Yun's 'Cow'.

Camel

For the Culture by Giulio Aprin

Immerse yourself in a captivating photographic series where desert dunes and their lines unfold like the enticing swirls of soft-serve ice cream. The images reveal the intricate play of light and shadow on the golden sands, mimicking the creamy textures of a summer treat. This collection seamlessly blends the raw beauty of the desert with the sweet allure of indulgence, inviting viewers to discover the unexpected harmony in nature's shapes.

Sandy Cream #001

Sandy Cream #005

Sandy Cream

Title: Dunes Painting

Description: The morning light, at dawn, which slowly radiates the Namib Desert collides with the highest dunes in the world. This combination and contrast creates shapes and lines that are reminiscent of brush strokes. Shaded areas and light areas that create a real painting of dunes.

Edition: #001
Location: Namibia
Year: 2021 

Dunes Painting #001

Dunes Painting #008

Dunes Painting

An interpretation of the Decal by Giulio Aprin. A symbol of permissionless creativity. Series Thirty Eight.

Decal by Giulio Aprin #76

An interpretation of the Decal by Giulio Aprin. A symbol of permissionless creativity. Series Thirty-Eight.

Decal by Giulio Aprin #41

Decal by Giulio Aprin

The culmination of a long journey through light and sand, through the harsh and the soft, the fleeting and the eternal. Each ripple is shaped by the elements; each grain, a fragment of an untold story. The desert’s shifting textures, illuminated by the last light of day and deepening shadows, reveal a silent narrative written by the wind.

Grain of Light #001

Grain of Light #004

Grains of Light

Realising the immensity of a sea of sand made, he felt a profound sense of loneliness, awed by its power and strength.

Lonely in a Sand Sea

In the midst of their camels, cows, and goats gathered at the watering trough, three shepherds take a moment to rest. Yet one remains focused, watchful over the animals and the land around them.

Stay Focus

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We knew where we were headed. The Ubari lakes region is a place full of history made of geological eras of an impactful force. Once a boundless body of water comparable in size to today's Czech Republic, this area is now a vast expanse of sand and towering dunes.

In linear formation with three vehicles we emerge from a valley and head towards the oasis of Umm Al Maa. A mystical and enchanted place in the middle of nowhere.

Umm al-Maa, meaning "Mother of Water," is recognized for its slender, elongated form, perhaps contributing to its distinction as the most aesthetically pleasing among the Ubari lakes.

Umm Al Maaa

Mysteriously located near the legendary Guelb el Richat, also known as the Eye of the Sahara, there is a perfectly squared, man-made structure set in the heart of the desert. Surrounded by vast emptiness, its geometric precision contrasts sharply with the raw, ancient terrain around it.

Desert Square

This collection of 45 images is the culmination of a long journey through light and sand, through the harsh and the soft, the fleeting and the eternal. Each ripple is shaped by the elements; each grain, a fragment of an untold story. The desert’s shifting textures, illuminated by the last light of day and deepening shadows, reveal a silent narrative written by the wind.

Sailing through a sea of glowing dunes, the landscape feels suspended in time. The desert unfolds in endless patterns, each curve and crest shaped by wind and silence. Bathed in the golden breath of the setting sun, it becomes a vast ocean, where stillness speaks louder than sound.


Sailing Dunes

Another chapter from the Idehan Ubari crossing. Giant dunes stretched endlessly, and on the horizon, cone formations emerged like a mirage in the flat, dry expanse. As we approached, these cones loomed larger, some reaching three or four times the size of a person. It is known that this area was once a water basin. As the water dried up, trees and bushes with their roots became exposed. Time and erosion caused them to rot and deteriorate, forming these mounds of dirt and other organic materials.


Desert Cones

We were about to leave the Idehan Ubari to enter the Al-Hamra Plateau, when we had to find shelter in this boundless sea of sand.

The last minutes before setting camp we were surfing up and down the giant dunes chasing the sun setting on the horizon. A moment of peace and silence.

The sand dancing with the light changes a thousand colours during a day, but it reaches its pinnacle of splendour as evening approaches.

It finally comes alive and finds shape, enveloping you as if to offer protection before the onset of darkness.

Giulio Aprin (saharaman)

Giulio Aprin (saharaman)

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