Even for those with a flair for extreme adventure and a strong will to survive, coping with harsh desert terrain requires more than just fearlessness or raw instinct. Add a great new skill to your own or your children’s lives by learning how to build a shelter, build your own fire and use basic navigation skills with Mleiha Archaeological and Eco-tourism Project’s newly introduced 2-hour ‘Surviving the Sands’ activity.

Ideal for anyone starting age 10 and above, the activity will be held amidst the archaeological site’s stunning landscape of multi-hued ochre and golden sand dunes, surrounded by towering, rocky mountains. The informative and hands-on tutorial will offer simple yet effective emergency tips and techniques, designed to beat the odds, even in the most unforgiving desert environment.  

Staying hydrated is key to survival in a desert, and participants can learn the art of making drinking water with just a container and sheet of plastic to create a solar still that mimics the greenhouse effect to trap moisture from the soil.

Safeguarding of physical safety will be covered by a tent-building exercise, engaging participants in learning how to build their own shelter.

Fire is essential for preparing food, keeping warm at night and fending off predators. Mleiha’s survival experts will teach the techniques of building a proper fire pit and stack; and show ways to light a fire using flint/steel and other methods.

Since tracks disappear with every wind that sweeps across the desert, adventure enthusiasts will learn how to tap into an ancient Bedouin tradition of using the sun and stars as compass cues for navigating the dunes and sandy stretches of this expansive landscape.

Although humans can survive up to three weeks without food, Mleiha’s ‘Survival Package’ aims to leave nothing to chance. Participants will be taken on a tour of the majestic desert landscape to identify native flora and fauna to satiate one’s hunger in a survival scenario.

The activity is priced at Dhs150 per person.

Separately, Expo Centre Sharjah will be hosting the 2nd edition of The Education Growth Summit, TEGS, in Sharjah from 22nd to 23rd January, 2020, following a cooperation agreement recently signed in Bangalore, India.

During a press conference held in Bangalore, the agreement was signed between Expo Centre Sharjah represented by Sultan Shattaf, Director, Sales and Marketing, and K2 Learning, Bangalore’s most preferred institute for commerce education, represented by Sripall D Jain, CEO and Founder of Career Uttsav and Chairman of group company, K2 LEARNING.

Expo Centre Sharjah will also be hosting a special platform that will bring together some of the top companies operating in the educational technology sector, under the theme, “Education Technologies”.

A number of representatives from K2 Learning, media and various educational sectors in India attended the signing ceremony.

The TEGS and the “Education Technologies” platform will be organised by K2 LEARNING at the 16th International Education Show, scheduled to take place from 22nd to 24th January, 2020.

Saif Mohammed Al Midfa, CEO of Expo Centre Sharjah, said, “ TEGS will surely be a quality addition to the 16th International Education Show, which enjoys the support of the Sharjah Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the Ministry of Education and the Sharjah Private Education Authority.”

“TEGS will be a significant addition to the International Education Show, especially as it will provide a platform for edupreneurs, bringing together elite decision-makers, experts and practitioners involved in the education sector,” Shattaf said.

He added that the summit, through the “Education Technologies” platform, will shed light on the latest innovations and possible ways and mechanisms to ensure a qualitative transition in the education sector across the region.

Shattaf highlighted that the 16th International Education Show will see the largest expansion ever since its inception and see new countries taking part, besides a strong presence by Emirati universities, as well as the most prestigious British and German universities.