ETRUSCAN

Holder of 11 records (world premieres) for extreme desert explorations, on February 02, 2020, enters the History of Exploration, crossing 1,100km of undefeated sand, never crossed on foot by anyone before him. A place shrouded in mystery, legend and secrets never revealed: the Empty Quarter (Rub Al Khali) of Saudi Arabia, the largest sand desert in the world. The Calderan Line was born and added to the geographical maps of the Arabian Peninsula and certified by Google Maps as a Historical Landmark.

Max Calderan has always been interested in how people of various cultures live together, sharing ideas and life visions and how both adapt to environmental changes. In the last 10 years, he has focused on the interplay of climate change, sustainable development and urbanity with applications to climate change impacts, environmental equity, individual behaviour, learning modes, communication, and planning policy and practice in international and inter-cultural comparisons. Max Calderan is not only a legendary desert explorer; in his professional life, he is a high-level expert in desertification, climate change, sustainability and regreening.

2020

The Empty Quarter Desert ( Rub Al Khali in Arabic) is the world's largest sand surface, and it is mainly located in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Its maximum length in the Kingdom is 1,200 km, and its maximum width is 650 km. In the heart of the vast and inhospitable Rub Al Khali lies a secret that has captivated explorers, historians, and archaeologists for centuries. The lost city of Ubar, often referred to as the “Atlantis of the Sands,” The inhabitants of the Empty Quarter are members of various local tribes. The first documented expeditions by non-saudi explorers were made by British explorers Bertram Thomas and St John Philby in the early 1930s. Between 1946 and 1950, Wilfred Thesiger mapped large parts of the Empty Quarter.

In 2020, Italian extreme desert explorer Max Calderan completed a Rub' al Khali exploration on foot for the first time from west to east. He crossed on foot 1,100 km (680 mi) in 18 days, crossing the widest area of Rub' al Khali