"Unfortunately, the etiquette of the desert forbids you to ask the identity of any traveler whom you may meet. You may ask him where he is coming from, where he is going to, or questions of a similar nature, but you must on no account ask him who he is. There is a polite fiction to the effect that every man you meet, even if he is a common camel driver, is such a well-known personage that any inquiries concerning his identity are unnecessary."
- W. J. Harding-King, 19th century English traveler, quoted in The Conquest of The Sahara by Douglas Porch
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