khobar to cape

              ...a journey of a life time through ibn batuta's africa

about us - the mahmoods

mushtaq and waheeda met each other in 1983 when mushtaq hitched hiked from tanzania to south africa during those abhorring period of apartheid. they got married in 1986 in cape town and settled in england. shahzad, rumana and fowzia were all born in blackburn, england. Outdoor adventure has always being their pursuit and the ultimate challenge has been to realize the dream of overlanding across africa.

the mahmood family are now resident in al khobar (dhahran) saudi arabia for over 7 years. they are witnessing a country which in a great transition... the saudi arabia of today is as modern and hi-tech as any western country yet upholding its islamic principles.

mushtaq was born and brought up in mwanza, tanzania. he works as a sap consultant for the largest oil company in the world - saudi aramco. he climbed mt. kilimanjaro in 1997 with his best friend, natwer modhwadia via the machame route. he is is keen diver and takes his offroading very seriously. 

waheeda was born and brought up in capetown, south africa. she is an amateur archaelogists and has an impressive collection of artefacts. waheeda is also a brilliant cook!

coincidence? check the map on top, it is a straight line between  al khobar and capetown and mwanza is exactly half way !

shahzad (17) is currently studying his a-levels at st. christopher's school in bahrain (he commutes daily), he loves playing touch rugby and has received his full saudi driving licence. shahzad is also a keen diver, and is aiming for his advanced diving certificate. he will be the secondary driver during this trip. shahzad is seen here donning the ummayd period regalia in tadmor, syria.

rumana (15) is currently studying her gcse at the dhahran british grammar school. she is extremely atheletic and is an active football player (plays at right back), representing her school in national tournaments and she is also in the aramco select team. she is into skate boarding at the moment. she is also a great navigator, especially on our confluence hunts and currently she is trying out the recipes from the bbc food channel!

fowzia (13) has completed her year 9, also at the dhahran british

grammar school. fowzia is currently hooked on rock climbing and practises hard on the school's climbing wall. she also loves to watch the survivor series and likes the music from simple plan. she will be managing this web site.