The question with Ubar was where exactly to look. It was thought to be in or near the Rub' al Khali (Empty Quarter), a great sand sea in the southern Arabian Peninsula. This very arid area is roughly the size of Texas, with sand dunes over 600 feet high. Searching such a vast area was a considerable challenge.

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In the early 1980s a Los Angeles filmmaker and archaeological enthusiast named Nicholas Clapp began researching the history of Ubar and planning an archaeological expedition. George Hedges, an attorney, provided the organizational expertise and carried out most of the logistics. Clapp used ancient maps, literature, and records to arrive at a general location for Ubar in southern Oman, but this was still a dauntingly large area to search.