Question: Looking on [thesaurus.com](http://thesaurus.com/browse/desert) I can find only synonyms for "desert" with negative connotations. Are there any synonyms with positive connotations? Specifically, something that invokes the sense of clean desolation and unspoiled nature.

Answer: 
One positive synonym I can think of is 'The Sands'. This might be a useful version for you.
[***Thebaid***](http://www.wordreference.com/fren/th%C3%A9ba%C3%AFde)

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> The [*Thebaid*](https://books.google.com/ngrams/graph?content=thebaid%2CThebaid&year_start=1800&year_end=2000&corpus=15&smoothing=3&share=&direct_url=t1%3B%2Cthebaid%3B%2Cc0%3B.t1%3B%2CThebaid%3B%2Cc0#t1%3B%2Cthebaid%3B%2Cc1%3B.t1%3B%2CThebaid%3B%2Cc0) or *Thebais* (Greek: Θηβαΐς, Thēbaïs) is the region of ancient Egypt containing the thirteen southernmost nomes of Upper Egypt, from Abydos to Aswan. It acquired its name from its proximity to the ancient Egyptian capital of Thebes. During the Ancient Egyptian dynasties this region was dominated by Thebes and its priesthood at the temple of Amun at Karnak. [...]
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> Around the 5th century, since it was a desert, the Thebaid became a place of retreat of a number of Christian hermits, and was the birthplace of Pachomius. In Christian art, the Thebaid was represented as a place with numerous monks.
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> [Social Vocabulary](http://socialvocabulary.com/defines/Thebaid)
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> *The subjects range from the pleasures of courtly life to the spiritual rewards of religious retirement from the world in a Thebaid, to the degradations and miseries of the poor* [...]
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> [The Oxford Dictionary of Christian Art and Architecture](https://books.google.fr/books?id=Te2dAAAAQBAJ&pg=PA622&lpg=PA622&dq=%22in+a+thebaid%22&source=bl&ots=dM5YLar5BL&sig=pOyqoB522XFD9tb6-ykCDpq5UHs&hl=fr&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwi3zIfrspvMAhUDfRoKHULfCP8Q6AEIIDAC#v=onepage&q=%22in%20a%20thebaid%22&f=false)
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